On April 12, 2014, Manny Pacquiao entered the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to

fulfill what he believes is his God-given calling: to beat another man—in this case,

opponent Tim Bradley—to bloody unconsciousness or exhaustion. Pacquiao met his

match that night—he arrived at the post-fight press conference with 32 stitches in his left

eyebrow—but a unanimous decision from the judges declared him the victor.

A Filipino world-class professional boxer, Pacquiao has been called a "Bible-quoting

maniac" by Rick Warren, and attributes his stunning 55-5 record to Providence. When an

ESPN reporter asked in 2012 whether faith makes him a better boxer, Pacquiao said, "If

God is with you, who can be against you? All things are possible with God."

Pacquiao is hardly the first professional athlete to bring God into the game. But boxing

and mixed martial arts (MMA)—known as "combat sports" wherein man-on-man

violence is the end goal—raise unique ethical questions about whether certain games are

incompatible with Christ's teachings. Meanwhile, some ministry leaders have used

ultimate fighting to attract young men in a "chickified" culture. "Jesus Didn't Tap" is the

name of a Christian MMA clothing line, as well as a mantra for a high-octane

masculinity espoused by the likes of Mark Driscoll. Guts Church in Tulsa held an annual

"fight night" amateur boxing match for six years until a 24-year-old participant died in

2011. "Human cockfighting," as one senator has called MMA, draws millions of dollars

and spectators—as well as concern over violence for violence's sake.