Fighters have become people to me

Matt’s hands were up, yet the punched slipped through, you could tell he felt it, up until now he was winning the fight, could this be the turning point? Matt Mitrione took some big shots from Joey Beltran in their prelim fight Saturday night. He looked really good in the fight and went on to win, but there were a few punches that got through and could have been the end of his night. When those punches landed I had a gut reaction, the same reaction you would have if one of your friends got punched in the face. The strange thing is, I‘ve never met Matt, and in all reality he is a stranger to me. As some of you may know I spend a lot of time following the sport of MMA and its fighters. By continually following the fighters online, watching interviews and videos of their training, you develop a fondness for them, almost as if you know them. Then you see the look of confusion on their face as they come to and look at the corner man and ask, “what happened”, after that big right hand, Thai knee, or head kick has ended their night. It is hard to see that look because you know about the weeks and weeks they spent preparing, the time they spent away from their families and kids while in training camp. You know how much was put into this moment and now they are looking up, as the lights come back into focus, and they don’t even know they have lost. I had this feeling when I watched Randy Couture being hammer-fisted by Brock Lesnar, Roxanne Modafferi being slammed into unconsciousness by Sarah Kaufman, and when Wanderlei KO’ed Keith Jardine, it was like watching a friend being beaten up. It is no longer just watching fights to me, it is watching people that I have followed and gotten to know, through my computer screen of course, but nonetheless, I get nervous for them. At it’s core, watching people fight is a surreal experience, and when you find yourself becoming invested in the fighters as people, not just entertainers, it might be time to take a step back.