From rivalry to friendship: The very nature of our sport is centered around competition and the ability to gain and enforce competitive advantage over an opponent. One of its greatest pleasures however, comes from the realization that however strong the fervor of competition might be, in the end, the sport as a whole is bigger than any temporary rivalry between ourselves and another person – for we are all ultimately united by the kingly arts of combat. Years ago my student Georges St-Pierre was matched to fight the formidable Jake Shields, who at that time had not lost a fight in almost eight years and who had crushed numerous ufc champions and contenders along the way to his title fight. The fight and the camp leading to it were as tightly contested as any, yet years later, Mr Shields came by to train and work on skills. It was a valuable reminder to me that friendship and camaraderie are more uplifting and lasting than rivalry and advantage. In the end; it is far more important to be a good human being than it is to be a good fighter. Skills in a competitive world and the great achievements they can bring us make us stand out from the crowd, but it is our humanity and empathy that bring us back. Jake and I share some stories from old campaigns after another tough session with the team
