UFC 95: Who to Cheer For—a Matter of Conscience

In MMA this happens all too frequently for my taste.

Due to the match ups Joe Silva makes, there will be strife in the Willis house on February 21, although Grandma will be at home watching alone.

Remaining at home, although my grandson will be in Champaign, Illinois wrestling at 145 lbs. for the state championship, is my first struggle with my conscience.

For years I managed to endure the discomfort involved in traveling and the logistics in attending wrestling meets out of pure love alone.

Not only did I suffer because traveling increases my MS symptoms, but I detest sitting in a wheelchair now, yet cannot climb stairs or manage bleachers without falling.

The flying-saucer shaped arena at Champaign has always made me dizzy as if I were being pulled down into the center of the arena by some mysterious and unseen force.

Needless to say, I am going to be suffering the fires of damnation by not going and not being able to see with my own eyes that Cody is doing all right.

I will hate missing the noise, cheers and excitement of all the young people attending, and my family's presence there as well.

Instead I will be at home worried that my husband will forget to take the lens cap off the new camcorder he bought today to bring back memories to share with me.

Also, I know that many people know how to tape UFC events at home, but I am not at all adept at that. I have many blank tapes and DVDs to attest to this fact.

Since everyone is counting on me to keep a record (yeah, with my memory which lets facts fall through it like a piece of Swiss cheese), of the action of UFC 95, I will have to try to find some way to make a written or tape recorded record of it.

If only I had a clue about modern technology!

The biggest difficulty is that Cody has always been crazy about Diego Sanchez, and until I viewed the Countdown show tonight, I thought I would also be cheering for Diego.

Curses! My conscience will not let me choose Diego over Joe Daddy Stevenson!

When BJ Penn fought with Joe I wept bitter tears as BJ opened up Joe's forehead causing blood to gush all over both fighters, the ring and even the camera lens, if I remember it correctly.

Joe's condition and his loss was a totally unbearable experience for me, because ever since watching Joe perform "the scarecrow maneuver" on the TUF series, I have been his fan.

He showed strength and determination beyond human capacity, only to have the other team forfeit their turn after Joe's magnificent performance. I might have cried then too, but with anger at Rich Franklin, the other team's coach.

Yes I do enjoy watching Diego fight too. He is also very determined and talented and is bound to put up a tremendous fight now that he has gone down a weight class. I can see why Cody is such a fan of his, but I am afraid I can't cheer against Daddy Joe.

There is so much more to life than just being a fantastic fighter.

Having good character is just one of those things.

In this case there is Joe attempting to make up for his own lack of fathering as a child that leads him to strive to be a present, involved and caring parent himself.

My father died when I was very young and I have been seeking out suitable father figures ever since.

Seeing my own sons interacting with their children makes me extremely proud and intensely elated. It is the best medicine for what has ailed me since becoming fatherless in the second grade.

Supporting young men who desire to be good fathers to their children is one of my favorite causes. My husband was an excellent father and role model for our sons and I am thankful to God for that.

Thinking of Joe's children watching the fight between him and BJ Penn someday, truly breaks my heart.

So while I would like to please Cody and cheer for Diego Sanchez in Cody's absence, there is no way my conscience will allow me to do that.

Nate Marquardt has a daughter my granddaughter's age and I adore him for so many reasons that there is no question that I will be pulling for him to win. It wouldn't matter who he was fighting—Nate is my man.

None of the other fights are as important to me as these particular two and now everyone knows why.

If I do find an appropriate way to record the fight, I hope it will not involve me having to put a gag on myself so that Cody will never find out how loudly I cheered for Daddy Joe to beat Diego.

As everyone knows, controlling my mouth will be my biggest problem.