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The pros and cons of cage fighting.
Grandaddy Delicious
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I started taking Mixed Martial Art lessons some time ago, and at the place I study at they teach us Ju Jitsu, Judo, and Muy Thai. I had started to do this as a hobby, and I never had the desire to do it competitively, it was just fun to do. Then one of my classmates decided to particpate in a sanctioned cage tournament a couple months ago. I went and watched, and as it turns out, the place that I train at delivers better training than any other school in the tri state area. So with the new found information that our training is superior, and the thought that I could get a 1-0 official sanctioned record, I decided to start training for it.
I have a genetic disorder that kept two of my permanent teeth from developing (they do not exist). Because of this I had to wear a special retainer with fake teeth in it all through high school. I recieved a permanent porcelain veneer cover that goes over all my teeth. In order to make it fit, they had to sand all my other teeth down to goblin-sized nubs. This is fine, because my veneer is permanent, right?
Well...
It cost 12,000 dollars. If one part of it chips or breaks, then I have to replace the whole thing. I e-mailed my dentist about it and he said that the porcelain and concrete that it was set in is just as strong as a set of normal teeth. But even with a custom mouth guard there is a very small chance it'll chip.
So my question is, should I risk it or should I avoid participating in the competition based purely on the minimal speculation that I may be walking around with golbin teeth until I can raise 12,000 dollars?
I have a genetic disorder that kept two of my permanent teeth from developing (they do not exist). Because of this I had to wear a special retainer with fake teeth in it all through high school. I recieved a permanent porcelain veneer cover that goes over all my teeth. In order to make it fit, they had to sand all my other teeth down to goblin-sized nubs. This is fine, because my veneer is permanent, right?
Well...
It cost 12,000 dollars. If one part of it chips or breaks, then I have to replace the whole thing. I e-mailed my dentist about it and he said that the porcelain and concrete that it was set in is just as strong as a set of normal teeth. But even with a custom mouth guard there is a very small chance it'll chip.
So my question is, should I risk it or should I avoid participating in the competition based purely on the minimal speculation that I may be walking around with golbin teeth until I can raise 12,000 dollars?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Grandaddy Delicious on
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The pros are... feeling badass?
Unless there is money in this, and you think you have a valid shot at it (which I doubt considering you've never done it), I wouldn't bother.
Workingmen of all countries, unite!
I'm actually going on the advice of the instructor. The fight is in November and that gives me plenty of time to polish up and further work myself into prime fight condition. I feel like it's kind of ridiculous to skip out on something because of the small amount of danger involved, which is why I brought the question here. I would equate this to avoiding skydiving because of the chance both of your 'chutes would fail. The odds of my teeth getting f'd up are extremely low, based on what I've been told, yet I find it crippling to my idea of competing.
T Zilo - I'll send some guys over here that I know are already competing.
We can't answer this, you really have to risk/reward the situation.
I take it these teeth are permanently attached and can't be removed like false teeth?
Satans..... hints.....
I'm Pony from SE++. I don't normally post here, but GD PM'd me to ask for my advice because he knows I have experience with this sort of thing.
First of all, if these tournaments are on the up-and-up, which they seem like they are, it's incredibly unlikely there is prize money involved. At the amateur level, prize bouts are extremely difficult to acquire a license for in most states.
He's doing it for the enjoyment of the sport and the thrill of actual competition. This is something I understand, and if you aren't the sort who's into that sort of thing, it's nigh impossible to explain it to you.
Now, as for my actual advice on the subject: I say go for it, GD. Let me tell you a little something about my own experience. Half of my right front tooth is fake. It got smashed years ago at a concert (got kicked in the mouth by a crowdsurfer)
While hardly $12,000, it was still an expensive piece of dental work. However, I wanted to get into Muay Thai and into MMA from there. I consulted my dentist on it, and as he had previously told me I was good to play football and hockey, and I had no problems there, he figured kickboxing would be okay too so long as I wore a mouthguard.
I did. I've never had a problem. Ever. I've taken hits directly to the face so hard my lips split open, and it never damaged my half-fake tooth or my real teeth for that matter. I've been in fights where I haven't been wearing a mouth-guard (not exactly your sanctioned match type deal, as you'd figure) and I've never suffered any serious damage. A couple of my bottom teeth are crooked, but that's about it.
I'm not a dentist, but it seems to me like the veneer you got is actually more solid than the dental work I've got and, like your dentist said, is most likely as hard as your real teeth.
However, like he also said, there is a chance it could chip. Anyone who gets into full-contact martial arts faces that. You could get your whole set of teeth knocked out. I know I've personally smashed a guy's entire top row in the front into his mouth, and fractured his maxilla (the bone just below his nose, above his teeth) to boot. He wasn't wearing a guard, but even if he was, he would've probably still lost some teeth.
This brings up a very simple reality of what you are facing: MMA is not for everyone. It's not even for most people. It's hard, brutal, and incredibly dangerous. I've had multiple fractures, some of which (like my sternum fracture) could've been fatal. I've fractured both my wrists, my knee, dislocated my left knee and my jaw, broke bones in my right hand. I've got tiny scars all over my forehead, eyebrow, and cheekbones from all the times I've either damaged the skin with abrasion or outright been split open. My knuckles and shins are covered in scar tissue. My bottom teeth are crooked.
Keep in mind, I only fought competitively for four years and that's the injuries I sustained in that time.
I've known guys who have died from this stuff. Not in the ring itself, but as a result of the injuries they suffered. One of the guys I fought, I beat with repeated shin kicks to his right thigh until he submitted. Three weeks later, he died of an embolism. According to what I heard, the doctors said a blood clot he developed in his right thigh and moved up to his brain. It's entirely possible, although not necessarily true, that I am partly or wholly responsible for that. That's the sort of risk you run with this, not just with your own life, but you have to live with the reality that this is what you can do to people.
If you can't live with that, if the thought of that sort of thing happening, even by accident, would destroy you, then you have no business stepping into the ring.
If it's something you enjoy, if you want the thrill of competition and you want to be able to test yourself in the truest way possible, then I say go for it. But go in knowing the risks, not just to yourself, not just to your dental work, but the risk you present to everyone you fight and the risk this represents to every part of you, not just your physical health.
Wouldn't be a bad idea, if you can afford to, squirrel away some money to replace the veneer if you need to. Best case scenario? You never need to use it and then one day, if you get out of fighting you could blow it going to Disneyland or whatever.
Good luck with this. Health insurance companies, especially in the US, won't touch most fighters with a ten foot poll.
That said, I would hope for 12G's you got some kind of insurance. I mean, hell, I'm going for laser eye surgery later this year and I am paying the extra grand to get it insured.
A small fee against the possibilty you might break your shit. There are quite a few freestyle insurers around, a few calls might net you someone who can provide sufficient coverage.
Pony seems to have this topic covered nicely, but even with the risks involved I think it's one of those things you'd regret not trying at least once.
Buy some useless stuff at my Cafepress site!
Here's the thing; I'm not comfortable with possibly crippling a person for a title or a belt or a trophy. I'm really uncomfortable with someone crippling me.
Also, how long have you been training? You said "some time ago." Unless that time is like five years, this is not a necessary step in your training. Regular sparring with people who don't want to demolish your face is fine.
See, there you go. It's not for everyone, even people who are otherwise into martial arts. You gotta be okay with the responsibility for your actions and for those of your opponent. When you're in the ring or the cage or whatever, you have to remember that you are putting your life and health in the hands of basically two people: You and your opponent. And he's giving the same to you. You both hold that power over each other and you both sacrifice that power over yourselves. It's why it's so important to respect your opponent, and to have respect from him, because if that respect isn't there he could kill you. Even if he isn't necessarily meaning to, if he's just fighting without respect or regard for you as a human being there's a chance he could snuff your life out without even really thinking twice about it. I know I've walked that line, and it is not a good place to be.
After all, it's not a street fight. Nobody's trying to take your wallet and forcing you into a position where you are fighting for your very life. You're choosing to be there, and so is he. You both are freely choosing to accept that this person is intending to inflict violence on you, and your intent is the same to him. You have that mutual understanding, and you can't find yourself consumed with regret or remorse for the logical reprecussions of that choice. It's why the things I've done to people in the ring don't bother me. My head hits pillow with conscience clean, even though I've injured and possibly killed people (albeit inadvertantly) because the fact is they chose to be there, and so did I. They knew the risks, and so did I. You accept that, you move on, and you don't let it bother you.
It's not the sort of thing everyone can really do, so it's a choice you got to make carefully.
Make sure you have health/dental insurance if you are going to compete. Make sure the fight organization is insured and if they offer fighters a chance to purchase insurance prior maybe you can consider that.
Common injuries are broken nose, hand, ribs. Usually with good reffing injuries will be minimal. Bruising and cuts. I feel MMA reffing has gotten to the point of preventing catastrophic injuries.
Having competed in MMA fights myself at an amature level I walked away with minimal injury.
Pro: It is a rush, its a challenge to yourself, its a way to measure your skill, a way to build comradery with your fellow competitors.
Con: It is a violent activity and carries all the risks associated with violent activities ie injury, death, etc however I feel no greater then boxing.
MMA is a regulated sport now not a bloodmatch. Competitors know why they are there and what is expected of them. If you are ok with all that then best of luck and train hard.
Do you mean 'won't touch' as in getting new coverage when your job is "mma fighter" or do you mean that existing coverage won't cover you for stuff that happens in training/matches? First is ok with me, second could be bad.
I've only had to go to the doc once for a few stiches and my job's insurance covered that. Got any tips to keep it that way?
but you said to fix a chip you'd need to replace the whole thing
but you didnt explain why you'd need to fix the chip.
i mean couldnt you just weigh "possibility of having a less perfect smile" vs "fighting"
does it necessarily have to be $12k vs fighting?
see what I'm getting at? yeah teh costs to fixing might be super high, but do you feel you'd HAVE to fix it, or even anytime soon if so?
The man paid $12,000 and had all of his natural teeth ground down to nubs to replace two teeth that didn't grow in. Unless those two teeth were the front top two or something, I'd say he values having a perfect set of teeth.
Then I would have to say he'd want to avoid getting punched in the mouth.
Or, definitely save up that $12,000 just in case.