I bowed to the crowd on the four sides of the ring but did not smile. The samurai did not celebrate victories, and neither would I. Why celebrate a victory? Your next fight might be your last. Battles are not parties. Win or lose, fights are sacred to me. When the ring announcer thrust the microphone into my face, I made sure to thank him first in Japanese, and then I told the crowd that I was honored to win in Japan, the home of the samurai and the place where Jiu Jitsu originated. The Japanese understood my attitude and code of honor perfectly. Not only had a martial art, taught to my family
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