This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** The White House lawn will become the stage for a celebration unlike anything in recent American history on Monday. As part of the nation’s 250th birthday festivities, a UFC fight card will take place on the grounds of the People’s House. One of us will be participating. The other will be cheering as a friend and supporter. Most importantly, our sons will be watching. Many people will see a cage fight. We see something else entirely. We see an opportunity to celebrate America in a way that matches the scale of this historic milestone. America did not endure for 250 years through caution. It endured through courage, perseverance, sacrifice, and a willingness to meet challenges head-on. When we met several years ago at Penn State University, neither of us could have predicted where life would lead. One of us would pursue a career in professional fighting. The other would dedicate his life to building homes and communities. On the surface, those paths seem very different. Yet the values required for both pursuits are remarkably similar. Both demand discipline, require accountability, reward perseverance, and teach humility. Most importantly, both remind us that success is rarely achieved alone. It requires mentors, family, faith, and a community that challenges us to become better men. That is why we continue to meet each week with a group of fathers committed to sharpening one another through friendship, mentorship, and Bible study. In a culture that has made a sport of attacking masculinity, we have found value in gathering with other men who are committed to faith, family, and serving our community. We know men’s Bible studies and fellowship groups like ours are thriving across the country. In spite of attempts to shame men for leaning into masculinity, we see men modeling the biblical principle of iron sharpening iron in a positive way. It helps explain a surprising trend emerging among young men. According to a recent Gallup survey, 42% of young men now say religion is “very important” in their lives, surpassing young women for the first time in the 25 years Gallup has tracked the question. Why? Because men crave community and brotherhood. They want to be challenged. They want to belong. They want to know their lives matter. Every generation eventually discovers that material success alone is not enough. Young men are searching for purpose, responsibility, and relationships that challenge them to grow, and they want to be part of something larger than themselves. We believe the ultimate model of masculinity is found in Jesus Christ. He paired strength with humility, combined leadership with service, and expressed love through sacrifice. Some people will never be comfortable with a UFC event on the White House lawn. That’s their right. Americans have always disagreed about how best to celebrate our nation and express its values. And sufferers of the infamous derangement syndrome will inevitably dismiss the whole thing as the president throwing himself a birthday party. What is happening on that lawn is far more meaningful than that. We believe many critics are missing a larger story. The search for what some critics have called throwback masculinity is leading many young men back to faith. In our own weekly Bible study, we have seen it lead men back to fathers, coaches, pastors, and mentors. As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of freedom, our hope is not simply that people remember a historic UFC event. Our hope is that they remember the values that made such a celebration possible in the first place: courage, perseverance, sacrifice, faith, and personal responsibility. Tomorrow, millions of Americans will watch what happens inside a cage on the White House lawn. We encourage them also to watch the healthy masculine relationships being built outside the cage. Look at the enthusiasm of our young sons, who but for this fight may have never become interested in celebrating America’s 250th birthday at all. And like fathers across this country, we will be hoping they grow into men who love God, serve others, lead their families well, and embrace the responsibilities that come with freedom. That legacy is worth every fight. *** Bo Nickal is a mixed martial artist. Michael Burkentine is a real estate developer.