Issue 046
February 2009
There is the well-known conundrum, what would Jesus do? Well, he certainly wouldn’t shoot for a double leg takedown, land a huge knee from the clinch or slap on a tight armbar, writes Graham Smyth.
But if you think that getting in the cage and imposing your will on an opponent is in contradiction to the teachings of the Christian Bible, you’d be going up against some of mixed martial arts’ theological heavyweights.
In the Old Testament, a father of 13 by the name of Jacob is described as a ‘gentle man’, but in Genesis 32:24 he put in a wrestling performance Matt Hughes would have been proud of. It says: “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.”
Later verses reveal Jacob’s wrestling partner to be God Himself, making the fight all the more impressive. It’s stories like these that former UFC welterweight champion Hughes points to when asked to reconcile his Christian beliefs with his day job of punching people in the face. “If you look in the Old Testament, God was a pretty violent person, a lot more than anything I’ve done in my life,” he says.
Hughes has no doubt in his mind that competing in MMA is his God-given purpose, and says that intentions during a fight are an important factor for Christian fighters. “I’m doing what He wants me to do. I think when it comes to stepping into the Octagon it’s all about intent: I’m intending to have my hand raised, I’m not out to hurt people.”
Fellow believer ‘Handsome’ Matt Wiman impressed fans in London during the summer of 2008 by knocking out Thiago Tavares in brutal fashion, and then reading from the Bible during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Like Hughes, he has no problem mixing faith and fighting. He says: “I don’t think it is an issue that I punch people in the face and give glory to God, because fighting is a sport. We aren’t hitting out of anger, jealousy or rage, but out of competitiveness. We aren’t trying to kill our opponent or permanently injure them. Black eyes and cuts aren’t a big deal; they heal up in a matter of days.”
Former Pride veteran John ‘the Saint’ Renken was a Satanist for six years, and became a Christian in 1994, a year after joining the army. He started fighting in 1997, used the sport to pay his way through Bible college, and now runs Clarksville MMA Academy in Tennessee and is a Pastor for ‘Xtreme Ministries’. He says that being a Christian didn’t hinder his fighting career; if anything it had the opposite effect.
“My faith has totally helped me in MMA. It has helped me with peace and understanding that there is more to life than winning and making money. I believe, because of my faith, I was able to enjoy the sport because I enjoy fighting.”
Renken baulks at the suggestion that Christians shouldn’t involve themselves in the sport, saying: “I don’t reconcile my beliefs with my passion of fighting, there is nothing to reconcile. The Bible tells us in Exodus 15:1-3 that the Lord is a warrior and then in Psalm 144:1-3 it tells us that the Lord trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.
“All of the leaders of the Old Testament were warriors and servants of God. This is a western-world problem; the believers in Thailand, Japan, and Russia have no issues with this.”
Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin is another fighter who is quick to thank God whether he has had his hand raised in victory, or suffered a defeat. He argues that fighting can be a way of promoting faith, and he hopes to attract others to a Christian lifestyle. “I view this as a public forum that God has given me to reach people. I’ve never been one to push my faith upon anybody I’m a firm believer that many different people in the world have different views. If I can touch some lives that way and lead people to Christ then great, if not, then that’s their decision and I don’t begrudge anybody.”
Franklin’s beliefs don’t just sit comfortably alongside his job description of knocking people out, he says they make him a better fighter. “I’ve done everything I can do to get ready for a fight and at this point the rest is in God’s hands. I think that helps put me in some sort of inward calm, and I know that everything’s going to be okay.”
Hughes agrees, saying: “It helps me as a person to not worry about things. If I win that’s great, if I lose then I just pray that God’s will was done. It’s a lot of pressure off. I don’t have that pressure to deal with, and pressure can be a huge thing. God wants me to go out there and do things as well as I can, so that motivates me to train hard and set a good example as a Christian, wearing his flag on my shoulder.”
Matt Horwich recently made his UFC debut, losing a unanimous decision to Dan Miller. Before that, he won seven of his 11 fights in the IFL [International Fight League].
January 2009 will see him feature alongside Ken Shamrock, as a guest speaker at a Christian MMA event co-organised by Matt Lindland, called Fighting With God.
Horwich says he is loving life as a Christian mixed martial artist: “Some of the fans mistake me as being a Bible-thumper I think, from what I’ve read on the Internet. I don’t really put down anyone else’s beliefs or anything, I just enjoy talking about the good things Jesus is doing in my life. It’s been an awesome couple of years and it’s a beautiful universe. I thank God for everything.”
Cynics often ask why, if God exists and is in charge as Christians say, bad things happen. Believing the Bible won’t make you win every fight. Franklin has tasted defeat three times and, while he doesn’t have an answer for why his God lets it happen, herein lies one of the key elements of his faith: accepting that whatever happens is meant to happen.
The Cincinnati native says: “You know, it wasn’t part of the plan. Often I wake up and I believe God has a plan for everything, I’m at point A and he wants me to get to point B, and there are many different paths I could travel to get there. I don’t know which way he’s going to take to get from one to the other. Winning may be part of that path, and losing may be part of that path.
“I did it after the [first] Silva loss. I sat there and I asked myself, ‘Why? Why do things happen like they do?’ Although you don’t have the answer, many years down the road I’ll understand why.”
There will always be a large number of Christians who oppose MMA, citing a literal interpretation of Matthew 5:39, which says: “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Of course, there will always be a large number of people who refuse to believe in the God of Jacob, Hughes, Wiman, Lindland, Horwich, Renken, and Franklin.
But, as with differences of opinion over training methods, weight cutting, or whether board shorts are better than GSP-style trunks, perhaps it’s best to allow fighters to get on with whatever works for them – especially if they’ve dominated the welterweight division or only lost to Anderson Silva in UFC action.
FIGHTERS NOTABLE FOR THEIR FAITH
Kimo Leopoldo created one of the most notorious ring entrances at UFC 3 when he carried a cross on his back as he made his way to the Octagon to take on Royce Gracie. The Hawaiian fighter also has a cross tattooed on his back, and the word ‘Jesus’ on his abdomen.
Keith Jardine and his corner team huddled together in his hotel room before his bout with Forrest Griffin at UFC 66, as coach Greg Jackson led them in a prayer.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson has the monicker ‘God’s street soldier’ inked on his arm, and reportedly became a Christian in 2004.
It is believed that around three quarters of Brazil’s population are Roman Catholic, making it the largest Catholic country in the world. So it is no surprise that many of MMA’s Brazilian superstars are seen to cross themselves or pray before entering the cage. Fighters like Wanderlei Silva even wear tattoos declaring their love for God.
The UK’s Jason ‘Bad Ass’ Barrett is a fully ordained Pentecostal minister, and established a church in Manchester’s Moss Side.
