Yeah, I knew what he was trying to say, but it could have easily been interpreted as advice to go out fighting which is why I made my post. I'm glad you agree with it.
This issue is probably deserving of a thead of its own - I may start one later. There's no doubt that a significant number of MMA practicioners came from a street fighting background. It is possible that this background helps (Rampage, Bas et al), equally possible it hinders (think Ross vs Bisping on TUF3), but probable imo that it is irrelevant beyond revealing the charactors of the participants.
All in all, I would say there is no evidence that suggests it is an advantage - and I would be careful about saying things like, "in many ways it helps." I've seen people messed up pretty badly fighting (some of them face to face
) so I would never recommend it to a beginner.
git.