In the evolution of today’s society there are a few things that have drastically changed over the years but none are more apparent than in the world of street fighting.

In the days of our parents, a good old fashioned fist fight included nothing more than a couple of guys blindly swinging for the fences with a crowd of people cheering. There was usually a girl involved in the instigating event and two gentlemen where more than likely doing their best to put their chivalry on full display and defend her honor.

These bouts normally ended with nothing more than a busted nose and a bruised ego but in today’s world that is definitely not the case. For the most part, gone are the days of one-on-one fights or skin fights (those fights that are simply a bout of fisticuffs) and today’s street gladiators must do battle with all sorts of potential weapons ranging from bats to knives to bottles or even heavy paper weights and one must also be concerned with bystanders joining in on the action.

With the popularity of mixed martial arts at an all-time high it seems that every man, woman, and child you run into trains in some form or fashion. With that being said, you never know quite who you are messing with when you are faced with a confrontation. Imagine running into Kenny Florian in a bar on a drunken Saturday night. Looks alone no longer determine the level of badassery of a person and as seen below, one must be very careful as to the type of person they are instigating an altercation with.

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Jacob C. Stevens is a lifelong athlete and cerebral martial arts enthusiast who is also skilled in the art of linguistic manipulation, his published work, Afterthoughts and Handgrenades, can be found here.