[freedomben]

Adrenaline does make you stupid, but years of training makes you smart. The reason you train so intensively is that when the adrenaline is up you will fall back to muscle memory.

They're not being stupid by continuing the fight and trying to hide injuries. They are trying to get a w instead of an l, and sometimes that just means you need to keep the fight going another minute or two until the time is up. That can literally mean the difference between having a successful career and retiring with a mediocre record. It can be the difference between a shot at the world title, versus being on the free undercard fights. Fights. They are making a calculation, and probably the same one I would make in their same situation. It is very easy to look back on the reckless youth as being stupid. Fortunately, I have enough recording of myself from that era to see that I actually had thought it through pretty well, I just didn't realize how bad it could be in the future. But, if I had a world title under my belt, none of my current maladies would feel nearly as bad :-D

[hinkley]

We train the fighters to go until the ref tells you to stop, for similar reasons to what you already illustrated. Which is why I blame the refs and the committee. They know exactly what goes through your head when you’re in a fight and it’s their job to keep your opponent relatively safe. And they aren’t, which is why I don’t watch.

But wanting to continue when even your coach knows it’s over is a kind of pressure sale situation. You’re in the moment and sort of trapped, and having a concussion and a brain full of adrenaline makes you have even worse judgement.

[freedomben]

Agreed.

I blame the committee, only partially the refs since the refs aren't makign the rules.

To be clear my disagreement was with the parent that said adrenaline made the fighters stupid.

[thefaux]

What is the deeper meaning of being a world champion fighter? I pursued a risky sport for many years myself until I was struck by the utter hollowness of it. How would my winning benefit anyone besides me? What was the purpose beyond self exaltation? How was this the best use of my short time on earth?

For me, I can hardly think of a worse use of a life than fighting for sport. There is not a single fighter on earth I would trade places with. Not one.

[djtango]

It's inspiring.

When I consider how Naoya Inoue fought 11 rounds with a broken orbital socket I am profoundly inspired by the heart he demonstrated and his will to win - his focus and his skill to change strategy mid fight.

It's easy to handwave his ability to fight through pain thanks to adrenaline... until you try it for yourself.

It's inspiring to know just how much we can overcome ourselves if we want something enough.

[itishappy]

You gotta be pretty far down the nihilism hole to wonder about the deeper meaning behind being a world class athlete.

My girlfriend was a martial arts trainer for a few years, and many of the girls she worked with cited Ronda specifically as their inspiration. They're not competing, this is a hobby, but they're doing it because they were inspired by people like Ronda.

I just envy their discipline...

I have to ask, what's your ideal life look like?

[bumby]

Sometimes the process is an end in itself. A constant focus on "what's this good for?" can turn into a toxic, hollow mindset itself. Taken to an extreme, everything becomes just a stepping stone to a final action of death, which makes the practice of living rather pointless. Oliver Burkeman has some good thoughts on how to get out of that mindset.

[shrimp_emoji]

*As Saladin* Nothing... Everything.

What's the deeper meaning of getting heart disease and myopia by sitting at a computer learning how to be a good programmer?

What's the deeper meaning of doing anything? It's all temporary vanity. In a million years, even the Pyramids will have worn away!

It's all ships in bottles to keep us busily interested til we die. :D

[NoGravitas]

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.

There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

[DiggyJohnson]

What sport? Simply asking out of curiosity?