Denial ain't just another way to get knocked the fuck out

Matt Hughes is going to fight Royce Gracie. Even their respective websites tell a tale.

But first, some background.

Royce Gracie did a lot for the sport of mixed martial arts. His family pioneered No-Holds-Barred fights in Brazil and beyond. In the early 1990's, Royce proved that you had to have some ground skills in order to be a complete fighter. Jui-jitsu was largely a mystery. Everyone watched in shock as a 260-lb world class wrestler, Dan Severn, tapped on the mat in confused defeat...Because he didn't know what a triangle choke even was.

Martial arts hit a leap in evolution in the mid-90's that rivals (if not surpasses) anything done by even the deified Bruce Lee . Suddenly, every martial arts school -that was serious about martial arts being useful for fighting- integrated Jui-jitsu in some way or another.

Royce and his family have all become very wealthy from this show of skill. They deserve it.
However.
Royce has sort of been more of a MMA celebrity than an actual fighter. Yes, he's had some fights in Japan at PRIDE. One fight a year, matched up against questionable opponents at best...and he's drawn two of those fights.

In short while Royce was essential to, and sculpted the formation of modern MMA, he hasn't been relevant for many years now.

So why in the world would he fight Matt Hughes; a guy seven years his junior with a 38 and 4 record, the current welterweight champion of the world, and who's had but one loss out of his past 18 fights ?

He certainly doesn't need the money.
That can only mean he actually believes that he can win. That can only mean that either all Brazilians, if not just the Gracie family are completely and fucktastically insane.

Worse yet, other people must catch it somehow. The Gracies give off some sort of scent or pheromone that robs other people of the ability to make quality distinctions, or perhaps see.

Matt Hughes is on the top of his game. He is the modern product of a complete understanding of the most useful elements for the most perfect fighter; Wresting, Muay Thai, Jui-Jitsu and perhaps western boxing. These arts have fused into a hybrid which every successful MMA fighter emulates. There are minor variations and everyone is strongest in their base art, but the hybrid exists...and Royce existed before the hybrid.

There was a short transition period when the horse was still more useful than the steam engine in some instances. However that time was short, and then there was the car. The horse became an anachronism.

Come this May, as sad as it will be to watch, thousands of people will buy a Pay-Per-View to watch a nuclear powered jet pack tear a perfectly good cart horse limb from bloody limb.