When is something an excuse?

elwani

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I’m seriously interested in when people think a fighter explaining a loss is considered making an excuse?

For example, if the reason given is false, then it is obviously an excuse.

But what if the reason given is true past a reasonable doubt, then do the extent to which we look down upon it as an excuse depend on how much we think it is relevant to the fighter’s performance?

Or should you go the Robbie Lawler route and just never give any reason for a bad performance, even if it’s something like a torn ACL?
 
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I’m seriously interested in when people think a fighter explaining a loss is considered making an excuse?

For example, if the reason given is false, then it is obviously an excuse.

But what if the reason given is true past a reasonable doubt, then do the extent to which we look down upon it as an excuse depend on how much we think it is relevant to the fighter’s performance?

Or should you go the Robbie Lawler route and just never give any reason for a bad performance, even if it’s something like a torn ACL?
It depends. Conor's foot. Kevin Lee's staph infection. Cejudo's knee injury. Sometimes these things really happened and obviously can affect the outcome, but ultimately, these guys still decided to fight, so if they lose I find it difficult to sympathise with them too much.

There isn't much point in ever going public with these things. Even if it's true, you'll just be mocked by the MMA community anyway.
 
when a ref panics and stops the fight too early, it's a solid excuse.
 
Actions speak louder than words.

Tapping is non verbal communication for "I felt tired, but I knew I would have beat him if I tried."
 
Depends if they're on your favourite fighter list
 
If someone is asked why they suddenly did ____ different or stopped throwing their right hand or something and they say they broke their hand, that's just giving a reason for what someone else noticed and asked them about. If well after the fight someone just blurts out "I broke me foot 2 weeks out" and then we see footage of them dancing a stomping and jumping around at the open workout, it's an excuse. Pretty much if nobody asked you, it's an excuse.
 
It’s an excuse when it’s not one of my guys

It’s a reasonable explanation when it’s one of my guys
 
When you get absolutely destroyed and you blame something arbitrary.
 
There is something to be said about never giving a reason for a bad performance for your own sake, even if the reasons are true, outside of your control, and really does affect your performance.

To accomplish something, I think an important attitude to have is to expect unexpected and unfair things to happen and to work around them without feeling sorry for yourself. If you give even a true and relevant reason for a bad performance, it is as if you’re saying to yourself it is okay to have a bad performance because unexpected things happened, so you’re diminishing your will to work around them, when the fact is unexpected and unfair things will always happen when you try to do anything.

But does that mean you should also keep the public in the dark? Perhaps that is why it is often the manager or coach who gives the reason.
 
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You take the Robbie Lawler approach. The only legitimate excuse is a closed-casket funeral.
 
Technically these are all good reasons.

It's just that in combat sports, people have fought through all of those things, sometimes winning and sometimes not. There were no excuses for them. Like, people have fought with broken hands in street fights let along platforms like the UFC or Bellator/the boxing world.

Miguel Cotto's last fight, he tore his bicep the fuck up. Instead of quitting on his stool, he kept fighting and eventually loss the fight to an inferior boxer. Nobody cares about that though, he's just viewed as a total warrior.
 
depends how the fighter loses.
 
I think one reason most people are against "excuses" is because the wide breadth of game plans that MMA presents to be taken.

Adaptability, creating a favorable matchup, and pushing through adversity are pillars of top martial arts performance.

In many people's eyes the measure of a fighter is how much he can endure as opposed to how much he can inflict.

Example: Bobby Knuckles breaking his right hand in 1st round vs Romero, and is able to utilize jab and movement to still end up victorious.
 
When you have absolutely no excuses left, you basically admit being inferior fighter compared to your opponent. Sometimes fighters truly believe that they could have won had it not been [insert excuse here].

I think most of us who have competed and lost in various martial arts can somewhat relate. After losing to someone you feel isn't that skilled, you tend to reassure yourself (and your coach) that you just underperformed due to [insert excuse here].
 
If they knew beforehand is hard to accept it as legit and not as an excuse, i mean, if it was legit enough to change the outcome then they should had pulled out.
 
If the fighter is normally “humble” or a “class act” then it’s a reason

If they’re normally cocky and disliked on here then it’s an excuse

For example someone like machida would give reasons, and someone like TJ would give excuses
 
I dont give a shit if people dont like what the fighter said when he is excusing the loss. It very well may have happened that way,and he should be allowed to talk about it. And even if its not true,its the fighter trying to rationalize his way to come back in the next fight with the self belief that he can win after all. How many fighters are getting brutally beaten to within an inch of their lives,like nogueira,but THEY BELIEVE they can still win,and they do. We would have pussed out a long time ago. That delusion is really just intense self belief. You little fuckin pussies love to post up these big book of excuses memes,but Nog used that to drive him through a Hall of Fame worthy career. If someone is delusional,so the FUCK what,bitch.
 
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