Fighters are actually gentlemen
I must be honest, before I became a sport journalist mixed martial arts (MMA) was not something that I was much of a fan of.
That was until I went to my first EFC event at Carnival City and my opinion of the sport changed forever.
I remember reading a comment on the Benoni City Times’s Facebook page when we were running a ticket giveaway competition where one of our readers said that even if she won tickets to the event she wouldn’t go because the sport is bloody and barbaric.
I can see where this particular lady is coming from.
I mean, that’s how it appears at first.
That is until you engulf yourself in the culture of the fastest growing sport on the African continent.
If you could spend some time in the gym watching an EFC fighter train and see for yourself the sheer commitment and absolute dedication that these athletes possess then perhaps your attitude toward them will change.
You would see how these men spend hours on end working on various techniques and intricate aspects of their fighting style
I, too, initially assumed that all MMA fighters were hardcore bouncer boets from Boksburg, but my opinion quickly changed when I personally introduced myself to some of the fighters and got to know them a little better.
Local guys like JP Kruger, Ruan Potts and Francois Groenewald are just a few of the athletes who have stood out to me as gentlemen of the highest order.
These men are not only polite and well-mannered, but they give back to their communities in ways that cannot be measured through the development of young people.
When I have attended junior kickboxing/wrestling tournaments I have seen how these men serve as role models to the children who they coach.
They don’t just teach roundhouse kicks, grapple moves and strikes.
They teach manners, respect and values that will stay with a person for life.
So, before branding EFC fighters as brutal Bolsheviks consider the other factors that make them good people too.
LG
