Shaking hands, giving a high five, a pat on the back or even a hug to an opponent after a fight seems to be carved deeply into MMA’s unwritten tradition. Most UFC events have around 13 fights, and if you see two bouts that don’t end with some manner of acknowledgement shown between the two combatants, it’s a rarity.
Why is that exactly? Is it just a carryover from sparring, a matter of rote? Is it all in the spirit of martial arts? Or something more?
Many fighters describe it as respect. Even after 15 or 25 minutes of trying to take another person’s head off, when the bell rings the fighting is over and the bond that has developed begins to take shape.