What Donald Trump Will Never Understand About Fighting

The headlining fight in the most-watched mixed martial arts event in history ended in just 17 seconds. Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano—both legends in the MMA universe—had been retired from mixed martial arts for years. So when they faced off in Los Angeles last month, viewers were eager to watch these pioneering fighters. Rousey beat Carano almost immediately. She used her signature, fight-ending grappling move known as an armbar—a floor maneuver where the unfortunate victim has one arm bent in the worst direction, on the verge of snapping.Those who have followed Rousey’s fights are familiar with her swift finishes. She’s an Olympic medalist trained in the Japanese martial art of judo, whose practitioners study how to exert maximum effect with minimum effort. The general objective is to get your opponent on the ground and disrupt their balance by strategically pushing and pulling appendages to administer a painful physics lesson. Judo doesn’t look like brawling. Rather, it involves a series of quick, firm pivots and maneuvers that result in opponents being contorted, flipped, and tossed. As with other martial arts—jiu-jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai—judo can be extraordinarily violent. But success begins with training the mind. Muscle and power may help in casual rumbles, but professional fighters practice restraint to reprogram their reflexes. They know that self-discipline, technique, and expertise are more effective than reactive aggression.Those qualities are not always obvious to the casual observer. As I watched Rousey’s stunning victory, I found myself thinking of the enormous clawlike structure that has recently materialized on the White House grounds: an octagon in which President Trump will host an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout for his birthday on June 14. In some ways, this convergence of MAGA and UFC—the largest and best-known MMA company—is not surprising. Trump’s ties to the world of fighting go back to at least 1988. That was the year that, to promote hi