For a sport often stereotyped as being a bunch of roided meathead misogynistic douche bags....in many ways, MMA promotes a lassez-faire attitude about personal life and the like.
We have gay female fighters challenging for Rousey's newly crowned belt.
We have women fighters headlining events (ahem, boxing?)
We have transgendered fighters.
We have former gay pornstars fighting in the premier MMA organization in the world. We have more diversity among the champions in the UFC than you could find in boxing with its 432 different championship belts and 20 weight classes.
You truly have fighters from all walks of life from teachers to the impoverished to small business owners to parents to former addicts and convicts.
What I've always liked about MMA and to a similar extent Jiu-Jitsu is that people who are fake, those who bull&^%$, whatever, they typically don't last.
The mats have an equalizing effect that those who remain are often at best the most humble, supportive, and down to earth people you will ever meet. You'll meet doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners, people who came from nothing, people who are normal, every day salt of the earth people and of course, some of the most eccentric people you'll ever have the joy of meeting and knowing.
There is always someone better or more skilled and that constant reminder and awareness helps us understand and bond with one another.
That constant proving every day of who you are, what you can do, and your willingness to simply show up and do your best and learn, win, lose, or draw is what binds us.
It's a great community, and far more open-minded and tolerant than the vast majority of other social groups of which I have been a part for much of my life.
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