Mixed Martial Artists and the Essential Dignity of Mars
The not so scientific abstract
This study began as an attempt to apply a scientific approach to test the system of essential dignity. Essential dignity is a core component of interpretation in astrology. When a planet is dignified by being in one of its own signs, either its domicile or exaltation, the significations of that planet are believed to be expressed in a more "powerful" or archetypally pure way. This is generally considered a positive thing for the topics associated with the planet, as when the planet is dignified, it has access to its own resources and is in an environment that is complementary to its nature.
A firefighter, for example, has to have a truck and a hose, and all the equipment for the task of putting out fires, among other things. When there is a fire, the firefighter knows what to do and can apply their skills and tools to address the situation, and everyone is glad they’re around for that reason. But say you take the firefighter and give them the job of a locksmith. They may find the life of a locksmith quite tedious and boring, and may have to work harder to develop those skills because they prefer the excitement and unpredictability of fighting fires. If there is a fire to fight, their locksmith tools won't be of much use, and they’ll have to get pretty creative or have access to someone else with firefighting gear to get the job done.
There are various forms of dignity a planet can enjoy, and many other factors to consider when judging the over condition of a given planet. But assuming we accept the premise that essential dignity equates to capacity to do its thing, and we were to look for statistical correlations for an imaginary planet in astrology which signified everything you might associate with firefighters, we might reasonably expect that actual firefighters would tend to have the firefighter planet in a firefighter sign.
While planets in astrology cover a broader range of topics then those strictly applicable to firefighters, and there is often some overlap between the significations of the planets, there are certain earthly activities which resonate more heavily with a single planetary sphere then others. Physical combat, for example, would be agreed by most astrologers to fall more or less root and branch under the auspices of Mars. Fighting, competition, and the warrior spirit are at the heart of the Mars archetype, so who better to test this theory on than actual fighters? Surely those whose role in the world centers around physical combat would be more likely to have Mars in its preferred signs of Aries, Scorpio, or Capricorn, all other factors aside, right?
To put dignity to the test, I collected the birth charts of every ranked UFC fighter as of September 2021 from all 8 Men’s and 3 Women’s weight divisions, totaling 178 fighters (2 extra because of a change in rankings that occurred while collecting the data). After compiling a list of the total representation of Mars in each of the 12 signs among the fighters, I generated two sample groups of 178 random birth charts within the same time frame as the births of the fighters, to act as control groups.
The results… well, it's complicated.
Mars Placement of Ranked UFC fighters
Random Sample Group #1
Random Sample Group # 2
Survey Results
Initially, Mars amongst UFC Fighters did appear to make an above-average showing in Aries, Scorpio, and Capricorn—relative to the 25% of the sky the signs occupy—representing 33.15% of the Mars distribution. However, after running the numbers, the fighters only slightly beat out the control groups with Mars in rulership or exaltation, at 30.34% in group #1 and 31.15% in group #2. The sample groups also demonstrated a fair amount of variability with the representation of several signs between the two sample groups. This could suggest that outliers in the UFC data could be attributed to random chance. However, after dividing the fighters up by gender, several statistical anomalies appear in the UFC data which fall significantly outside the boundary of reasonable variability.
Male UFC Fighters
Female UFC Fighters
Among the male fighters, Mars was in domicile or exalted 36.5% of the time. Mars in the birth charts of female fighters, however, was dignified or exalted 24.6% of the time. Compared to the sample group’s combined average of 30.7%, the apparent difference in the traditional dignity of Mars between male and female fighters raises some interesting questions about what it actually means for Mars to be dignified. Is it the capacity to deliver on the natural significations of the planet that dignity describes, or is something else?
It is difficult to ignore the value judgment that comes built into a word like dignity. It is a term that implies a universal sense of worthiness, a state of being deserving of respect, honor, and praise. Such a state of being necessitates the existence of contrasting opposites - that of being unworthy, dishonorable, and of low, disreputable status. Dignity is a word that, to a large degree, has fallen out of fashion with the egalitarian sensibilities of the modern Western world. Westerners tend to profess a belief that all people share a common sense of inalienable human dignity, but in practice, tend to fall short of this ideal in many ways. Nonetheless, a century ago, it would not have been considered “dignified” for a woman to be seen in public wearing pants, let alone engaging in hand-to-hand combat in front of an audience of millions. But even with the progress we have made in making traditionally male-dominated social spaces more accessible to women, the gap is still undeniably wide. In a report published in 2009, it was determined that female athletes accounted for only 2% of ESPN Sports Center news coverage, compared to 96% of their male counterparts. Mixed Martial Arts is one of the few athletic fields in which women are beginning to approach something close to parity with men in terms of popularity. Nonetheless, female fighters must overcome, and even co-opt various forms of sexism in order to succeed. While audiences seem to show an increasing appreciation for the emphasis on technique and finesse featured in women’s combat sports, the sexualization of prominent female fighters has played no small role in making them marketable to audiences.
It is with this in mind that we might consider interpreting what were the most common Mars signs among the top-ranked female UFC fighters. Virgo was the most common Mars sign for female fighters at 14.6%, or 7 out of 49, while conversely among male fighters Virgo was the second least common Mars sign at 2.9%, or 5 out of 129. Mars showed strong representation in Virgo in both random sample groups, and Mars does spend on average slightly more time in Virgo than in other signs.
Virgo is traditionally ruled by Mercury, a planet which notably deals in communication, sorting, trading, logic, and reasoning. While Virgo is not one of Mars’ traditional domiciles, Mars is thought to enjoy some degree of dignity in Virgo due to it being an earth sign. The element of earth is thought to have a cooling and tempering effect on Mars’ fiery and intemperate nature, and Mars has been traditionally allotted a secondary form of rulership over earth signs known as Triplicity. Mars tends to be a bit more methodical and deliberate in Virgo; however, the physicality of Mars tends to get less emphasis, favoring finesse and technical skill over raw power. Also worth noting is that Mars in Gemini was the more common of the Mercury-ruled Mars placements among the male fighters, showing up in 7 out of 129 male charts, compared to 1 out of 49 female charts. Mars in Gemini would incline towards a more aggressive approach to combat, applying a multitude of novel techniques against an opponent, overwhelming them with a barrage of attacks and leveraging unpredictability. It may be that the more adaptive and conservative approach of Mars in Virgo is less compatible within male combat sports, which tend to feature flashier techniques and faster knockouts.
Libra and Leo tied for second place among the female UFC fighters, each representing 12.6% or 6 of 49 total Mars placements. Mars in the charts of male fighters was in Libra 7.8% or 10 of 129, and in Leo 9.3% or 12 of 129. Mars under the rulership of Venus might tie the importance of aesthetic and sexual appeal to the topic of combat, and it does end up figuring heavily into the commercial success of many female fighters. I believe the prevalence of Mars in Libra deserves some extra attention, as it may suggest that dignity is not always descriptive of a person’s competency, but may be more descriptive in at least some instances of their qualitative experience.
Mars in Libra
Traditionally, Mars is considered to be in detriment (also referred to as exile or antithesis) in the Venus-ruled signs of Libra and Taurus, as they are placed opposite from the signs which Mars rules, Aries and Scorpio. Libra is considered a challenging placement for Mars, particularly when it comes to expressing the Martial significations of assertiveness, decisiveness, aggression, and physical exertion. There are countless ways challenges around this placement can manifest in someone's life, but when I try to imagine the experience of being a young girl expressing a desire to, or actually actively pursuing an ambition to compete in combat sports, Mars in Libra becomes a poignant allegory for the social expectations many girls and young women might bump up against.
Libra is a sign ruled by Venus and is the sign where Saturn, the planet of restraint and objectivity, has its exaltation. Planets in Libra are expected to operate with grace and consideration for others, even to suppress their own personal will for the sake of achieving compromise and harmony. They are expected to respond to the actions and interests of others, tailoring their appearance and behavior toward being pleasing and gaining social approval, being fair, and gearing their actions toward mutually beneficial outcomes and otherwise keeping the peace. Venus and more socially oriented planets like Mercury or Jupiter do not tend to struggle much in expressing their natural qualities in Libra. While grim Saturn is not exactly a social butterfly, Saturn’s strict and impersonal nature is refined into an objective and fair-minded administrator of Justice. But more self-directed, forceful, and domineering planets like Mars, or the Sun for that matter will naturally tend to chafe under Libran expectations. Mars’ nature is not compromise, it is victory. Mars does not want to play patty-cake, it wants to punch and kick and cut. Mars does not want pleasantries and sharing, it wants conquest, triumph, and to bathe in the blood of its enemies. Mars in Libra speaks for those whose personal will is at odds with the agreeable and self-effacing model of congeniality which the world has assigned as their role. While they may be required to walk a difficult path, it does not appear to necessarily be one that precludes achievement in martial endeavors.
Mars In Cancer
As was previously noted, male UFC fighters enjoy a statistically notable higher proportion of “Dignified” Mars placements, that is, Mars in Aries, Scorpio, or Capricorn. While the higher-than-average dignity was not overwhelming, it nonetheless corroborates most traditional astrological thinking—that Mars in Dignity will provide favorable results for Mars-related things like fighting and bring the native success and praise in martial endeavors, like fighting. However, less supported by traditional astrological thinking is the proportion of Mars in the sign of its Fall among the ranked Male UFC fighters. Mars in Cancer tied with Mars in Scorpio, with 17 out of 129 each, or 13.2%, both coming in at a close second place to Mars in Capricorn (18 out of 129). Mars in Cancer also comfortably surpassed Mars in Aries, which only showed up in 12 out of 129 Male Fighters. However, perhaps the most striking result was in the contrast between the male fighter data and the sample data. While Dignified Mars increased in prevalence from 30.34% and 31.15% in the sample groups to 36.5% in the male fighter group, Mars in the sign of its fall nearly doubled in prevalence, increasing from 7.3% in both sample groups to 13.2% in the Male Fighter group. The plot thickens when we narrow the data to just the top fighters of each weight class, the belt holder, and top 5. In this group, Mars in Cancer was the most common Mars placement, representing 10 out of 70 fighters, and Mars in Capricorn came in 2nd, with 9 out of 70.
In the Thema Mundi, an ancient astrological teaching tool, the zodiac sign of Cancer is posited as the rising sign of the World, or the Cosmos itself. Cancer is the domicile of the Moon and the exaltation of Jupiter. It is a sign closely associated with birth and all that goes into cultivating and nourishing life. Cancer is a warm, comfortable place of families, babies, comfy socks, and nutritious foods. It's a place where hugs, snuggles, and kind words are abundant, where sensitivity is encouraged and emotions are honored. Planets in Cancer are expected to be caring and nurturing, creative and procreative, intuitive and inclusive, sincere and empathetic. They are expected to be tuned and attentive to personal needs and adept at giving and receiving the individualized attention we need to feel loved and cared for and to grow and thrive in the world. The touch of Cancer is tender and soothing, comforting as well as protective. Cancer points to places of sacred security where we can let down our guard and express our soft and vulnerable hearts.
Most of us prefer to allow only known and trusted people into our homes, such as family members, close friends, or carefully vetted acquaintances. We want to keep our homes safe. This is why we have locks on our doors and 24-hour security systems. We don’t like bad guys in our home. Likewise, Cancer is not a place where astrologers like to see “bad guy” planets. Both traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn, are considered debilitated in Cancer. Saturn is in its detriment in Cancer, being the opposite sign from its domicile Capricorn, a similar kind of incompatibility that we saw with Mars in Libra. Mars is considered to be in its Fall in Cancer, as it is in the opposite sign of its Exaltation in Capricorn.
The symbolism of fallen planets centers on the planet being depressed, laid low, or having fallen from grace in some way. A fall evokes themes of failure and the experience of “being brought down from a great height,” literally and/or figuratively. Fallen planets are traditionally not considered favorable for endeavors related to their natural significations. Why then, is Mars in the sign of its fall so well represented at the top of this pile of successful fighters and all-around badasses?
To answer that question, it is necessary to examine the symbol of Mars in the sign of Cancer beyond the condition of being in its fall, as well as consider some of the technical factors that augment the dignity assigned to it there. Ancient astrologers assigned Mars a form of dignity known as triplicity in the three signs associated with the element of water, which includes Cancer as well as Scorpio and Pisces. Each element has three planets assigned as triplicity rulers, though some variations of this system assigned double duty to Mars over the element of water. Triplicity is generally considered a fairly strong form of dignity that is somewhat less powerful than that of exaltation. Mars also has dignity in the first 7 degrees of Cancer according to all major term/bound systems and holds influence over the 2nd Decan of Cancer using the triplicity-based system of Decan rulership. The many layers of dignities in Western astrology can seem Byzantine and contradictory at times, and few astrologers agree on what precisely they all mean. However, it does suggest that Mars has some role to play in the affairs described by the Sign of Cancer, one that might even be considered essential.
The sign of Cancer carries themes around the sacred bonds of mother and child, of trees which bend under the weight of ripening fruit offering the promise of abundance which ensures a life of comfort and security for ourselves and those we hold dear. It is where physical bodies are grown and nurtured, where all the things that support life are supported. Much of what supports life, however, is the consumption of other living things. In this context, Cancer is where the infant is suckled by their mother, her milk the product of her own body, the production of which supported by her consumption of plant matter and the flesh of animals. In this idyllic scene brought to you by Cancer, we are oblivious to the violence that went into its production. In Cancer, we find our white picket fences, high-speed internet, outdoor BBQs, and cushy designer sofas; all the fixtures, props, and pleasures of affluence are the product of toils, abuses, exploitations, and violence committed somewhere else, by someone else, against something or someone else far away where we don’t have to see it. That is of course until Mars shows up.
Those born with Mars in Cancer often become acquainted at an early age with the many insidious ways in which all forms of violence can bleed into otherwise hollowed spaces. These experiences vary in intensity, extremity, and frequency, and can often be quite subtle, and are unique to each individual. But overall, rather than being suppressive of the aggression and violence that is signified by Mars, it increases it and places it in a part of life where it is not welcome. This can look like a veteran whose capacity for violence served the interests of their nation and kept them alive in hostile environments but eventually struggles to reintegrate into civilian life. Mars’s problem in Cancer is not that it lacks strength, but that it lacks an appropriate place to direct it.
It's no mystery then why the world of MMA would seem to be an attractive outlet for those in need of an outlet for their martial impulses which would otherwise get them into trouble, but not necessarily just for the fighters themselves. MMA is a big business, and a growing one at that. The largest fight promoter in MMA, the UFC, netted over $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2023. Even though lifestyles have become increasingly sedentary and factory farms have eliminated the necessity of hunting for the vast majority of people who live in developed or developing nations, our capacity for violence remains the same. With fewer and fewer ways to sate our natural bloodlust in day-to-day life, it's no wonder that audiences increasingly leap at the opportunity to witness real hand-to-hand combat from the comfort of our own living rooms. From this perspective, Mars in Cancer seems less like a scathing indictment on these natives' capacity to “Mars” effectively, but a literal description of where their Mars-related activities tend to show up in the world.
What is Essential Dignity then?
While the data does support to some degree the traditional role of essential dignity as an objective indicator of status, success, and competence in a particular planetary sphere, there is enough in the data to suggest that this is not always accurate or correct. It is worth considering that essential dignity speaks to factors like social context and personal experience and does not necessarily promise failure, inadequacy, or low status. That being said, additional data and context does support the traditional assumption that a lack of essential dignity, specifically being in fall or detriment, does indicate real challenges that should not be ignored or minimized.
The UFC
In the case of the UFC, the data shows that Mars in Cancer had a correspondence with success (top 15 and top 5 ranking) which was comparable to Mars in its exaltation, Capricorn, and domicile, Scorpio. When compared to the random sample groups, Mars in Cancer stood out even more as being disproportionately represented in this group of athletes. However, it is worth considering the justifiable criticism the UFC has faced over the years for not sufficiently compensating its fighters. While very high-tier fighters like belt-holders or superstar fighters who draw large crowds might make between $500,000 and $3,000,000 per fight, this is far from the norm. The majority of ranked fighters sign contracts which earn them only between $80,000 to $250,000 per fight, some much less. Due to the stress of training and the toll fighting takes on their bodies, few fighters take more than 1 or 2 fights a year, and get no assistance paying for healthcare or the high costs of training. Furthermore, careers in the UFC are typically short, with most retiring in their 30s. While the rare few are able to leverage their fame into careers beyond the UFC or make enough through fights and sponsorships to retire comfortably, most do not. While we can’t say that being subject to these exploitative practices is unique to the Mars in Cancer natives, the placement may still speak to this component of their careers as fighters.
The G.O.A.T's
The G.O.A.T list, or Greatest of All Time list, is a list of fighters who are judged based on various factors such as win/loss ratio, number of KOs, title defenses, etc. While there is no definitive G.O.A.T list, the names in the top 20 or 30 are pretty consistent, but vary quite a bit when you get to the top 50. Nonetheless, lacking the expertise to compile such a list on my own, I pulled one from a high-profile purveyor of MMA news and surveyed the Mars placements of the fighters on it. The results…
UfC top 50 G.O.A.T's
The G.O.A.T list shows several notable deviations from the ranked fighter group and the sample groups, some surprising, some less so. But most relevant to the subject at hand is the conspicuous near-absence of Mars in Cancer. The data suggests that, while Mars in Cancer supports a certain level of achievement, that support stops short of the very highest levels, at least in this context.
So what can we conclude about Mars in Cancer from this sudden drop-off? Is the strength that Mars provides in Cancer too unreliable, too undisciplined, too lunar in nature to provide the kind of consistent results necessary for competition at the highest levels? Does the symbolism of the Fall require the native to experience a certain amount of failure in the activities of the relevant area of the planet? Or is it part of the savage irony inherent to a planet’s relationship with the sign of its Fall, that even apparent success gets twisted into a form of mockery, a cruel joke at its own expense?
Regardless of the implications to material outcomes that we might derive from the data, I, for one, cannot help but find something beautiful about the presence of Mars in Cancer in all these fighter’s charts. Despite all the pain, confusion, and disempowering experiences that come with a planet in its Fall, it seems to me that some of the natives of this placement found a place where they could just be Mars, where they could triumph over their enemies, revel in the spoils of victory and at the end of the day, no one really got hurt (not too badly anyway). Reaching the highest ranks of the most prestigious organization in MMA, even if only for a short time, is no small achievement. And perhaps the lesson of a Fall is that there are more important things than being the best. That there is dignity to be found in daring to try, in overcoming your own limitations, and in getting back up again, and again, and again.
Final words
My intention here is not to overthrow or call into question the system of essential dignity, the opposite actually. My goal is to try to identify with more precision what essential dignity describes. To some degree I may have failed at this, as rather then precision we get something more nuanced and perhaps harder to pin down. But perhaps an accurately vague scope is more precises then exact definitions which don’t always hit the mark.
There are a lot more conclusions that could be drawn from this data, so many that I’ve sat on it for years, thinking that I needed to write all of them before I could publish it, and never quite finding the time to do so. So this is me drawing the line. I’m passing it off for others to make their own conclusions. If you're interested in doing your own research and would like access to the source data, please reach out to me at kylepierceastrologer@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to send you the Solar Fire files which contain information about ranking at the time the data was gathered, as well as the random sample files for comparison. (Hint: there’s some weird stuff going on with their sun signs)
