Conor McGregor's KO win reminds us of beauty, and cruelty, of competition
The sport of mixed martial arts is beautiful and worthwhile because of its possibilities. Unlike other more limited combat sports, you can punch, kick, knee, elbow, throw and fight on the ground in MMA.
The freedom in MMA more closely resembles real self-defense situations, which is what makes its study useful to any and everyone. In real life, anything can happen.
In MMA, almost anything can happen. That's exciting as well as realistic.
Saturday night, Conor McGregor shocked and thrilled an MGM Grand Garden Arena packed with his fans by knocking out defending featherweight champion Jose Aldo with one punch — in just 13 seconds.
Fighters train so obsessively and constantly because they know that fights can come down to fractions of inches and seconds. Wins and losses are always the result of preparation either flowing or clashing with happenstance.
Aldo stormed after McGregor at the start of their UFC 194 main event. He did so with punches, and in a straight line, as McGregor likely expected him to do.
Ready for that, McGregor stepped backward, away from the shot, and reflexively countered with a straight cross. The punch connected, and that was all McGregor needed.
It hit Aldo on the button, and turned him off. Still, the second punch Aldo had begun throwing before he was knocked out, a left hook, landed on McGregor's head, though ultimately a second too late.
Conor was in no position to avoid it, having backed straight up, and without both feet solidly beneath him. If Conor's cross had missed Aldo, he very well could have been knocked out by Jose's hook.
McGregor's cross didn't miss. And that is not a matter of luck.
He threw a punch at his opponent and the punch landed. That's intentional action succeeding.
Still, it is astounding to consider what just happened, and how we very easily could have had a completely different result, if even a breath were changed. There's a beauty in the unpredictability of MMA, because the endless possible outcomes are the result of the freedom with which the combatants are allowed to do battle.
There's something to celebrate in every stunning victory. Of course, there's also cruelty in them.
Even McGregor felt bad that his opponent, having trained a year for this showdown, ended up getting only a few seconds to do work. "I feel for Jose," he said in his post-fight interview.
"He was a phenomenal champion. He deserved to go a little longer."
He did. But fighting isn't fair.
McGregor also deserves every ounce of gold he's got wrapped around his waist tonight. Fights aren't résumé contests.
They are chaos, and whoever is left standing, by whatever means, is who deserves to have their hand raised on that particular day. There is no debate about whom the champion is, because everyone agreed that whatever happened in this crazy situation we call an MMA fight would decide "the best."
The possibilities of what could have been are fascinating to ponder. That mental exercising should be left for observers and the new champion, however.
As the loser, it will be Aldo's job not to obsess over his loss, and about what could have been. As the victor, McGregor will want to do the opposite, at some point, and pick apart his winning performance to search for minor improvements that could be made.
Winning is never final, and no victory is flawless, no matter how quickly it comes. Champions always find something to improve on when they win, but use short memories to get over losses.
