MMA would be wise to favor sport over gladiator showdowns

Anthony Pettis showed sportsmanship when he let go of this submission hold on Benson Henderson.

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That's what's best for the fighter being damaged, best for the one inflicting the damage as well. And in the big picture, it's what's good for the sport. If mixed martial arts wants to play with the big boys, it's going to have to adapt its game a little and play by the rules of the mainstream. It's not so much adapting the game, even. The rules already are in place. It's more a matter of adapting expectations. We go to the arena looking for a fight. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we're not there for a life-and-death gladiator showdown. We're there for a sporting event.