dog-eat-dog
Noun – Adjective
Etymology
The idiom “Dog Eat Dog” comes from the Latin proverb “canis caninam non est”, which means “a dog does not eat the flesh of a dog”. The proverb was recorded by Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro in 43 B.C. The first known use of the idiom in English was in 1822 in the writing “The Wizard Priest And The Witch” of Quintin Poynet.
Quotes
“Dostoevsky, through the mouth of Ivan Karamazov, had said it in a few essential words: ‘If there is no God, then everything is permitted’.”
Edward Bunker,
Dog Eat Dog
“One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.”
Charles Darwin,
The Origin Of Species
Meaning
“Dog Eat Dog” is an idiom that describes a situation where people compete ruthlessly for success, even if it means harming others. It is often used to describe situations in which the struggle waged and the pain inflicted goes beyond the physical side.
I want to tell you a story. I want to tell you the story of how and why we became Dog Eat Dog. A name doesn't just say how you are called; it tells you instead who you are, where you come from, and where you are going.
“I remember it was a hot and sunny day in the middle of summer, and I was having a great day with friends at the beach. I was with one of the most important people in my martial arts career, the first person I consciously and respectfully considered a master. He was the one who guided me in achieving maturity and success in the sport, paving the way for my prime.
That day, on that beach, he was reading a book and it was “DOG EAT DOG” by Edward Bunker. I remember being immediately intrigued by the title; I was fascinated by that harsh Darwinian metaphor about a ruthless competition in which people are willing to harm each other just to succeed, just like in a fight.
At the end of that day, he simply said to me: “I want to give it to you since you like it so much. Take it, it’s yours.” What had started as a simple possibility turned out over time to be a meeting written by fate, an epiphany that illuminated how and where my journey in martial arts would continue.
When years later I found myself in the need to name my own MMA team, I had no doubts about it. It could only be DOG EAT DOG with its mosaic of meanings and values, along with all the philosophical and emotional implications it opened up.
I loved that the name derived from a book, a symbol of knowledge, the greatest weapon that can ever exist, the unique power of the most dominant animal that has ever walked on this planet: the human being. Moreover I loved that this name represented an essential and immutable existential condition, always and forever omnipresent to every living being. A primordial and eternal law that rule the being and to which no one can escape, a law as old and true as the sky
DOG EAT DOG had every valor i wanted to pursue in my MMA idea: Wisdom, Essence and Legacy.”
DOG EAT DOG is a project founded and owned by Marco Santi, established in 2007. It was created with the intent to pursue excellence in the mastery of combat and to make outstanding mentality, winning spirit and uber technique the attitude hallmarks.
Since its inception, DOG EAT DOG has traveled far and wide in the world of martial arts across all continents, experiencing every culture, crossing the thresholds of the most sacred temples, and stepping onto the most prestigious stages.
It was initially born as a one-man team and then became a team of elite individuals who make learning by teaching and teaching by learning their modern alchemical research: blending together ideas, knowledge, and emotions in the pursuit of building the perfect performance.
Often we have succeeded, sometimes we have failed, never we have lost our passion for learning and always we have improved to come back stronger than before.
It has been a long journey, soon we will reach 20 years on this path. During this time, DOG EAT DOG has played a leading role in writing the Italian history of MMA, leaving its mark throughout its existence as well as in many other galaxies of the combat sports universe and beyond. However, the race is not over yet. We hold the vision, we trust the process and we continue to move forward relentlessly. We know the best is yet to come.