How I Look at MMA: Guest Post by Leonard Smith

Today’s guest post is written by Leonard Smith, a professional MMA fighter who trains out of Fight Ugly in San Diego, CA.

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Last weekend I saw an amateur fight that made me think about the way I look at MMA and the way that other people who aren’t as involved in the sport view it. I saw two undefeated high-level opponents respectfully accept the fight, and show that they were hyped about in a classy manner. They had their fight and it was an awesome war. It went back and forth and was hard fought until the end. Of course only one person was able to win, but even in victory and defeat they still showed each other respect. They even praised each other on Facebook about the hard fought battle. While witnessing all of this, it got me thinking about what the “casual MMA fans” think about when they watch these fights and if they see this side of MMA.

When I have a fight coming up, I’m constantly wondering what’s going through my opponent’s mind, how confident are they going into the fight. Do they have the same mindset I have? How hard are they working? As we weigh in, the same things go through my mind. As I walk out to the cage and I climb in, I see my opponent and all the thoughts began to fade, and there’s nothing but intense focus. During the fight there’s never any point where there is any anger, fury, or hate towards my opponent, even in defeat.

If fans always saw this type of behavior would it turn them away from the sport? If there weren’t the trash talking Chael Sonnen’s or the crazy personalities like Jason Miller taking up the headlines. Would MMA be as popular as it is today if there was a constant show of discipline and respect? As a fan of the sport, I tend to gravitate towards the fighters who don’t put on a show or a façade. I can appreciate the level of discipline that it takes to prepare for a fight, get through any adversity that might arise during training camp, make weight, and get through the fight without letting the rollercoaster of emotions take you under before you get into the cage. And yet I always wonder; do MMA fans every think about any of that when they sit down to watch a fight?

I can say that as a fan, before I started actually doing the sport, I spent no time thinking about the all of the work and effort that a fighter puts into getting ready for a fight. The fact that there is a constant struggle between balancing your personal life, training, and working a full–time job for some people. The only thing that I was worried about was seeing someone’s head get knocked off, or some guy get choked to sleep. When I watch fights now, there are times when there is a jiu jitsu clinic going on and the crowd boos the fighters. It doesn’t make me mad but it just makes me think; man, if these people knew what I know, or have had some of the experiences that I have had, they would have a deeper love for the sport than they could ever imagine.

Until fans begin to respect the sport on a deeper level, the crazy, loudmouth, and outgoing fighters will be in the headlines, will be on the commercials and will be the household names. Through all of that I vow to always remain the same person I am today. If I happen to make it in this sport to the point where I am constantly in the public eye, I hope to change a lot of misconceptions about what people define as a fighter. I hope to show people that most of us are just normal guys, with normal/not so normal families, and that we’re living our lives doing what we love and trying to be successful enough at it to be able to financially support ourselves and our families. When people watch me fight I want them to see discipline, skill, talent, and a high level of respect and sportsmanship. I want people to see the person behind the fighter, not just the fight that they witnessed at that time. I want people to see what I see. I’ve been around a lot of people in my lifetime, a lot of different schools and a lot of different jobs in different areas, and I can say that although there are a few exceptions, collectively as a group, “fighters” are some of the most interesting, caring, and respectable people that I know.

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I couldn’t agree more with Leonard and I appreciate him stopping by to share his thoughts. Take a moment and check out my interview of him that we did after training together down at The Arena MMA.