Issue 087

Forget proving the doubters wrong and fulfilling a life-long dream, competing in mixed martial arts could actually all be about sex. There’s decades of evidence which suggests the reason you step into the cage is to get in between the sheets: from status to dominance, and pheromones to Charles Darwin.

You read right, theories on sexual selection in nature from English naturalist Darwin are eerily reflective of modern-day mixed martial arts. “The sexual struggle is of two kinds; in the one it is between individuals of the same sex, generally the males, in order to drive away or kill their rivals, the females remaining passive,” suggested Darwin, in his 1871 tome on sexual selection.

He continues: “In the other, the struggle is likewise between the individuals of the same sex, in order to excite or charm those of the opposite sex, generally the females, which no longer remain passive, but select the more agreeable partners.”

Sounds like your average fight night, right?

And there’s more to suggest your desire to impress the missus is really what your next scrap is about. Women are more attracted to a man they perceive to be dominant, found research at Arizona State University. In a sequence of tests, females tended to judge males described as, or appearing to be, dominant – just like you will be after you earn your next scalp in the ring – to be more attractive than non-dominant males. It could be your desire to reign supreme over another man is actually due to the female of the species.

Even more conclusively, a University of Minnesota study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found men’s aggressive displays often leads to enhanced social status, which subsequently increases their chances of attracting a mate and reproducing.

“It all boils down to the fact that status for men typically equals sex,” says researcher Vladas Griskevicius. “Across different cultures and time, the higher status men have, the more sex or better-quality partners they may have.

“At the gene level, nobody wants to go down in an evolutionary blaze of glory – no one wants their genes to become extinct. Additionally, unlike low-status women, low-status men are in serious danger of not reproducing, since they make especially undesirable mates.”

Ergo your desire to become the best there is at conquering the Octagon – because that high status should ensure you get laid.

Interestingly, in the same study, the researchers discovered an increase in direct aggression from males when competing for status and female affection, but only in front of a male-dominated audience.

That could explain why both combatants, when standing fight ready in the Octagon in front of a largely male crowd, appear to be that much more aggressive than any other time in the pre or post-fight formalities.

So, what about all you lucky chaps in a steady relationship no longer seeking to sow your wild oats? Well, it could be your woman’s pheromones are actually pushing you to compete. Psychologists at Florida State University discovered inhaling female pheromones, emitted by the fairer sex during ovulation amongst other occasions, boosted men’s testosterone levels.

The same testosterone that promotes the desire for sex, and, found a meta analysis published in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior, a slight inclination toward aggression. Living with your little lady may be pointing you in the direction of your gymbag and the sack.

That applies to all you single fellas too, because, if that’s true, fight night, whether in the nearby mega arena or the nearest small hall, quite literally smells of sex. Women also release these testosterone-spiking hormones through sweat, something all the cage bunnies clustered around the ring can’t help but do during a long night of fights.

Once the main event rolls around, the venue is filled with female pheromones promoting your T levels, and, in turn, upping your aggression ever so slightly. That makes you more eager to seek a future scrap, or push you to finish your fight on the night. Not to mention your inclination to procreate.

It seems from nature to nurture the male sex drive has chaps on a collision course with the cage. “For men, fighting for status is akin to fighting for the survival of their genes,” says Griskevicius, of the University of Minnesota. “Not caring about status, which can be implied by backing away from a fight, can be evolutionary suicide. Aggression can lead to status. A higher status leads to sex, and that leads to more or higher-quality offspring.”