Since i am in that age group, I would try asking if we wants to watch SEAL movies. and talk to him about the military,

try to keep him away from UFC.

In my view, you should do your best to cloak your distain for UFC because it seems that youth becomes more interested in things that we, as parents, try to keep them away from. Once you do that, you put yourself in a more objective position and get to the bottom of what he really wants to do, because his ultimate goal of getting into UFC has nothing much to do with becoming a Seal. I am ex-Navy and am quite familiar with Seals, having carried them across the Pacific many times on the ship I was assigned to and working out, partying, etc. From first hand experience, Seals are all about the team rather than the individual whereas UFC is solely an individual sport and therefore completely different (in spite of some former Seals doing it).

I don't know how practical this is, but why not take your youngster to interview with actual Seals in the service today? I'll bet that if you talk to a recruiting station in your town, they could suggest ways to accomplish that. I think if you do that, your son will get a clearer picture of what the Seals are about and this might set him on a totally different course. Good luck, raising kids is really tough.

Best regards, Burle.

In my opinion, you should tell him what you have told us, "Joining the SEALs is an honor, not a stepping stone to a telivision sport." Maybe let him know that becoming a US Navy SEAL is a greater accomplishment than being on telivision, and that fighting in the UFC will only get him injured without a cause, where if he gets injured in the SEALs (hopefully not in either occasion) it will be for a greater cause.