Misguided Morals of Martial Arts

How a Destructive Drive for Power, Success and Money has Discredited the Values and Teachings of Martial Arts.

T. G. George

MARTIAL ARTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY been an embodiment of the moral and physical strengths of humanity, reflecting the seemingly intrinsic values of compassion, respect, and dignity. But in an increasingly materialistic world, these idealistic ethics have been decomposed by the pursuit of monetary gains and a myopic drive for personal success. In this article, I will be exploring the crisis surrounding Chinese mixed martial artist Xu Xiaodong, as well as the rising prevalence of the UFC.

Martial arts are a codified tradition of combat, which originated in 527 A.D. India. This derivation has stemmed into 180 different types of martial arts across the world. These forms of fighting test one’s physical and combat capabilities. The heavy influence of Daoism and Zen Buddhism has resulted in a strong emphasis on spiritual values and achieving a state of duality between the mind and body. Therefore, through the teachings of martial arts, the merit of integrity, discipline, perseverance, and respect are preached unlike any other sport.

The evidence of this culture is exemplified in Muay Thai. In the holidays, I visited Thailand, where I attended a fight night at the Phetch Buncha Stadium in Koh Samui.  Here, the warriors pranced around the ring, performing ceremonial dances, while they bowed and showed their respect to masters, opposition, and referees. They were ruthless in combat but never failed to touch gloves after each round. Even after thrilling knockouts, the victors didn’t carry on but rather immediately checked on the wellbeing of the opponent.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport that implements fighting techniques, such as Muay Thai, and skills from various other domains of martial arts. The UFC was created as a promotion of the many disciplines of martial arts, with sumo wrestlers, boxers, karate masters and more, competing to be the ultimate champion. The UFC is currently valued at $12.1 billion, with an annual growth rate of 21% since 2005. However, the road to global popularity has systematically opposed and degraded the standards of martial arts. The early days of the UFC were an unsanctioned spectacle, utilising a form of no-holds-barred approach to combat which directly contrasted the strict adherence to rules executed in traditional martial arts.

Although this has since been regulated, the true representation of martial arts has been further tainted. This is because of the marketing of the UFC, which saw the promotion of fabricated rivalry and potent trash-talk culture. This custom began developing in 2001, when Dana White took over the UFC, with the catalyst being the infamous Connor McGregor. Although his unhinged profanity and ultra-ego are highly entertaining, it reveals how respect and compassion really have no place in our modern world.

To say that the UFC has solely destroyed the tradition of martial arts would be impartial, because even the “Grandmasters” themselves have had their moral compass misguided by monetary gains. Across the world, there has been a growing contingent of fraud masters teaching fake martial arts in exchange for the money of their unknowing students. Chinese MMA fighter, Xu Xiaodong, has quite literally taken matters into his own hands by challenging and humiliating masters across the nation in combat. These fights have been filmed and circulated on YouTube.

Xu Xiaodong 

Instead of being rewarded, he has been condemned by the Chinese people and government. He was completely censored as the Chinese government felt he was disrespecting and tarnishing their culture. This claim has some merit, as martial arts is not purely about winning or losing but rather the values elders teach to the youth. However, this method of justice has been completely irrational, with Xu’s social credit rating being destroyed, as well as him having to face hefty fines. Subsequently, Xu is now unable to even rent a hotel room, or catch a public train. Furthermore, Chinese tycoon, Chen Sheng, offered $1.45 million USD to anyone who could defeat Xu in modern combat. In the haze of censorship, fines, and bounties, it is difficult to depict a dedication to cultural values and maintenance of morals as the primary objective of the Chinese government and people. The compassion for an injured fighter, the respect for an opponent’s views, and the integrity of the individual, whether it be in the ring or the political scene, is virtually absent.

The corruption of martial arts has tainted its preached ethics and driven the prestigious sport into a self-suffocating spiral. There is no imminent source of revival, and while the UFC continues to popularise, maybe our world truly has no more room for empathy.