Is Violence The Answer?

I am writing a paper on danger and violence of MMA for my literature class. The question is being posed as to whether or not it is as dangerous and violent as it appears. The answer is no.This sport is based just as much on defense as it offense. Fighting is viewed much differently by the audience than we do as fighters.

Here is my intro:

“I would like to ask the reader to take a moment and decide for himself or herself: What is safety? How can we equally justify what is and isn’t safe? As simple as it may be to give a definition for safety, defining its role in life is controversial. Danger has aspects that are unseen. Is driving from point A to point B safe, or should we just sit at home so we don’t get hurt? The implication in a person’s argument, being based off of the idea that a sport can have such dire consequences of injury, implies they don’t think injury is acceptable or debatable. Does it make it more or less safe that the situations the fighter may face are some of the most extreme of any sport? MMAis just as much about defense as it is offense. This means that when everything thing takes its place, MMA could be considered one of the safest sports someone can come across. “

Morgan and I are both madly in love with what we do. Studying Jiu Jitsu and Mixed martial arts are the best things to ever happen to us. It is a lifestyle. This is the life we live andsomething we will never stop pursuing. I wanted to address the question violence as it is seen in the sport. There is obviously going to be a level of danger in martial arts, but the point I want to make is that fighters are not violent people. I have yet to meet a fighter that walks around hoping to just hurt someone. This is a sport, and just like any other sport, a MMA fighter is just fighting to be the best.

My ultimate hope is to be the best115lb women MMA fighter. I don’t look forward to inflicting any sort of pain. I simply hope to submit or knockout. I love people! Every person is a creation of God, and I don’t fight because of any love for violence. I think our bodies are capable of so much more than most people think. I know some of you guys can understand that. The things that we can learn in this sport is incredible, and it is even more incredible when we get this kind of control. We live in a world where we can't control very many things, but we can control our body and build it up to do amazing things.  

Everything in life is unpredictable.There is always going to be a chance for error or danger. I am so happy to saythat I am a part of a family where we overcome all of our obstacles and chase after our dreams. There is no greater accomplishment in life than working your heart out to achieve the things you love.

-Jennifer Darr