Listen to me and only me they say

 Martial Arts Extremists, Drama Kings, and the Truth No One Wants to Hear

By. C.G. Mcfadden

Let’s start with the obvious — martial arts are subjective. Extremely subjective. You’ve got karateka who think they’re samurai reincarnated, BJJ guys who think they’ve unlocked the secrets of the universe because they can choke someone in gym shorts, and Taekwondo folks still swearing their art is “deadly” despite the Olympic rule set. And yes, you have extremists — the martial arts version of religious fanatics. You know the type. The ones who believe their style is pure, their lineage is flawless, and anyone outside their cult-like bubble is a fraud who must be destroyed on the altar of Facebook comments and martial arts forums.

As someone who’s been in MMA and kickboxing for decades, I’ve seen it all — the glory, the scams, the prodigies, the frauds, the rise-and-fall bromances, and the “best friends forever” who turn into mortal enemies faster than a soap opera love triangle. Speaking of which, the martial arts drama scene has gotten so absurd, you could almost imagine it with canned music:

“No Trevor, don’t go!”
“I must, Olivia.”
“But why?!”
“Because I can no longer live in these conditions… goodbye my love.”

That’s basically what this whole Mr. Gordon and Mr. Hatfield drama has looked like from the outside.

So let’s get down to the facts — the kind people like to ignore when they’re busy yelling on the internet. I did the research. I checked the claims. And here’s the inconvenient truth: both Mr. Gordon and Mr. Hatfield have been one hundred percent truthful about everything they’ve said. That’s right — in every case I’ve seen where information turned out not to be accurate, they publicly apologized and immediately corrected the record. That’s called integrity, folks.

But the cyberbullies? Oh no, that doesn’t fit their narrative. Instead, they screech about “scrubbing” websites or “backpedaling” like this is some Watergate-level conspiracy. Here’s a newsflash — correcting wrong information is what you’re supposed to do when you get new facts. That isn’t a cover-up, that’s responsibility.

It’s no different than when certain Hapkido groups swore up and down they had no connection to Japanese Jujutsu… until evidence surfaced, and they had to eat crow and admit they were wrong. Or when a kid learns mom and dad are Santa Claus. The only difference? Mom and dad intentionally lied for years — and yet, no one starts a hate campaign against them on Facebook.

Now, the hypocrisy here is rich. You mean to tell me none of these bullies has ever lied? Really? Because just recently, Mr. Shepherd claimed that I am actually Mr. Gordon and that “my IP address traced back to Florida.” Not only is that wrong, but it’s also laughably wrong. It’s the kind of desperate swing you take when you’re out of arguments but still want to make noise.

And let’s be clear about how this started: Mr. Gordon didn’t go after Mr. Shepherd. Not once. Not until Mr. Shepherd opened his mouth and went after Gordon and his teacher. Barron Shepherd chose to get tangled in this mess. He chose to say the things he’s said. Actions have consequences.

Mr. Gordon has provided more than enough evidence to back his claims. But here’s the kicker — no matter what proof is put on the table, the cyberbullies will never accept it. They scream for evidence, but when it’s handed to them, they move the goalposts, twist the narrative, and demand more until the cycle repeats.

The truth is, they don’t actually want the truth. Because if they got it, they’d have nothing left to rant about.

To quote a certain Jack Nicholson moment: “You can’t handle the truth!”
Yeah, I went there. And if you’re reading this and already composing your angry forum reply, congratulations — you just proved my point.