Fighting and combat is about preparation, competence, capacity - each of these can be trained for and enhanced. But once a certain threshold of ability is achieved, it becomes increasingly mental. At its highest point - combat becomes a spiritual practice. A portal to a rather dark and lonely place, where the warrior sets to meet his shadow. On the brink, it is just that - spiritual warfare. Why those who make war tend to retire as philosophers. A great trainer knows the spirit of a fighter before he has even seen him display any competence in his craft. And a great fighter carries a spirit with him that far exceeds his current self, his current capacity. When a man's spirit is undeniable, not just in fighting, he could be losing everything but those observing would be convinced, regardless, that he's about to emerge victorious somehow. This is how destinies are shattered and made in the ring of life. And the greatest thing about destiny is that it can be reclaimed, but never without cost. The cost of wisdom is hard learning. And the cost of hard learning is pain. Yet when a man is equipped with great spirit - his body knows to find the way. The rest is willpower and time. I've seen beginners hopelessly outclassed by veterans in the gym - but every once in a while - you'll catch someone with true spiritual presence. It doesn't mean they don't get thrown around the room. They do, and often. But when a fighter looks good (or even great) while on the losing end - that's how I know they have that special stuff in them in the unseen realms. And by looking good I mean stoic, dignified, classy - even in the face of complete and utter superiority. Not only are they not defeated in the moment, but spiritually, and in the mind, they are celebrating future victories - even as they are going through their hardest moments. When the aura is impervious to defeat - defeat rarely comes to touch. When the aura is primed, defeat seems impossible. It never is, of course, but those with great spirit know that and know to trudge on regardless. Now, in sports, a large proponent is genetic predisposition, of course. If you don't have the genetic goods for it - you're probably not performing at the highest level. It's not just the goods during the performance - it's also recovery from injury, the body's threshold to be pushed, etc. That is also part of said destiny. "Mind over matter" - yes, but how much mind over how much matter exactly? That matters too. Honesty is the greatest trait a man can have. It is honesty that acquires victory and success in both fighting and war. Jon Jones, the greatest current, a fighter with great spirit - but not great clarity of mind - his one and only defeat has come from his own error and lack of self control - using an illegal technique in a fight he was set to win. A man's self-destructive tendencies show themselves even there - even in the moment of his greatness. That's his dark place. Same reason why I like Ilia's walkout song (a very fitting and memorable Spanish tune) - and call it spiritual pretentiousness, if you so wish - but I also believe that if he sourced his spirit-stuff from among the ranks of his true forebears - his outcome would be different. A man must know which of his faults to address when going through challenges. His greatest faculties and his lowliest traits will show themselves always - both in how he wins, or how he suffers defeat. For Khabib, his defeat came from retiring early, his unwillingness to chase true greatness, and his inability for emotional self-sustenance without the presence of his father - it showed a weakness in him, for which he will be criticized by his peers for decades to come. The price of his defeat was every future victory he did not have. Every man fights his own battle, in an arena of his own making. And not everyone who looks to be winning - actually is. From my experience, there are two kinds of fighters: One is a specimen first and a fighter second. The other is a fighter first and a specimen second. There is always complexity and depth though. Another large part of that depth is surrender. Philosophy. Success is sourced from many things, among which confidence in one's ability is the weakest. When a fighter begins to source confidence from technique - his technique begins to fail him. Now, generally, as a sportsman, when you surrender the outcome of the fight - you tend to get better results, once you've shaken off all the "what ifs" of competition. But it matters just as much, if not more, who and what you surrender the outcome to. If you surrender the outcome to simple luck - you will reap misfortune, that will become your eventual destiny. You'll get "lucky" a few times and then, eventually, you'll get "unlucky". That's just how the coinflip works. It's a good lesson for living as well. If you surrender the outcome to perfected technique - you will reap a bad performance. To preparation - a surprising and unpredictable defeat. Technique and preparation alone is not enough to achieve perfection. There is no such thing as a perfect performance, things will align in ways that will inevitably put you off your game. There are many, many things that can go wrong in a fight. A slip here and there, a sudden gust of wind, a momentary distraction, a cheating opponent, bad judging, corrupt referees, etc. But the greatest fighters surrender the outcome to higher power. Now most fighters absolutely say that they do - but only a few actually get around to doing it - both before and after the ordeal. Once that surrender is achieved, the stars may just align - capacity, genetics, preparation - these all begin to matter as they are allowed to unfold during battle. True confidence is spiritual, and so is aura, it is never cheap or performative - and has very little to do with the egoic. I remember, just before this fight, I was convinced that McGregor stood no chance. But then, during the buildup, I became convinced that he would win the fight early on and decisively so - against an emotionally predictable opponent. On a perfect day, he had every tool to win. But on the very last press conference, when the fighters came out - I said there's no way he's winning the contest once more, I reverted to my initial impression. Because his spirit was gone, diluted with the drink. And I do always say that the strongest war gods hail from the Caucasus. So it really does matter where you source your confidence from, and what you surrender your outcomes to. If you gamble with life, life will gamble with you. But if you accept life as it comes - regardless of its lessons, and regardless of its pain - defeat might turn a blind eye, and victory might just find you.