Mixed martial arts, a “violation of human dignity”? Hypotheses about the implicit foundations of our moral judgments

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport whose French development is controversial, the activity being frequently accused of “breaching human dignity”. We try to consider several hypotheses able to highlight the implicit foundations of such depreciative sentiments. Firstly, it would seem these verdicts of immorality hide, to a certain extent, implicit economic and social concerns, which do not come under, strictly speaking, the moral register. However, some spectators can genuinely be upset by MMA fights to the point that they judge the practice as morally unworthy. Then, their concern would be due to an affective experience of aversion and a violation of many symbolical taboos.