You are not a fighter...!

Just for the record, t-shirts and a Taekwondo or Jiu Jitsu class at the local rec center does not make you a fighter. Sure you might know the terminology, and you might even know how to apply a rear naked choke to your best friends little brother Kyle, but that still doesn't cut it. So since you might not be clear on the subject, maybe cause you're just naive or just haven't ever been around real fighters, either way i'm gonna lay it out for you.
Let's start with sacrifice. Fighters sacrifice relationships with their families, wives and husbands, and even their children sometimes in order to provide for them in the long run. Some quit their jobs and move across country or to the other side of the planet with penny's in their pockets to pursue this dream. These warriors also sacrifice their bodies risking broken bones, being blinded and in some cases death.
Real fighters are some of the hardest working most underrated athletes in the world. Training sometimes 3 times a day and working a full time job while being husband and father or wife and mother. Dealing with cuts and dings while training is one thing but having to work an 8 hour day standing on a sprained ankle or stocking boxes with an arm that got cranked too much in sparring is far from easy.
Actually competing or having had competed is a necessity. We won't even get into how many fights a fighter has to have before he can even start earning a living doing what he or she loves. That's a whole other post.
I just want to conclude by saying you can do whatever it is that makes you happy. Wear your shiny dragon t-shirt while choking out Kyle after sucker superman punching him if you deem it necessary. Just remember to respect real fighters when you meet them and remember the one thing that makes a real fighter and that's heart. When fatigue sets in and technique falters and everything else has gone out the window the only thing that remains is a fighters HEART!