Dispelling the myth of ‘seeing red’ when fighting

One of the oldest MMA memes online is the saying, “I’m different bro, when I fight I just see red and go crazy.” Of course, this is a joke but there actually people that have this viewpoint in real life. An example of this could be seen when actor Bryan Callen was on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Here, he claimed he was a good fighter due to losing it when fighting. This comment was met with laughter by Rogan and Brendan Schaub who both knew the hard reality of fighting and self-defense.

In this article, we shall look at whether seeing red is a real concept, and whether it’s a good or a bad thing when fighting.

Is seeing red real when fighting?

The term seeing red is certainly real. However, you don’t literally see red. This term is used to describe a scientific fight-or-flight response when the brain is put under stress. Basically, you will experience a loss of control, and whilst you’re still conscious, your brain will go to autopilot. In short, this is a bit like experiencing extreme anger – where you suddenly lose clarity and the primitive part of your brain takes over.

In other words, seeing red is a real thing when it comes to fighting. Not everyone always experiences it either. Some people may see red and go crazy when initiating combat, whereas others may be able to remain mindful and aware of the situation, no matter how physical it gets.

Revisiting the ‘I just see red’ meme

The meme of seeing red originally came about when people wrote on forums and early social media about a certain, stereotype of MMA fan. These were commonly found in sports bars watching UFC whilst also being loud and arrogant. Put simply, these were the type of casual fans who would shout ‘stand them up’ and ‘why didn’t he dodge that punch?’ as if they were better at fighting than literal professionals.

This may be an extreme version of reality but these people certainly do exist. Continuing with the meme, they’re also shown wearing Tapout t-shirts whilst they’re also physically out of shape yet believe they’re special or experts when it comes to fighting (despite having no real training in martial arts).

Remember, MMA may have a polished image these days but this took years to cultivate. In its earlier stages, it attracted lots of knuckleheads who wanted violence and didn’t care for the technical side of fighting.

Is seeing red good or bad when fighting?

Against the untrained, seeing red could give you an example based on raw aggression. If you took two fighters of equal attributes in every single area, the more aggressive fighter would win. However, it’s not like one fighter will see red whilst the other won’t. Usually, the levels of adrenaline and aggression will be fairly similar. Therefore, you’re probably not at a big advantage if you think you’ll have some kind of edge.

Why seeing red can be negative

Seeing red isn’t always good. In fact, it can be quite damaging. For instance, if a fighter rushes forward without thinking, then they could get tagged by a good counterpuncher. Basically, you can’t just be completely wild when fighting, and whilst aggression is necessary, it also needs to be controlled.

More than aggression, technique, fight IQ and a good game plan are arguably more important. This is because you can actually map out a literal way of winning a fight, rather than wildly swinging and hoping for the best. Sometimes, you will even see professional MMA fighters see red and have a furious start, only to start getting picked off over time.

By far the most dangerous part of seeing red is running out of cardio or having an adrenaline dump. This happens as you can’t control your breathing due lack of control. Here, you start breathing heavily out of your mouth which means you don’t get enough oxygen circulating around your body. This results in an explosive start but then a dump shortly after. This means that if the opponent withstands the initial burst then it’s not good for the person seeing red.

Conclusion

As established, seeing red is generally not a good thing when it comes to fighting. This is certainly the case if you’re against an experienced or skilled fighter who can remain calm. Here, seeing red will probably result in a loss – despite an aggressive start.

At the same time, there is something to be said about seeing red. If you’re naturally very passive then you could easily become overwhelmed pretty quickly if you don’t act. This is the scientific reason why seeing red exists because it allows humans to tap into an aggressive state.

To sum up, seeing red isn’t ideal when fighting and even more so, it can land you in legal trouble. No one likes a hot head who can’t control their temper or emotions. Nonetheless, it’s not always a bad thing if you do find yourself in a self-defense scenario and with unskilled opponents, it can give you a potential edge during combat.