n July 11, the Ultimate Fighting Championship hosted its 100th pay-per-view event. I was glued to the TV with the rest of my friends, hanging on every punch, kick, takedown, sprawl and submission attempt and cheering my head off for my guy to win!

Now, I’m pretty sure the UFC’s target demographic isn’t Christian fans, but you might be surprised at how many of us watch, train or compete in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  In fact, some of the top MMA athletes are Christians. Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture and Gina Carano are just a few MMA superstars who are open about their faith. 

But how can a Christian participate in – or even watch –such a violent sport? People ask me this a lot. I’ve never had a problem balancing combat sports and Christianity. I’ve been training in martial arts all my life and competition has always been part of it. There’s a difference between fans of MMA and fans of violence. MMA fans see a competition as two people testing their skill rather than two people trying to turn each other into hamburger! Just as there are some people who watch football for the hits or NASCAR for the crashes, there will always be people who watch MMA (or its cousin, boxing) to see blood.

But that is not what I as a Christian see when I watch MMA. I see two people, having honed their skills in karate, boxing, wrestling, Judo, Muay Thai, and Jiujitsu, testing their abilities in competition at the highest level and respectful of each other after it’s over. I see a physical chess match. I see the discipline, self-sacrifice, focus, passion and determination that any Christian would do well to emulate in their walk with Jesus.

1Corinthians 9:24-27 —  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Editor's note: Our "Just For Men" columns reflect the perspectives and experiences of the writer.