It was the sickening moment that made headlines around the world - former UFC world champion Ronda Rousey getting punched in the face while unconscious on the ground.
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But that hasn't deterred Canberra father of two, 40-year-old Byron Sanders from stepping inside the steel cage for the first time on Saturday night.
Sanders is making his mixed martial arts debut on the undercard of the Brace 2015 Australian MMA Championship Grand Final at the AIS Arena.
Rousey was out cold with blood in her mouth after copping a brutal kick to the face from Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne last Sunday.
Holm was allowed to land three blows to Rousey's face while she couldn't protect herself before the referee called off the contest.
That had critics of mixed martial arts saying the Rousey knockout proved the sport is nothing more than no-holds-barred violence.
Sanders said competitors understand the risks they face before they take part.
"It's an amicable contest," Sanders said. "No one is naive about these things. They have probably copped similar knocks in training going into it and then maybe taken time off to recover.
"It's in a controlled environment and is probably the ultimate test of your self-defence techniques."
Sanders has a background in jiu jitsu and spent the past few years watching MMA before deciding to have his first fight.
Both of his kids, who are six and 10, train in jiu jitsu.
He admitted his wife had reservations about him taking an MMA fight when he raised the idea.
"I won't say she's enjoying the process of me going in there, but she's coming to watch," Sanders said.
"A few years ago, I don't think she would have entertained that prospect. She's seen the work I've put in and she knows the guys I train with."
Brace chief executive Kya Pate said his organisation takes every precaution possible to make the fights as safe as possible, with doctors at the cage side and an ambulance at the venue.
"Before you can even compete you have to be medically cleared," Pate said. "I totally understand that the sport is not for everybody, but it's two willing competitors that are trained athletes who have been training for a long time. It's a combination of Olympic sports."
MMA involves aspects of jiu jitsu, taekwondo, judo, wrestling and boxing.
Brace has grown significantly since it started running small events in Brisbane in 2009.
Saturday night's event will be broadcast live to 180 countries as part of a partnership with the UFC and it also has a deal with Channel Ten to stream events on-line in Australia.
"The domestic scene of our sport here is getting really popular and the UFC is huge globally," Pate said.
"These people aren't trying to hurt each other, as weird as that sounds. They're just trying to win."
Sanders said it was now or never for him to test his skills in MMA.
"I need to do this now or I'm going to get too old and too committed to the family things that are going on," he said. "The last few months when I made the commitment to find an MMA fight my training ramped up a bit, probably five to six sessions a week and when it was cemented in, it's gone up to eight sessions a week."
In the main event, Greg Criticos takes on Jamie Mullarkey for the 65.8kilogram featherweight championship.
BRACE 2015 AUSTRALIAN MMA CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday: Grand final at the AIS Arena. Doors open at 6.30pm with the first fight at 7pm. Tickets at Ticketek.
