Is watching Mixed Martial Arts wrong?

GirdYourLoins

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If you are going to condemn MMA you need to consider boxing and any other combat sport with it. There have been many Christian boxers (dont know about MMA) such as Manny Pacquiao, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield.

For me the main issue is that people who fight do so out of free will. If they feel no conviction that it is wrong and choose to do so I will not condemn them for it. That is also the key difference to animal cruelty; animals are forced into fighting so it is not acceptable but people do so from their free will.
 
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dqhall

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If you are going to condemn MMA you need to consider boxing and any other combat sport with it. There have been many Christian boxers (dont know about MMA) such as Manny Pacquiao, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield.

For me the main issue is that people who fight do so out of free will. If they feel no conviction that it is wrong and choose to do so I will not condemn them for it. That is also the key difference to animal cruelty; animals are forced into fighting so it is not acceptable but people do so from their free will.
Jesus taught people to be as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). There was damage done in the ring. Concussions resulted in lasting brain damage. Some NFL players suffered long term brain damage as a result of football concussions. A boxing contestant tried to knock his opponent out. It is not a highly intelligent sport, but a contest that is too brutal. It harms rather than heals. It does not edify the community. I used to watch heavy weight boxing, but no longer have time for it. I watched less sports in general as it seems lazy to watch other people working hard, while I am doing nothing.
 
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gym_class_hero

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watching mma in itself is not wrong, imho. You can use it to develop friendships with people who are not Christians and expose them to God's word and Christianity. Some of us forget Jesus wasn't exactly hanging with the upper crust in church all the time.
 
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ConvictionofGod

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it is not wrong to watch MMA, just like it isn't wrong to watch a horror movie from time to time, I've been practicing martial arts for years, but I'm not a violent person, to me it develops self-awareness and discipline, and should i ever have to defend myself i like to think myself as ready; there is justified violence and wars deep within the lines of the bible, as a matter in fact, you will find no religion (not even buddhism, which isn't a religion as i understand) where there wasn't some kind of violent conflict in the history of it. i think this all comes back to the 6th commandment, which is thou shalt not murder, since there is no murdering in MMA, ill profess the opinion that youre in the clear to watch it ---
PS: and despite what Jesus may have said about us being harmless as doves, which is up for interpretation, no one is going to do that, and turn the other cheek and receive uncontested beatings.
 
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Yarddog

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I've been watching MMA for quite some time and do really enjoy the sport. That being said, as of late I've been wondering if watching such of a violent sport is wrong. For the most part I've cut out all violent movies in and TV shows in my life (but to be honest I didn't really watch that many to begin with.)

Just to give an idea as to what happens in MMA bouts for the novice I've put some gifs in the spoilers below.

Don-Frye-Vs.-Yoshihiro-Takayama.gif

14-henderson-bisping-gif.gif

maia_story_nosefaucet.gif

For me the passage comes to mind 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

My thought process is these men (and women) are destroying their bodies for this sport their temples. And yes some of these fighters are Christian (Vitor Belfort, Yoel Romero, and Dennis Hallman to name a few.) Romero even had a famous post-fight speech where he talked about Jesus.


That being said, I wonder if we're all hypocrites for either participating in or viewing the sport. Any thoughts?
I used to watch a lot of boxing when I was younger but as I grew more spiritual, the thought of hurting another person for sport and money became sickening. Christianity is not about hurting others but instead about healing and up lifting.

I no longer watch boxing or several other sports. MMA is not about Martial Arts. It is about hurting an opponent and ego. None of this is about God.

May he bless you
 
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ConvictionofGod

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theres a lot of big questions regarding religion and faith, and we can only give little answers, usually laced with opinionated bias, or based off our own understanding of the why of things. going onto a forum and asking if its wrong to do something is almost like posting on yahoo answers asking if its okay to do something, you'll get a lot of silly answers, sometimes people will try to be helpful, but ultimately only you can decide if its wrong or right, consult the bible and arrive at your own conclusion, all anyone else can do is give advice and offer some helpful verses to shape your opinion further
 
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Zatek

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I used to watch a lot of boxing when I was younger but as I grew more spiritual, the thought of hurting another person for sport and money became sickening. Christianity is not about hurting others but instead about healing and up lifting.

I no longer watch boxing or several other sports. MMA is not about Martial Arts. It is about hurting an opponent and ego. None of this is about God.

May he bless you
I been training BJJ\MMA a couple years now and been to multiple gyms as I've moved states. Never met anyone who had an ego or was trying to hurt people.

Have you met these people you accuse of having an ego and harmful intentions, or are you just a mind reader?
 
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Yarddog

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Have you met these people you accuse of having an ego and harmful intentions, or are you just a mind reader?
I've met them many times. I've watched them act like idiots on TV. I listened to my nephew, ex MMA competitor, talk about them. That is not to say that most aren't decent people but Christians are not to bring harm to another person.

When I wrestled we could compete without doing that but I didn't really like boxing so I got out. I was a bouncer for years but the purpose there was to keep things peaceful and taught younger guys how to control situation by saying the right things and not by force.
 
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Zatek

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I've met them many times. I've watched them act like idiots on TV. I listened to my nephew, ex MMA competitor, talk about them. That is not to say that most aren't decent people but Christians are not to bring harm to another person.

When I wrestled we could compete without doing that but I didn't really like boxing so I got out. I was a bouncer for years but the purpose there was to keep things peaceful and taught younger guys how to control situation by saying the right things and not by force.
The way they act on TV is mostly just acting, just like any form of entertainment. Sure, some of them might be jerks in their personal lives too, but that has nothing to do with the sport. Every aspect of life has people who are jerks. I've trained under multiple coaches who have won world tournaments multiple times in their respective weight classes and they are normal guys who care about their friends and family and students, give back to their community, etc, etc. Who are they harming exactly?

And what is your definition of "harm". In combat sports people can tap or submit at any time to avoid injury. Sure, sometimes you get a cut or sore or a bruise, but so what? The guys on TV making millions might resist tapping or submitting beyond what wise, and sometimes they pay the price for it, but that's their own choice. People can sometimes make bad choices in all areas of life when something they really want is on the line, risk is just part of life. If some guy wants to take his life savings and start a business, but he fails and goes bankrupt does that mean all entrepreneurship is bad because one guy made a bad decision?
 
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ContraMundum

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I've been watching MMA for quite some time and do really enjoy the sport. That being said, as of late I've been wondering if watching such of a violent sport is wrong. For the most part I've cut out all violent movies in and TV shows in my life (but to be honest I didn't really watch that many to begin with.)

Just to give an idea as to what happens in MMA bouts for the novice I've put some gifs in the spoilers below.

Don-Frye-Vs.-Yoshihiro-Takayama.gif

14-henderson-bisping-gif.gif

maia_story_nosefaucet.gif

For me the passage comes to mind 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

My thought process is these men (and women) are destroying their bodies for this sport their temples. And yes some of these fighters are Christian (Vitor Belfort, Yoel Romero, and Dennis Hallman to name a few.) Romero even had a famous post-fight speech where he talked about Jesus.


That being said, I wonder if we're all hypocrites for either participating in or viewing the sport. Any thoughts?
FWIW, I think watching this kind of stuff is not terribly edifying and I know the emotive reaction is creates in its viewers. I would reconsider my meditation on this stuff if I was a regular viewer. It seems like the Christians who partake are also compromising in worldly values.
 
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Zatek

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FWIW, I think watching this kind of stuff is not terribly edifying and I know the emotive reaction is creates in its viewers. I would reconsider my meditation on this stuff if I was a regular viewer. It seems like the Christians who partake are also compromising in worldly values.
What "emotive reaction" is it creating? What "worldly values" are compromising Christians because of MMA?
 
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What "emotive reaction" is it creating? What "worldly values" are compromising Christians because of MMA?
Emotive reaction is the carnal urge to want to see a guy or girl get beaten up, and the worse, the better. Viewers cheer on who they want to see win, don't they? And winning is by the use of violence, is it not?

Furthermore, a participant wants personal victory by beating up someone else, right?

Is this too obvious for some people?
 
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NothingIsImpossible

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I find sometimes some christian go overboard with their "holier then thou" views on things. In their minds doing anything outside of breathing, eating and sleeping is bad.

Would Jesus watch MMA? No.

Is it something we should watch? Probably not.

Are you going to hell for watching it? No. Though its not an excuse to watch something of course.

Should you yourself watch it? The real and biblical answer is see what the Holy Spirit is telling you. Pray about it.

A good example of this is a movie like CoCo that is out in theaters. A christian that is more mature in spirit can watch the movie and its "Day of the dead"/Underworld story and realize such a thing is fantasy and not real. However those who may be weaker in their walk could watch it and it may make them question what happens after death and maybe how to handle loved ones who have passed on.

Of course there are some things that we obviously shouldn't watch period because theres just no justification, such as inappropriate content. And in some cases some people may not realize what they watch is affecting them. For example I grew up with a mother who swore all the time. So watching movies with tons of swearing was normal to me also. When I was older I realized between my mom and the stuff I watched, I was swearing all the time as if it was some normal thing to do, as a christian none the less.

Since then I have stopped watching things that have a ton of swearing. Especially if they use Gods name in vain. As a result I never really swear now.
 
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Sketcher

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It is not a highly intelligent sport, but a contest that is too brutal. It harms rather than heals. It does not edify the community.
If it teaches discipline and sportsmanship, and if it provides an alternative to delinquent activity, I'd say that it does edify the community and that it does aid in the healing of people's character.
 
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This is an interesting topic, one I've thought about as someone who has watched hours and hours of MMA, one who studied and practiced martial arts as a teenager, and watched professional wrestling as a younger teenager, and practiced body building on and off throughout those years when and as I had time and access to facilities and equipment.

I think my primary concern with MMA is related to a far more broad desensitization of violence in American through all forms of media. MMA itself, is far from the most violent form of entertainment in America. However, I cannot help but think, what's next? And I think about the Roman Colosseum, because there seems to be no end for mankind's propensity for and enjoyment for violence. The evidence is all around us, around every corner. But MMA as it is in current form, is an impact sport, more intense than football, but like football, has rules and a referee and doctors, because the intention is to win, not maime or kill. I do think the rules should be tightened, the fighters should be monitored and have psychological evaluations performed, in an effort to prevent the wrong person from entering with the wrong intentions. However, even with safeguards in tact, there is the potential for unforeseen variables when in the heat of battle by nature of the sport, but unforeseen variables happen in all sports, and they are always tragic.
 
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