Op-Ed: Why The Left Wants To Knock Out Mixed Martial Arts

These two men, one from Brazil and one from France, would go to a decision, meaning that neither had knocked the other out and it was up to the judges – and it wasn’t clear who would be the victor. As the end neared, the Brazilian rushed forward, a last ruthless drive with swinging left hooks. His opponent faltered as the hits landed, and noise swelled from thousands of riveted spectators.

Then the quick buzzer cut through, and suddenly the scene transformed from an aggressor and a defender to the same two men embracing each other strongly, each one intensely exhausted, yet each one the epitome of sportsmanship. Behind the scenes, they were friends. They had both been in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for years, competing against others, sharing the experience of intense physical discipline, pain and recovery, building cardiac endurance and muscle force that propelled them to the top tier of athletes. The announcers spoke excitedly, and the coaches approached their prodigies, wiping the blood away as the two separated. The Brazilian was declared the winner by split decision; they shook hands, and the winner spoke elatedly in the post-fight interview, thanking God first, telling his wife he loved her, and sharing which fighter he’d like to compete against next.

Physical Fitness Deemed “Far Right”

Recently, an article by left-leaning news network MSNBC came to light in which they tied mixed martial arts to white supremacy and far-right extremism. Claiming that “physical fitness has always been central to the far right,” they continued that “the intersection of extremism and fitness leans into a shared obsession with the male body, training, masculinity, testosterone, strength, and competition.” Explicitly criticizing pain acceptance, heroism, brotherhood, and manliness, the column spewed vitriol toward young men, masculinity, and the self-discipline of the fighting and fitness communities.

A strong man is the greatest bulwark against a fascist government.

This neat little packet of socially loaded lies is handed to men by the left, who wants to destroy men by making them weak. What the left understands well is that physical fitness and training are not just about the body; rather, training the body results in the shaping not only of muscle but of the mind. Mental and emotional testing occurs when the body is pushed to its limit. The left knows that a strong man, in all of these categories, is the greatest bulwark against a fascist government – and therein lies the incredible irony. In implying that men who pursue fitness are fascist, they reveal their own fascist intent.

But why does this matter to women?

I am a woman who benefits from the true, principled masculinity of my husband, and I am a sister of four brothers who have each been faced with our culture’s toxic lies about manhood. As a wife, I have become familiar with the masculinity that protects, loves, and leads. An attack on that true masculinity is an attack on what I hold dear. Beyond my own personal experience, I see that many women are being hurt by men who do not practice true, principled masculinity. They are not being protected, loved, and led in the way that men are supposed to do. 

In part, this is due to the fact that men need challenges in order to become strong. They need physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges. My husband was in the Marine Corps for 10 years, and he was pushed to his limit there. It made him aware that he had the ability to achieve much more than he previously thought possible. He was subjected to hard work, male authority structures, and brutal physical and emotional challenges that truly tested his limits. The military has these concepts built in because, over hundreds of years, it has trained boys to become men. But in civilian life, the same principles hold true – except no one is telling you that you must do them. Instead, it's up to the individual man to find those avenues. Quite often, the best avenue is a physical challenge. It can vary in sport or type, but the principle is the same.

Imagine trying to find those avenues while being barraged with the following messages:

Challenging yourself physically may result in radicalization. That’s what happened in Germany.

You’ll be socially less desirable if you pursue fitness.

It doesn’t matter if your body is weak. That won’t impact anything else in your life.

Competition is too aggressive.

Masculinity is toxic. You don’t want to be toxic, do you?

A culture that conveys toxic messages to men about their masculinity and denies the importance of physical challenges is a culture begging for weakness. Instead, we need to convey the opposite message than the distorted MSNBC column. We as women need to be proponents of true, principled masculinity – a masculinity that protects weaker beings, maintains truth in culture, leads with authority, and pursues selfless service. Practicing physical fitness is an absolutely inextricable part of this. 

Out of all the sports I have ever watched, UFC is the grittiest. It’s intense. But underneath the layers of intensity is a foundation of masculinity, self-discipline, and determination that is a breath of fresh air in our culture’s toxic cloud. 

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