Octa-going, Octa-going, Octa-gone
Jerry Seinfeld once said that the most important thing for a successful comic is to know when to exit stage. Point taken. So when is the right time for an athlete to hang up the old jock strap?
The last time I went to an NFL football game, in Seattle, 70,000 raucous fans were screaming in one of the loudest stadiums in the U.S. Fireworks rocketed skyward, billowing clouds of smoke across the field, and gorgeous cheerleaders lined the way, shaking their pom-poms (among other things) as players ran out. How hard would it be for any human to walk away from that rush?
Being a UFC fighter might even be more of a high than an NFL career for the simple reason that, despite training partners and camps, the sport is mano a mano. You’re in that octagon alone, facing your opponent, having walked in to your own entrance music, the fans foaming at their mouths. The adrenaline rush by itself would be an addiction harder to quit than an opium cloud.
But everything must come to an end. What of fighters who stick around too long? Can you blame them? Fighting and being center stage has been a huge part of their adult life. What would it mean for anyone to redefine him or herself after their career is over? Even men who’ve worked manual jobs in mines or factories can have a hard time living life once they no longer have to set their alarms, once they have to spend all day at home with their wives, and vice-versa.
Chuck Liddell is a man who not too long ago was a seemingly unbeatable, feared champion on a long KO streak. Now, in spite of looking great and being technically sound, he doesn’t seem able to win a fight if his life depended on it, and it might. He’s been knocked around a lot due to his striking style. We know now the implications of head injuries in boxing and pro football. Sure MMA fighters don’t take the same number of blows to the head in fights, but they do in training. Health, for one’s own well-being and for the consideration of loved ones, should be first on Chuck’s list of reasons to hang it up.
Randy Couture is a different story altogether. To a troglodyte his record of 19-10 would seem banal, yet when was the last time Couture was in a fight that wasn’t big, that didn’t have serious ramifications? In spite of Randy still being a top light heavyweight, there is nothing left for him to accomplish in the ring, but plenty for him to do outside of it. That should be on RC’s list of priorities.
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Then there are fighters who have held the belt but because they dodged top contenders aren’t considered legit by many fans. I won’t mention names, I’ll just write his initials –Tito Ortiz. In other words, Tito still has something to prove, still has something about himself he desperately needs us to know.
RC and CL are examples of former, well-loved and highly regarded champions. If you’ve won the Superbowl, Stanley Cup or the title belt fairly and squarely (are you listening 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers?), chances are you’ll have fewer demons chasing you upon retirement. Sure, not everyone can be champ, and we all know it’s an accomplishment just to make a pro team or to even once be considered octagon-worthy. But if you’re Chael Sonnen and you one day find yourself 39 years old sans belt, how easy would it be to give up the dream? Not too easy, I’d bet.
Men are strange beasts. Often what motivates us is accomplishment and acquisition. We think we’ll be loved more if we do, have or become something more than what we think we are. But is that how we men love? Do we expect our significant other to have a certain job, bank account or level of physical accomplishment to love them? I think no.
The drive for a fighter to remain in the octagon long after his usefulness is a mixed bag, but if you look closely. You’ll find a common motive: to be appreciated and loved. Somebody needs to tell these fighters they have that from us, no matter what. Well, everyone except Josh Koscheck.
By Renko Styranka
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer