Why don't training buddies want to fight each other?

[Jasen777]

I always enjoyed competing against my friends, more so then people I didn't like. Of course, none of my athletic endeavors were fighting (did do a little wrestling), and none for all the consequences that face professionals.

I mean if you're going to get hurt by someone in a MMA fight, why not have it be you friend? If your friends has to get hurt, why not have it come from you instead of some jackass? I admit though that I may not have the right mental makeup to be a fighter.

So why is it such a big deal for Cain to fight Cormier, GSP to fight McDonald, etc. Is this just in fighting and not (or less so) in other athletics?

[REDDzone]

I think you have to look at it on an individual basis.

Think of guys like Cormier/Cain who train together at AKA, so literally everyday of the week. They have all the same coaches, etc, it would just be weird and awkward to do so. That isn't even bringing into consideration the fact that Cormier is Cain's coach. The whole mentor/pupil relationship, fighting each other, I can see where that'd be weird.

Guys at Jackson's supposedly sign something saying they won't fight together. On the flip side, Cerrone is there and he says he'd fight anyone, including his best friend in the world Leonard Garcia.

Then you have the fighter mindset. Fedor for example was quoted saying he envisioned his opponent as someone trying to send he and his family back to poverty. Its probably hard to jump to friendship to that mindset and back again for these guys.

Could you imagine a guy like Feijao or something defeating Anderson, costing him millions and millions of dollars, taking away his legacy, and then going back to being friends?

IDK, most of the above is just devil's advocate. I think its silly to keep fighting in a division that you refuse to fight a champion in. Rory for example is going to need to make a decision soon, otherwise he's just spinning his wheels, and that may be an exaggeration, but he certainly isn't going to reach his personal and earning potential if he just keeps taking fights in a division that its impossible for him to be champ of. Same with Cormier. If I'm Cormier and I want to move down, then move down. What's the point of fighting Mir, etc? You want a warm up fight or two to get comfy at 205 before fighting Bones anyway.

[Jasen777]

That isn't even bringing into consideration the fact that Cormier is Cain's coach. The whole mentor/pupil relationship, fighting each other, I can see where that'd be weird.

Good point. That's not something you get in most sports.

Guys at Jackson's supposedly sign something saying they won't fight together.

What does he expect them to do if he's got the two best at a weight class (Jones/Evans)? He's basically forcing one to leave or holding his career back.

Could you imagine a guy like Feijao or something defeating Anderson, costing him millions and millions of dollars, taking away his legacy, and then going back to being friends?

The Williams sisters manage it, though they don't seem to like it much. (Obviously a different situation and a much different sport).

If I'm Cormier and I want to move down, then move down. What's the point of fighting Mir, etc? You want a warm up fight or two to get comfy at 205 before fighting Bones anyway.

He could certainly use a practice cut and experience taking down light heavies, who are bound to be quicker than his heavyweight opponents.

[REDDzone]

What does he expect them to do if he's got the two best at a weight class (Jones/Evans)? He's basically forcing one to leave or holding his career back.

IDK, and maybe I should have done more research before saying that. I just remember people saying that was the measure to prevent another Jones/Evans situation. Maybe it was never implemented, maybe it was.

The Williams sisters manage it, though they don't seem to like it much. (Obviously a different situation and a much different sport).

Anderson is the new Fedor, he lives in the Matrix. His unbeatable aura is insane and he's currently working on a 10 fight deal with the ufc worth Dana only knows how many millions. If Bonnar had smashed him in his last fight, that number would have been a ton smaller (at least imo). I think tennis is a hard comparison here just because even the greatest of all time in the best individual seasons of all time are defeated several times per season. I'd have to look into cash prizes to see how much is lost for second vs first place, but a loss isn't going to cut your earning power in half, and certainly isn't going to contribute to brain damage.

And maybe I'm overestimating how much Anderson would lose. Who knows, dude doesn't lose.

edit: Thinking about it, a good example to illustrate this from another sport is the Mannings, right? Didn't Peyton want to stay in the AFC so as not to face Eli in the playoffs prior to the Super Bowl? Maybe I'm unclear about that, but I know I heard it somewhere.

[blkout]

I think switching camps on its own would be annoying and possibly put some guys off it. People get used to routine and sports-men are particularly superstitious, I guess mentally there'd be some things that make people reluctant as well.

[Gold Chain]

Makes sense to me.

If the training partner is someone you eat with, spend a lot of time, have a bond with, and have spent a lot of time having personal conversations with, I totally understand why they wouldn't fight.

Some of these guys form a brother-like bond, and the thought of inflicting any pain on them in a cage is not an appealing thought.

That's why someone you don't know, and don't care about, is much easier to crack in the chops.

[SDM]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's 90% ego.

[Headliner]

The other part is one of them has to lose and in this profession that means they have a good chance of being cut.
These guys are humans, and training partners are close close friends most of the time, they do not want the reason for their friend losing his apartment and struggling to eat to be on their head.

[REDDzone]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's 90% ego.

So much of what we do and feel in everyday life is ego. Try to be mindful of this, and you will be surprised I think of how often ego comes into play (unless its something you have thought about in the past).

And a lot of these dudes are probably egomaniacs compared to your everyday dude. So this makes a lot of sense to me.

[SDM]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's 90% ego.

So much of what we do and feel in everyday life is ego. Try to be mindful of this, and you will be surprised I think of how often ego comes into play (unless its something you have thought about in the past).

And a lot of these dudes are probably egomaniacs compared to your everyday dude. So this makes a lot of sense to me.

It seems like a cop out, but people really are predictable.