Lessons from a Championship Title Fight

This past weekend, the world championship title bout between Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber, the 2 greatest 145 lb MMA fighters in the world, turned out to be a one-sided affair. The champion, Jose Aldo, is a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter with a strong preference for striking (as opposed to grappling). The challenger, Urijah Faber, is a wrestler with an excellent ground and pound game. While Faber only has a basic level striking game, he does have KO power. Many experts believed that it would be an evenly contested match with lots of excitement, especially given the level of athleticism, experience, and depth of skill involved on both sides. However, Jose Aldo dominated the fight for 5 rounds from beginning to end with textbook Muay Thai. He delivered over 20 low roundhouse leg kicks to Faber's leg during the fight. In fact, by the end of the 2nd round, Faber was already hobbling and could not move. Faber could barely stand and his left leg was completely paralyzed. He showed tremendous heart for completing the fight. 95% of fighters would have quit in the 3rd or 4th round from the pain and devastation from the leg kicks. Above all, Faber showed amazing sportsmanship and class after the fight by giving 100% credit to his opponent and refusing to give excuses. Faber showed the true warrior spirit of martial arts through his courage, humility, respect, and honor.
Here is an interview with Faber a few days after he got beaten by World Champion Jose Aldo.