Do you call matches "fights"?

That's very subjective. I personally don't call it a fight, but that's just me. It's a very hazy line between a "match" and a "fight" though and I'm not sure where I would draw the line. I wouldn't call a karate or TKD match a fight either, but I WOULD call a Muay Thai contest a "fight". Maybe it has something to do with how dangerous I see it.
 
Cash Bill 52 said:
What would you call a hockey fight? Lots of rules there. You can't even slice your opponent with your blades! Let's call it a hockey match...

I like to say that I am a "jiu jitsu fighter". I go to class to learn how to fight and defend myself. I am also a jiu jitsu competitor. I compete in a relatively safe environment with rules and a referee.

I am a competitor, a martial artist, and yes; I am a fighter. #graciefighter

I normally say, "I had three matches today." If Cesar Gracie or any other coach asks me, " How many fights did you have?" I don't correct or debate their terminology.

I don't like when someone turns up their nose or scoffs at the word "fight" or "fighter".
Click to expand...

I agree with you
 
I'd call it a fight and not stay up all night worrying about the definition or analysing my ego.

When I did judo the club called them fights too. Not sure why anyone would really give a shit.
 
I'll say fights only when the context makes it very clear that I'm talking about grappling, which does not include any striking. I actually don't think I've ever used the term "match" now that I think about it.
 
Mike Piekarski said:
If I'm getting punched in the face it is a fight, otherwise it is a match.
Click to expand...

Would you call a point karate tournament a fight, then? :icon_twis

I don't mind it when people use the term "fight," because they really aren't using it erroneously (ever notice how most words have multiple acceptable definitions in dictionaries?).

I do prefer to not use "fight" to describe any kind of wrestling because I tend to identify with the distinction made by most athletic commissions; in general, it'll be classified as a "fight" if the rules allow a competitor to deliberately injure his opponent. In grappling competitions, deliberately injuring your opponent (as opposed to trying to get him to submit) is not allowed, so I don't really think of it as fighting. However, grappling of any kind DOES easily fit into plenty of common definitions of "fight," so others can use it at their prerogative without any grief from me.
 
True enough. I went to the UFC once with a couple of friends who train. Seemed like everyone wore Affliction or Tapout. We were just dressed normally.

SummerStriker said:
Absolutely.

Generally speaking, everyone thinks that they are the baseline definition of manliness and anyone less is weak.

I know a good number of vets who have killed people in war. Funny enough, they are the main guys involved in martial arts that aren't hung up on manliness. It makes me laugh inside to see someone walk into the gym to hit the heavy bag at 20% body fat, wearing and old t-shirt and sweat shorts, not drawing attention from anybody or treated with any special respect (even though he has actually killed armed men) past bare chest guys in boy shorts walking around with the chests stuck out, talking about how this or that guy isn't actually good.

I think people that are worried about being taken seriously as a fighter or martial artists should take a lesson in attitude from people who actually are, and see that the very act of puffing up your chest is a clear sign you aren't what you say you are.
Click to expand...
 
So according to the logic of some here the only time we can use the term fight is when engaged in combat with someone where punches and kicks are allowed? The word fight has so much more meaning and usage. For example you can fight crime with a gun or laws. You can not fight an illness with your fists, but medicine often works well to fight diabetes. You can even 'fight the power' with music. You can fight a forest fire with water. You can even have a pillow fight. So I think you can fight an opponent just using Jiu Jitsu. Sure it is different than MMA but when I say I had x number of fights the other day in the IBJJF tourney I think it's pretty clear what is being said.
 
WNYguy said:
So according to the logic of some here the only time we can use the term fight is when engaged in combat with someone where punches and kicks are allowed? The word fight has so much more meaning and usage. For example you can fight crime with a gun or laws. You can not fight an illness with your fists, but medicine often works well to fight diabetes. You can even 'fight the power' with music. You can fight a forest fire with water. You can even have a pillow fight. So I think you can fight an opponent just using Jiu Jitsu. Sure it is different than MMA but when I say I had x number of fights the other day in the IBJJF tourney I think it's pretty clear what is being said.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
WNYguy said:
So according to the logic of some here the only time we can use the term fight is when engaged in combat with someone where punches and kicks are allowed? The word fight has so much more meaning and usage. For example you can fight crime with a gun or laws. You can not fight an illness with your fists, but medicine often works well to fight diabetes. You can even 'fight the power' with music. You can fight a forest fire with water. You can even have a pillow fight. So I think you can fight an opponent just using Jiu Jitsu. Sure it is different than MMA but when I say I had x number of fights the other day in the IBJJF tourney I think it's pretty clear what is being said.
Click to expand...

Used in context, sure.

If I just said randomly I had a fight the other day to someone, they would say, what kind of fight? If you said wrestling, they would say oh, ok. If you said street fight, they might be like, oh damn.... If you said with gf, they might say, women eh?

You can fight hard in grappling, but using grappling matches to boast as fights can be dishonest depending on how it's used.
 
In Norwegian, the equivalent word for "fight" - "kamp" is also used to mean match. A soccer match is litterally described as a soccer fight, even though there is no actual concept of fighting, just head to head competition. So in my native language, I do call my matches "fights". In English, I use "match", and I'd feel a little weird otherwise.
 
Chris Beeby said:
When speaking of BJJ (or other grappling competition), do you call a match a fight? When it's convenient? All the time? Only when it means saving syllables?

This is a pretty big joke among MMA guys. I have no personal problem with people saying they "fought yesterday" or whatever, but I think it's very funny when BJJ competitors will say "I had 6 fights" because that just SOUNDS preposterous without context. IMO a "fight" means there was a chance you could have been seriously injured/maimed/killed, and while a strong choke or a deep leg lock can cause bodily harm, IMO a fight includes striking.

I have also noticed it's mostly BJJ guys that do this. Judo/wrestling do not say "fights". Perhaps this is because a fight can be executed like a BJJ match i.e. early Demain Maia MMA fights (choosing not to strike much in lieu of getting the submission).

This will probably devolve into a flame war, so let's try and keep it civil and include logical explanations as to why or why not.
Click to expand...


I personally compete in MMA, Boxing, and Grappling. I don't call any of them fights, and think it sounds weird. Fighting (at least between people) is what happens when people are too immature to control their emotions. The way I see it what I do is competition.


I use the word bout, compete, etc. I only use the word fight every now and then when I think it will help me better relate to a client, but even when referring to MMA it bothers me a little. My wife calls everything fights though. This doesn't bother me nearly enough to get an emotional response out of me ;)


with that said you want to call MMA a fight but not BJJ it seems logical because one has striking, but really you're watering down your own definition if you do that. All combat sports have rules that limit what is allowed to be done. I can understand people that define fight as two opposing forces looking to defeat each other. In this case you can call any combat sports match a fight... to me it just sounds strange. more used to it from striking styles because boxing has been drilling that into the publics subconscious for generations, but it still sounds kind of strange to me.


To me people that consciously choose the word "fight" to describe their bout in a combat sport are doing so out of some subconscious desire to be viewed as a super tough badass. Which, in all honesty is probably the reason most people start training in the first place; for this reason as an instructor I don't call those people out. This is often helping them get past insecurities and achieve a status in their own mind that they never thought they could, being a "fighter" ... but at some point along the line that mentality should really change.
 
Last edited:
Mikey Triangles said:
I personally compete in MMA, Boxing, and Grappling. I don't call any of them fights, and think it sounds weird. Fighting (at least between people) is what happens when people are too immature to control their emotions. The way I see it what I do is competition.


I use the word bout, compete, etc. I only use the word fight every now and then when I think it will help me better relate to a client, but even when referring to MMA it bothers me a little. My wife calls everything fights though. This doesn't bother me nearly enough to get an emotional response out of me ;)


with that said you want to call MMA a fight but not BJJ it seems logical because one has striking, but really you're watering down your own definition if you do that. All combat sports have rules that limit what is allowed to be done. I can understand people that define fight as two opposing forces looking to defeat each other. In this case you can call any combat sports match a fight... to me it just sounds strange. more used to it from striking styles because boxing has been drilling that into the publics subconscious for generations, but it still sounds kind of strange to me.


To me people that consciously choose the word "fight" to describe their bout in a combat sport are doing so out of some subconscious desire to be viewed as a super tough badass. Which, in all honesty is probably the reason most people start training in the first place; for this reason as an instructor I don't call those people out. This is often helping them get past insecurities and achieve a status in their own mind that they never thought they could, being a "fighter" ... but at some point along the line that mentality should really change.
Click to expand...

Nice post...

There are many ways the word "fight" can be used. My favorite is the "fighter" who doesn't give up. As in, "He's got a lot of fight in him." There is always a way out of a fight. People give up all the time in combat sports. I remember being down in a "match" by lots of points and the guy almost had me arm barred, but I kept "fighting." I was able to make it to the bell without tapping. I could take solace in the fact that I put up a good "fight."

"Way too many quotes"

One more...Montanha, who doesn't post here any more, once told me "If some one attacks you, they should know that they're in a fight."
 
A lot of the colorful Prose that goes along with combat sports irritates me.

Guys saying they are "going to war" during interviews or conversation prior to a fight or match. I'm guessing these fellows haven't actually seen real combat.....an MMA fight ain't it.

Guys that claim they "box/kickbox/cage fight" when all they really do is cardio kickboxing and maybe hit the pads now and then.....don't even spar? And you're a fighter?

Not once though, has a grappler calling a contest a "fight" bothered me.
 
I usually say matches,

I do occasionally say fights simply because I talk more about fights (ie MMA) than I do about Matches (BJJ) so it comes out sometimes.
 
Do you call arguments with your gf/wife/baby mama fights?
Only when strikes are involved?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,280,886
Messages
58,325,643
Members
176,001
Latest member
Markooz86

Share this page

Back
Top