martial arts is about enriching yourself in body and mind, not about proving yourself to others.
going to the fight will be about your ego, not about martial arts.
i learned in my late twenties compatition is for the young. especially the first time a sixteen year old prodagy, you know the type, the ones that just have this natural eye and hand cordination loaded with spees that makes everything look easy, planted a foot upside my face before i could even raise my arm to block.
competition has nothing to do with martial arts either. competition is about exploitation of an art, not a natural conclusion of the art. competition is about ego and money.
martial arts is about discovering yourself. improving yourself. knowing yourself. centering yourself. not about fighting.
go to the fight if you think you have something to prove. if you need to feed your ego. but if you truly learned from martial arts, you wont need to fight anyone. besides, no matter how strong or fast you think you are, you will never be able to dodge a bullet. guns are for fighting. martial arts are for learning about yourself. dont let TV teach you otherwise.