Ballet of Violence

The 70-year-old from New Brunswick, Canada became the oldest person to ever compete in a professional MMA bout when he took on 49-year-old former pro wrestler Larry Brubaker on July 24 in Moncton. On paper it sounds like a carnival act, but the fight was serious business, Williams said, done to prove a serious point.

“I was trying to bring attention to the fact that when a person becomes a senior, society kind of pushes them out of the loop. The attitude toward them is that they’re dumb, they can’t do anything, physically they’re just vegetables, and they’re sort of shunned by society,” Williams told MMA Fighting. “I wanted to find a way to show that life isn’t over at 55 or 60 years old. You’re not useless or obsolete. We live in a use-oriented society, and you get told that enough that even you start to believe you’re useless.”

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70-Year-Old MMA Fighter John Williams Got in the Cage to Feel Alive Again — MMA Fighting

I think this headline is crap—this guy didn’t need anything to feel alive again. Instead, he wanted to remind everyone ELSE out there that he—and millions of others his age—are still alive, physical, strong beings. And I love him for it.

(via champagnecandy)