Fedor went an incredible 29-0 from December of 2000 to November of 2009! He won all of those fights in dominating fashion beating the best of the best. Most, including me thought that he might never lose again and that his next fight against highly touted yet major underdog Fabricio Werdum would be another dominating performance.

The fight starts and Fedor knocks his opponent down with a punch and as he goes to the ground is caught in a tight tri-angle choke and is forced to tap thus conceding the bought for his first loss in almost a decade.

How did this iconic fighter respond when interviewed after the fight? Did he make excuses, complain about bad refereeing, or throw a temper tantrum about the loss being a big disappointment? Nope, he was very grateful for the loss and said:

“The one who doesn’t fall never stands up. It happened that people made me an idol. But everybody loses. I’m just a human being. And if it’s God’s will next fight, I’ll win.”

He continued in another post fight interview to say that he feels that he can learn from his mistakes and without the loss he would have never had that chance.

We all need to learn how to lose like Fedor.

In the same light those who claim tolerance are the often the most intolerant. For example the Born Again Christian who belittles non-Christians, the Atheist who makes fun of the Mormon for not drinking coffee and the Mormon who is disgusted with a neighbor who is homosexual. The Born Again, Atheist, and the Mormon have closed their minds and limited their spiritual, intellectual and person growth in these examples.

I am a different person today then I was 21, and I seek to feel the same way at age 50 when I look back at 33. Seek humility as you gain enlightenment and you will be surprised what you will learn.

Of course the field is surrounded by rolling banners and the onscreen scoreboard is brought to you by Budweiser but there is no were near the sponsorship saturation of American based pro sports.