Fighting for higher causes

Mixed martial artists have a reputation for being vicious and well-versed in inflicting pain. Friday night, as ONE FC returned to the Philippines via a world championship card called “Moment of Truth” at the Mall of Asia Arena, two fighters facing each other each entered the cage with a higher cause in mind: a special needs person whom he has taken personal responsibility for, and the remembrance of a long-suffering leader who changed the world.

Lightweight contender Caros Fodor was adopted as an infant, and grew up in foster care, as his mother provided the facility for autistic children. The young boy eventually recognized the sacrifice needed to care for them, and started helping out as a teen-ager while wrestling in high school. As an adult, Fodor eventually decided to enter the military in 2007, and served a very stressful tour of duty in Iraq, where they were constantly under threat. The trauma manifested itself in very destructive ways.

“I was drinking a lot and getting into trouble when I first got back,” says the 29-year old UFC and Strikeforce veteran who joined One FC in August. “I got into a lot of fights, and those fights led me to a fighting gym. So I cleaned up my act.”

Fodor hopes to win the One FC world title by 2014, earn as much as he can, and retire when he is 35. In 2002, a 10-year old autistic child came to the foster home where he worked, and changed both their lives for good.

“When I was 16, I started doing odd jobs for my Mom and started working with autistic kids ‘cause I’ve been around them my whole life. And I met Garth 11 years ago. I’ve been around special needs kids my entire life, so I’m used to it,” he recalls. 

When Garth turned 21, the state took him out of foster care, declaring him a legal adult who has to fend for himself. Caros stepped into the picture, and became Garth’s legal guardian. And even when he eventually decides to start a family, his future spouse will have to understand that special bond between the two “brothers”, which is for life. He would never be interested in anyone who wouldn’t make room for Garth in their future.

“He lives with me 100 percent. Fighting is a full-time job now, but when I retire, I’ll have him,” Caros stresses. “It’s an agreement where I will have him for the rest of my life, until something happens to one of us or I can’t do it. He’s like a little brother.”

His opponent, former world muaythai champion Vuyisile Colossa, meanwhile, hails from South Africa, and heard of the death of former president Nelson Mandela hours before the match. He entered the match to the strains of his country’s national anthem, and dedicated the match to his “brothers and sisters in South Africa.” 

Vuyisile, who has been based in Hong Kong for years now, considered Mandela a personal hero, like many South Africans, and for him, the learning never ends. Like Mandela, who taught the world new ways to forgive and be strong in adversity, each day is a challenge to improve.

“There is no such thing as perfect,” he declares. “There is always something new to learn, I find ways to get better. Each match is different, and for me the learning never ends.”

So each time Caros Fodor enters the cage, he’s not only continuing the selfless work started by his mother, but devoting himself to fighting for someone who can’t do it for himself. Each time Vuyise Colossa enters the cage, he is a symbol of a young country that was once a symbol of struggle and suffering, but showed everyone the meaning of democracy and freedom.