But, as Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a good smoke. Is it homoerotic? Sure, if you want it to be. There are thousands of variations on attacks and defense, 'the ground game' is hard to appreciate at first, but worth the study. A fighter's grappling style reflects his body type, his temperament, his training and his thoughts, just like an artist's. It's kill or be killed, intensely claustrophobic, and a mental and physical war of counter and bait, deception, and speed. Having fought and trained a little, let me assure you that there is nothing sexual going on-fighters are in survival mode, the 'fight-or-flight' instinct is in full swing. It has been interesting to see mainstream writers wrestle with whether mixed martial arts is 'gay.' The Daily Beast has had two somewhat-opposing columns on the subject in the past two weeks, the most recent by Sam Sheridan, himself a fighter.
