The truly great moments of Street MMA uplift the human spirit. And let’s be honest they are too far in between. The harsh truths taught by Street MMA can be sobering at times. But in rare glimpses, it can be redemptive as fuck.
This is one of those moments…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uguZVjdPFSU
Look at the cajones on this young kid. To throw a roundhouse kick in a backyard school fight, you has to be as confident as Brandon Vera before he fought Jon Jones. My favorite part of this video is my distinct impression (assumption) that the kid who got dropped is a villain.
Allow me to completely speculate on the context of this fight.
Our hero, the amazing roundhouse kicker, the next Anderson Silva, was being picked on and challenged by his opponent. His opponent is the 2017 version of the Cobra Kai. Except minus all that knowing karate shit. Blonde haired So Cal asshole, popular for no reason.
Finally one day, our hero finally has enough one day, and stands up for himself. They agree to fight, after school. The blonde kid’s arrogance and careless fighting stance betrays someone who has never fought before, A child whose know a life without hardship, without pain. He seems to have a silly belief that he should win this fight for no greater reason than he is better. He has not been acquainted withe ways of violence. He would pay for his ignorance.
As they first exchange blows, the nervous energy that had been building up in our hero, the fear, the shame in the potential of losing, it all floats away now he felt this kid’s punch. And it was light as a feather. As this realization hits him, another is quickly on its heels. His shirts been torn and destroyed, his collar ragged. He looks like a fool. Now, something is replacing the nervousness and fear. Anger… and confidence.
He swings at the tall dude in the very next exchange, ignoring the possibilities of his opponent’s blows. He keeps his composure in the clinch to land shots. He feints, showing his opponent just how fearless he’s become. During a break in the action, the kind that only happen when children (and not complete psychopaths) are fighting, our hero has his third and finally revelation. As he watchs his opponent nervously fix his hair, a voice in his head whispers, “the kick.” After a first volley, he sees his opening and takes it.
Truly a legendary moment in that kid’s life. So it’s really unfortunate that he will probably finish the rest of his pubescent years constantly fighting, constantly trying to live up to the hype of his amazing first highlight.
