Friends in the arena

[Alexandoy]

There was this brutal fight in UFC between Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown that ended in a knockout when Cerrone hit Brown with a fatal kick on the face thereby leaving Brown semi-conscious on the canvas. But prior to the knockout, it was a give-and-take affair rendering Brown with a bloody face. At the start of the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] round, I had noticed that both boxers smiled and embraced each other. That’s when the fight moderator said that the fighters are close friends because they have been spar mates for a long time.

Isn’t it uncomfortable to fight your friend? How could you inflict injury on your friend? Well, that’s the unique quality of a fighter – be in the arena to fight anyone, absolutely any one.

 

[Decentlady]

True. It's a tough call bit then fighting is their jobs so they got to do that well.

I am sure each friend understands this that while in ring the friendship can rest!

 

[to7update]

They are friends outside the ring, but inside they know their business and they know why they are there for, it's to win. So inside the ring there are no friends, just rules.

 

[tpicks]

The good thing is both friends understand perfectly what's up in the game. The fact as a fighter you must have to make do your skills in full irrespective of whether your opponent is a friend or not. When the fight is over the initial status quo remains again.

 

[pwarbi]

In all sports you are going to have to face people who you are friends with on opposing teams so MMA is no different. The only difference is that there is a risk that you could injure your friend but you (and they) know the risk before you both step in the ring and it's just all part and parcel of combat sports. Sometimes people that know each other on a personal level outside of the ring, will perform better against each other inside it as both fighters will give extra just to make sure that people can't say they are taking it easy because they are friends, and there won't be any accusations of fight fixing banded about.