Misconceptions About Mixed Martial Artists

Angry, ruthless, violent, bloodthirsty and psychotic, these and many more are used daily to describe practitioners of the mixed martial arts. Though these statements may describe the savagery with which many of the top athletes in the sport fight inside the cage, few of them actually live up to the same hype outside the ring. Most live fairly normal lives, as far as sports stars go, and many are happy, well adjusted family oriented people. I'd like to take a quick look at some of these athletes, to illustrate the kind of people they really are, beneath all the hype and aggression shown in the cage.
Standing 6'2, weighing in at 205 lbs and sporting a short cut Mohawk and an ice cold stare that could make a Buckingham palace guard flinch, Chuck Liddell makes for an intimidating human being though the truth behind the rough looking warrior is that he is a dedicated father with degree in accounting. Liddell was a Division 1 wrestler at California Polytechnic University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in business/accounting in 1995. Also a black belt in Koei-Kai karate, the Iceman received his nickname at a kickboxing fight before he began his mixed martial arts career. Feared for his famous knockout power and almost unbeatable takedown defense, Liddell outside the cage is a happy-going man who enjoys spending time with his son Cade and his daughter, Trista. One story he related in an interview with Mixed Martial Arts Magazine describes a several hour trip he took on little sleep to make it to his son's birthday party before a seminar he was scheduled to attend. Liddell pulled a similar trip to see a young boy with leukemia who had wanted to meet the fighter and treated the family to a meal out as part of the visit, interrupting his own training schedule to make sure he could make the young boy's wish come true, hardly the actions of a psychotic man on the fringe of society.
Life as a mixed martial artist can be very hectic, as can life as a law student at the University of Minnesota, but Nick Thompson juggles both lives very well. As BodogFight's 170 lb champion, Nick is a successful professional inside the cage but wants to finish his law degree in order to have something to fall back on later. To ensure he can fulfill his responsibilities in school and in fights, Thompson follows a strict schedule, which most mentally impaired people don't do very well. Thompson is another prime example of a great fighter who is more than just a violent deviant.
These two individuals are just a sample of the kind of people who partake in MMA. Many of the Americans involved wrestled in college, meaning that a good number of the athletes involved in the sport attended college. The majority of the big names involved have families and live fairly normal lives. The stereotype that they are violent and bloodthirsty is perpetuated mostly by people who don't understand the sport or the athletes involved. In the end, MMA is a job, hobby and a sport and the people involved are no different than any other athlete who competes at elite levels.