‘”As real as it gets” is the UFC’s slogan describing just how realistic the combat in our sport can be. But before fighters get to any of the face punching, they share a moment of respect, a moment of peace that represents their mutual acknowledgment for the struggle to arrive at this moment – the touch of gloves.
Fighters might beat each other up for 15 to 25 minutes, but the respect for one another and the sport of MMA never goes away. The martial arts spirt is always with them.
In this first edition of “Touch of Gloves,” we see that spirt come to life as fighters, coaches and more show appreciation to the people they think especially deserve a shoutout for what they did in 2021:
- Mackenzie Dern on Charles Oliveira
- Francis Ngannou on Kamaru Usman
- Cub Swanson on Brandon Moreno
- Jamahal Hill on Glover Teixeira
- Rashad Evans on Julianna Pena
- Marc Ratner on Dana White
- Brendan Fitzgerald on John Gooden
- Eric Nicksick on Laura Sanko
- Bryan Battle on Forrest Griffin
- Austin Vanderford on Chael Sonnen
- Adrian Yanez on Dominick Cruz
- Shannon Knapp on Valentina Shevchenko
- Chris Curtis on the UFC fans
Enjoy!
‘Touch of Gloves’: MMA figures show appreciation to those who shined brightest in 2021
