Fighting for Jesus

Before watching the video, read this excerpt from Vitor Belfort's Wikipedia page.

Vítor Vieira Belfort (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvitoʁ bewˈfɔʁt]; born April 1, 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Belfort was born in Rio de Janeiro and studied jiu-jitsu with the Gracie family, namely Carlson Gracie. He received a black belt under Carlson and currently trains with Xtreme Couture, fighting in the middleweight division. He holds notable victories over Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, andYoshihiro Akiyama and is currently ranked as the #8 middleweight in the world by MMA Weekly.

 Now watch the video.



I remember when I first heard about his sister's kidnapping before one of his fights and was amazed that he could focus well enough to fight under the circumstances.   I can't imagine what he and his family have experienced; not really knowing what happened to Priscila Belfort, having not even found her body.  I didn't know until watching this video, however, that he is a devout Christian.

That brings up an intriguing phenomenon; mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who are devout Christians and very outspoken about it.  At first, this seems contradictory.  Beating ones opponent senseless, or forcing him to "submit" by painfully manipulating a major joint or choking him unconscious doesn't seem to square with "love your neighbor as yourself" or "love your enemies".

John Jones throws a head kick while sporting a
Phillipians 4:13 tattoo.

Nevertheless, there is a long list of highly successful MMA fighters who are also outspoken Christians.  Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort are all former champions in their respective weight classes.  Randy Couture held belts in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight classes.  Both Couture and Hughes are UFC Hall of Famers.  John Jones, the current light heavyweight champion, is another.

There are probably more of whom I either don't know or have forgotten.  It's probably common to watch two Christians beat each other up for money on UFC.

Given the growing popularity of MMA in general and the UFC in particular, why haven't Christians embraced these professing pugilists like they have, for example, Tim Tebow?

I suspect the number one reason is that MMA isn't nearly as popular as football, yet, so most Christians are only vaguely aware of it.  Most probably couldn't name an elite fighter.

I think, however, that Vitor Belfort hit on the second major reason; "How you can serve God and you're there punching, kicking..."  Most Christians don't see how the teachings of Christ can be reconciled with a sport as violent as MMA.  And let's face it; MMA is violent.  But that brings us back to something else Belfort said; "What about American football?  What about hockey?"  True.  What about them?  What about Tim Tebow?  I'd argue that football is just as violent as MMA, and probably more dangerous.  Concussions, broken bones and dislocated joints are more common in football than MMA - which shouldn't be surprising in a sport in which much-larger-than-average men regularly slam into each other at full speed.



So, why do Christians readily accept football, but not MMA?  Pretty much every private, Christian high school has a tackle football team, even a wrestling team (wrestling is an essential MMA skill, along with jiu-jitsu and kick boxing - thus the name mixed martial arts), but can you imagine a church or Christian school hosting a local MMA tournament?  I can't.  But why not?  Why does the average Christian embrace the violence of football, but not the violence of MMA?

As I said earlier, I think it's mostly due to familiarity.  The unfamiliarity of MMA forces people to think about what they're watching, rather than just accepting it because it's always been a part of their lives.  So, does that mean that Christians should reject all violent sports, even those familiar to them?  I don't think so.  I think we should embrace them.

Our world is fallen, sinful.  Evil people who willingly injure others are the minority, but that minority causes incalculable suffering.  The only effective way to stop such people from causing suffering is to neutralize them violently.  Sometimes that means through military or police action.  Sometimes that means an 18-year-old mother protecting her baby by killing one of the drugged-out thugs who broke into her house with her late husband's shotgun.

God created a world free from human suffering, but being omniscient, He knew what our world would be like once we introduced sin into it.  Because of that, in His wisdom, He created us with not only the capacity to violently neutralize evil, but the desire to do so.  More specifically, He created men with that capacity and desire.  It's why we are - in general - bigger and stronger than women.  He meant us to protect women and children - violently, when necessary.

Thankfully, it's rarely necessary.  But the instinct is still there.  That instinct is easily corrupted by our sinful nature, especially in boys and young men who haven't learned the self discipline and self control necessary to keep it in check.  Violent, combative sports - such as football, hockey, wrestling, boxing, MMA or any other martial art - provide them with a healthy outlet through which to exercise their violent instinct, ideally under the supervision and discipline of older men who've learned self control and impart those lessons to their young pupils.  

But martial arts (I include boxing and wrestling in this category) are superior in this respect than violent sports like football.  They not only provide an outlet; they provide training.  They make their practitioners more efficient, effective and (perhaps most importantly) more confident in the use of violence, which makes them more capable of defending themselves and others from violence.

In short, Christians should embrace combative sports as tools with which to mold, shape and forge the raw violent instinct in boys and men into something useful and good, as opposed to pretending it doesn't exist or wishing it away as most do now.