What does it mean to be the best fighter in the world?

There are many who train to be the best fighter out there. Some of these are very skilled and have won a lot prizes in the ring or octagon. Many go and seek the best coaches to learn from. The world of MMA (mixed martial arts) is a very lucrative place to be, if you have some to offer. Many have done well financially from MMA and who knows how big MMA will be. These days, nearly everyone is doing it. There are even kids classes where the objectives are to put on a pair of boxing gloves and you can guess the rest.

The silliness in some people's mindset reminds me of a little story from Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosopher (circa 368 BC - 286 BC). The story is about the techniques of killing dragons. There was once a man by the name of Zhu Peng Man, who has a penchant for sword play. He learnt the techniques of dragon killing from Zhu Li Yi, whom he trained with for three years and had paid a fortune for the privilege. After three years, he left and went all over China, looking for a dragon to kill. He never found any. One can consider Zhu Peng Man a dreamer and impractical man. Who knew whether his skill with the sword was good enough for killing dragons or just wild dogs.

There are limits to what you can do. What you may do in the ring is for personal glory and vanity. The people you fight are on the same mission in life. Then you get old and you find you can no longer does these things. Were all those injuries worth it? At the end of the day, who benefitted from all this training? The owner of these dojos, the television studios and the promoters. Martials arts are still relevant in this day and age. Military and law enforcement train in it. Knowing self defence can make a difference when you're in danger. There are many unscrupulous people who have joined the MMA bandwagon. You can win all the prizes, but in the long run, you're not the winner.

Thank you for reading my blog.

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