Does anyone else find it irritating that MMA fighters often don't respect their opponent?

Question

You often see fights end where on fighter does a dance, makes no show of congratulations for his opponent and just shows no respect for his opponent. Or on the prefight build up so many fighters are disrespectful and trash talkers. I know traditional martial artist are taught to be humble and show respect. How did so many MMA fighters lose the positive tradition? I wouldn't say it is the whole sport because there are many respectful fighters but I wish it was a bit higher percentage. Genki Sudo for example always makes an effort to bow to his opponent.

Bob Sapp has to be the most disrespectful fighter I've seen. On more than one occasion he has attacked opponents when they are down and out.

Richard F. I understand an MMA fighter earns his reputation by winning but that doesn't excuse poor sportsmanship. Congratulate your opponent after a victory it is more about showing good will and the fact that MMA is a sport. MMA is not a fight "sport" show good manners is what I believe.

Bluto yeah I think if the intention is to throw the guy off psychologically before a fight that is acceptable. It sure doesn't seem like strategy alot of times.

Also when it is over its over no needs to gloat or keep fighting or be generally disrespectful.

Oh also you can find plenty of fighters who don't need to be disrespectful. Look at Fedor he just comes to fight. Lennox Lewis didn't have a bad attitude.

Yeah I think the question was unfocused. For the people who came up through a traditional martial art I would expect them to carry a certain humility with it.

At the same time it is a sport like boxing. I don't like when a boxer shows bad sportsmanship after a fight. So it is the same type of scenario I was thinking about.

Answer 1

It is because they are not "Martial Artists" in the traditional sense. They are fighters. You see this kind of behavior in boxing, why does it surprise you that it is in MMA? Most of these guys train in a gym that's sole purpose is to train fighters. They spar and hit heavy bags. There is no kata, no board breaking, no sensi and no belt test. They go out and fight for their rank.

Also, these fighters not only make a living at fighting but the hype around the fighting. Notice the TUF alumni in the UFC. They all get paid just a little bit more than an ordinary fighter of their caliber. Why? Because of the hype. Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz can probably retire on the hype alone that they created.

Answer 2

Well most of what you say is true. There are guys like Rich Franklin for instance when he fought Rob MacDonald at UFC 68, the audience was booing "The Athlete" & Rich was shaking his head saying no & clapping for MacDonald. Also the same night, same fight they showed Anderson Silva several times threw out the fight & the audience booed more for him than they did for MacDonald. When Silva was coming into the ring after the fight was over Franklin got on the mic & told the crowd they shouldn't boo Silva cause he's a stand-up guy, a great fighter, a great champion, and a great all around person. Many people assumed Silva was going to trash talk Franklin but instead he looks him straight in the eye, shakes his hand, bows to him in honor of his victory, and gives him a warm smile & a genuine hug. Sil;va then goes onto say that even though Franklin isn't a world champion, he's still a champion none the less in the UFC. Now if that doesn't scream class act then nothing does.

Answer 3

If you don't know the reason for "trash talk" or the tactical advantage it can give you in the ring or out of it, you have no right to call yourself a fighter or a martial artist.

Simply put: Do you know the difference between an "angry" fighter and a level headed fighter?

Obviously not.

An "angry" fighter lets go of his technique and his cool and instead begins simply flailing his arms. There are boxers who were famous for throwing thier opponent off thier game with trash talk.

If you talk someone off thier gameplan so they lose thier cool and get angry, they will make a mistake- a mistake you can capitalize on.

Actually since fights start outside the ring because of a lack of level heads to begin with- it is fairly easy to do this there.
In a sportative or competitive context, it isn't so easy because it is not personal.

this is more mumbo jumbo that detracts from the reputation of TMA and gives people the idea that TMA is detatched from reality and a real fight.

It is ok to be respectfull after the fight, but why give away a tactical advantage? Thats the same as a tall guy saying "i'll fight you on my knees" or a fighter tying one hand behind his back.

Don't confuse tactics with "disrespect".

EDIT: holy crap richard! are you serious or is it april fools yet?
MARTIAL ARTS IS ABOUT FIGHTING.
It is NOT about Katas, it is NOT about belt tests- this has got to be the single most stupid post I have seen all week, including that post in the sword question!
If you are a martial artist you MUST PRACTICE FIGHTING. That is the paramount importance. Not going to a pajama party and drinking tea with clyde frog and polly prissy pants.

It is this attitude that makes TMA look ineffective as people who legitimately practice a TMA and train hard and train with resistance against resisting opponents are less remembered than the ones who think martial arts is about 300lb obese teachers that have thier students playing dress up and doing thier latest interpretive dance.

and "sensei's" a teacher is a teacher, some good some not so good some crap, some total frauds who claim that martial arts is not about training properly or obtaining fighting skills but about taking belt tests so they can collect thier testing fees and promoting thier students based on the beautiful katas they do.

They should have a reality show "katas with the stars"- you at least have a chance to learn something as you might bump into hollyfield and he can give you some boxing lessons in between "katas".

EDIT2: agreed, there are some fighters that don't do that, they chose not to, but I don't find it disrespectfull that they try to trash talk before or during the match. Actually in a sportative setting if you fall for it YOU are not concentrating and shouldn't be affected because it isn't about anger, it is about winning and should have a more level head. I agree to the effect that it is inappropriate to be a dick afterwards. Your question seemed to insinuate and perpetrate an idea that TMAists don't respect MMAists because they don't have "humility" or a "spiritual" aspect. And they look down on an actual fighter when they themselves use this as an excuse not to spar/play/train with them. This kind of attitude makes TMA look weak and destroys the rep that legit TMAs may have. Bowning and humility are personality traits, not techniques and not skills to be learned or taught by a martial art.

Answer 4

I do find it irritating indeed, as from the beginning I was taught to be humble, and respect your opponent, that's the way of the martial artist.
MMA fighters however, are not all martial artists, some are just fighters, so they don't have the same concept. Most of them I think are respectful, the little dance they do afterwards is somewhat acceptable, but if you are a true martial artist you should show no emotion as to respect your opponent. Sadly, it's also for entertainment, so bad behavior has to be part of the show, in order to get more ratings.

Answer 5

Fighting isn't about 'respect' any more than gardening is about giraffes. The big fallacy brought about by Eastern Martial Arts is that they are somehow a way of life and ethical system as opposed to an efficient way of beating someone up. Fighting arts are ethically neutral anyway - defined more by how one uses them than by any of the attendant ideological baggage.

Indeed, the rather patriarchal and rigid system of 'respect' in TMAs is probably one of the reasons why some have become corrupt or impractical, as dogma and an unquestioning attitude towards one's 'elders' stops any reasoned debate or criticism. No one takes up basketball or golf or bridge for a spiritual and moral education, so why do so many people fall for this spin when it comes to martial arts?

Put simply, MMA fighters are rough, brutal men doing rough, brutal things to one another. If you want manners and humbleness, go to a vicar's tea party.

Answer 6

You have to realize that in a sport like mma a lot is on the line. It is the referees responsibility to ensure the safety of the fighters and no one else. If a fighter were to do this himself he would find himself throwing matches by assuming his opponent was finished. That is why you always beat the person until the referee stops the fight.

Answer 7

"Most of these guys train in a gym that's sole purpose is to train fighters. They spar and hit heavy bags. There is no kata, no board breaking, no sensi and no belt test. They go out and fight for their rank."

No offense but this is the dumbest martial arts related comment i have ever heard in my life.

They are training to fight. Kata is not useful in a real fight, board breaking is useless period, they seem to do fine with no sensei's and they don't care what rank they are. If your sensei can do better because of his forms and breaking, sign him up for the UFC. MMA fighters somehow manage to do ok without breaking boards or dancing for judges.

MMA fighters train to fight and win. Some obviously talk trash more than others, but people talk trash in every sport. Basketball players talk trash, football players talk trash etc. It's great if you aspire to some eastern zen philosophy nonsense, but they choose to just fight, therefore they don't have to follow your rules.

Answer 8

I certainly do. That one MMA fighter "Krazy Horse" or whatever not only disrespects his opponent but the referee as well.

As a 6 year wrestler I cannot imagine such dishonor. If I was the ref I'd disqualify his azz right then and there, and as a coach I would refuse to train him, I wouldn't care if the guy is invincible, he's not a true man.

Answer 9

This is a sentiment I usually hear from people that have trained in a more traditional martial art, so forgive me if you're simply asking as a fan... I'm also going to address things in terms of the general attitude in MMA and not the specific case of a few hotheads in the sport - Johnny Mac isn't the entire world of tennis, rominowski isn't every football player, etc.

Standing stock still after a match in an asian martial art doesn't mean you 'respect' your opponent - it means the rules say you don't celebrate. If you think the emotions of top karate or judo players about their opponents differ much from those of MMA fighters, you're flat out wrong - one set of rules simply forbids celebration, and one doesn't. Players in all major sports would display emotion if it was allowed, and that's not a bad thing - we play the sports to feel emotions, right? Otherwise, why not just do aerobics.

There is respect in MMA. The question asker forgot to mention the almost universal custom of giving respect to your opponent and his club pre and post fight in interviews and on the mic. He also didn't mention that when a fighter is hurt, you almost ALWAYS see the other fighter in the cluster of concerned people around him. He didn't mention the times the bell will ring at the end of a match, and a fighter will immediately unball his fist to help his oppenent to his feet.

The ring aside, inside an MMA gym you will find an atmosphere of mutal respect, work ethic, and elite athelticism - an attitude with far more in common with the real warriors of bygone cultures then the attitude and work ethic you see on the mat at the average "Deadly Dragon DayCare Jr Ninja Mcdojo, Eastside Branch, INC" in your local mall.

MMA do respect each other. The fighters usually know each other. There aren't that many of them. They know their opponent, they are professionals, they are there to fight until the fight is stopped, and when they win, yes, that's their moment. They have just endured the culmination of weeks of training - said culmination being a prolonged bout of fighting. A single fight in a lifetime is a landmark milestone for a stock broker or a lawyer, but this fighter sought the experience out - and then prevailed. For him, a personal conflict that would have you lighting up your blog something fierce on your way to the office IS a day at the office, and today was a good day. He gets a bonus. He gets to continue in his profession, even rise. He hears an arena full of people on their feet for him. So he throws his hands in the air. He's hoisted aloft by his trainers. He says something REALLY dumb to joe rogan on live TV because there's still not that much air getting to his brain. A few minutes later, the moment is over, the interview is over, and you're thinking about your training for the next fight already. You'll see your opponent in the locker room. The two of you will be changed at about the same time. You'll head back out in street clothes to rejoin your family and your club. You'll sit near your opponent at ringside.

Opponents in full contact fights generally have quite a bit of respect and trust for each other - you have to trust and respect someone to know that they will stop twisting your arm out of alignment when you tap. Rivalries exist, it's true, and there is trash talk and showmanship sometimes - but MMA comes from a less formal cultural background then many fighting rules-sets. The american/brazilian competitive model where the winner is given a moment for himself is no less intrensically valid then the asian model where the loser and the winner are expected to conduct themselves like churchgoers.

Most of the time, when I hear this question raised, the motivation is that the asker is a student of stripmall style karate, threatened by the skills and athleticism of MMA fighters. When you're staring at someone who basically nullifies everything you're taught about martial arts at your stripmall TKD school, you naturally grope for value in your art, and since you generally can't do so by challenging the MMA fighter physically, you look for the 'cultural' or 'ethical' differences. You don't have to have that attitude, at all. People who do MMA everyday shouldn't threaten people that do tae kwon do for 80 minutes twice a week any more then people who run marathons should threaten people who jog in the morning.

If you want to talk about disrespect in MMA, we could talk about american crowds - but that's another story.

Answer 10

Why should they show respect to their opponent. Their fighters, not medieval samurai. They are paid to beat each other into bloody pulps, why should they pretend to be humble or respectful? It is what it is.

UFC fighters are not roughians. They train harder than you probably do at your 'dojang'. Try going to an MMA gym sometime and learn how to fight like a man.