I am a fan of MMA.

 

No wait… I would say rather that I am a fan of some of its fighters.

 

There are some fighters, representing the Martial Arts at its finest in MMA.

 

There are also some fighters who represent the revolutionary primordial ooze at its finest instead. But that’s good because it serves as a great measuring stick for the difference between the Martial Artist and the barroom brawler.

 

There are many characteristics, which can and should be used to measure the Martial Art spirit of an individual. I would like to speak of one in particular, that being the mentality one should have when going into a fight.

 

(For you Social Combat Artists out there, the fight need not only be physical as you well know. Facing any challenge would require the same list of needs a physical fight would.)

 

As a back drop for this pre-fight mental prep, I would like to use the upcoming fight between Penn and Pierre, widely considered two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

 

I am also going to do something, which most bloggers and columnists are way too scared to do. I am going to make a definitive prediction.

 

I believe that BJ Penn will win this fight hands down, and I base it upon the hearing of one particular thought as expressed by the fighters.

 

There has been a lot of hype leading up to this fight and I have had the opportunity to hear a lot of things being said by both fighters and their camps. One thing however, interested me more than anything else. During each fighter’s interview, they both touched upon their goals for this fight. I will some up both fighters’ goals as follows:

 

Pierre: Intends to be a legend.

 

Penn: Wants to beat Pierre.

 

These factors, in my mind, are really what it boils down to. A good fighter has to be practical. He must understand clearly the task at hand and accomplish it. BJ seems to have a clear grasp of what he wants and needs to do. He needs to beat Pierre… period.

 

Pierre wants to be a legend, and well, who doesn’t. But a true fighter is not wrapped up in the dreams of fame or glory when they go into a fight. A true fighter sees the hard cold facts and then pounds them till they yield to his will.

 

People don’t turn themselves into legends. That’s the fans job. The more grounded a person is, the more amazing his accomplishments will seem to those spectators who wont and don’t risk the simple hardships and reality of battle. A good fighter doesn’t see the glory but rather a straightforward task to be accomplished.

 

I think BJ has the right focus and Pierre has lost it.

We’ll just have to wait and see.