Does God have a place in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fighting? This was the question asked by Christian radio host Dr. Michael Brown after watching the Saturday night fight between two of the biggest names in the sport of cage fighting.
Cristiane Justino, better known as Cris Cyborg, walked into the arena while a worship song was being played. She then held up the cross around her neck and kissed it before facing her Swedish opponent, Lina Lansberg.
During the fight, Cyborg beat up her opponent's face to a mess. Lansberg's left eye was swollen shut and blood stained her clothes.
"Was Cyborg helped by the Lord to administer this beating?" Brown asks in an article for The Christian Post.
"It is true that, in keeping with MMA custom, the two combatants hugged in the ring afterwards in a sign of mutual respect, and it is true that, for them, this is a sport that they engage in by choice," he writes.
But he says "it is also true that, ultimately, the fighter's safety is of paramount importance, meaning that no one wants to see a fighter permanently injured or, worse still, killed."
Brown says it's "odd" that praise music was played and the fighter kissed her cross before physically hurting her opponent. He likens the sport to what was done at the Colosseum during the time of the Roman Empire to entertain the masses.
"Is there any harmony between violence like this and the Spirit of God?" he asks. "Again, I am not judging the hearts of the combatants and claiming they have no relationship with God. That is for Him to decide. I'm simply raising some very obvious questions."
Brown adds that only God alone knows the heart of people, and only He can judge. But personally, Brown thinks it's exceedingly strange for a fighter to "pulverize his or her opponent, leaving them bloody, dazed, and broken on the floor, while giving honor to Jesus Christ who gave them the victory."
