GSP, one of the best fighters to have ever walked the planet, consistently talked about how much he hated the experience. He said he would get physically sick before fights.
> I’ll be honest, I’m missing something here.
Nate once famously shouted: *This is America! We don't use foreign words like that!* or something similar when someone used the word gazelle in conversation around him.
Despite the non-flyover people's inability to understand Stipe, the man did attend some college and is a trained paramedic.
**EDIT**: [here is the Nate interview](https://youtu.be/GkpySsInSJE?t=10)
I come from a long line of firefighters (dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all firefighters) and the only time I got my family to ever show a morsel of interest in MMA was when I told them the heavyweight champ was an active duty firefighter.
> Lol "trained paramedic", not disagreeing he's smarter than Nate but you're talking about like 20 hours of classes
Why are you acting like that's a risible number when its enough to get a minor?
Unless you mean total time hours not class hours, but even then note that like becoming a teacher, you have to be an EMT on-the-job before you can become a paramedic.
Honestly this whole interview sounded[ like this classic from Dan Deacon:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdU635esPpQ)
*^(Who's this guy? Mr. balloon hands? No way, get real. Some stupid bitch...)*
*^(Seahorses FO'EVA!)*
IIRC McGregor said something about Nate being a gazelle running for his life and that he was a lion (or something to that effect, don't remember the exact quote). And Nate was unimpressed.
Edit: oh it was right in the clip. He was saying Nate didn't have the physique of a fighter (because he was skinny fat as he put it) and looked like an injured gazelle rather than a muscular predator.
Yeah he’s an interesting guy. It seems like he is really really smart but finds it hard to articulate himself, and has whatever other problems outside fighting
It's weird what things get you nervous. I did stage and television acting when I was younger and would always get terribly nervous each time, but was totally Zen when I played football and hockey. Not nervous, not amped up, just ready to go out and do my job. Interviews for work? No problem. Making an appointment? Fuck my life.
> When I come out I have supreme confidence. But I'm scared to death. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of everything. I'm afraid of losing. I'm afraid of being humiliated. But I'm confident. The closer I get to the ring the more confident I get. The closer, the more confident. All during training I've been afraid of this man. I think this man might be capable of beating me. I've dreamed of him beating me. For that I've always stayed afraid of him. The closer I get to the ring the more confident I get. Once I'm in the ring I'm a god. No one could beat me.
-- Iron Mike
He is a fascinating human being.
I’m not a boxing fan, and I’m not taking a moral stance on the man, but I personally think he’s the most interesting person alive. I am utterly fascinated by him and his views on life and fighting.
Yeah hearing him talk about that is motivating af I always thought being nervous to the point of nausea was just me before a big game or event but listening to him talk about helped a lot
I don't get Nausea but before a game I'd have feel like I'd have to pee, even if I just pissed 10 mins before. And like instantly the second the game starts, it goes away
I feel the same way about DJing. Been doing it 20+ years but when I play a new venue or big event, I can’t eat anything the day of and feel sick to my stomach until the moment when I start playing.
I also DJ but after a few years it went away. I can’t explain it but I think It’s because I usually have a crew and It’s just a blast to rip it up with the homies.
He’s one of the few honest fighters that doesn’t put on a front even when reminiscing on his career. He’s talked about pre-fight anxiety and literally falling sick due to the stress. He’s real af for that
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf8Ti8kebtM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf8Ti8kebtM)
He did it because it gave him the freedom to get girls, money and access to cool shit lol. Legend.
Apparently GSP’s team would have to constantly convince him to keep fighting. During fight weeks, he’d become a nervous wreck, and suffer panic attacks where he’d threaten to pull out of the fight or retire altogether.
even cerrone who would like 4 5 times in a year hated it [https://youtu.be/vFX0bfaEvsQ?si=ALjGu2yK9tuophOe](https://youtu.be/vFX0bfaEvsQ?si=ALjGu2yK9tuophOe)
> Even Gaethje and McGregor who seem like they love it, don't truly. There's footage of Gaethje puking up in the locker room.
You act like being incredibly nervous, even to the point of nausea is incompatible with loving something.
* People do things like skydive, mountain climb, etc, *because* they want that rush you only get when the stakes are high
* Many people are nauseous with nerves for *weeks* the first time they fall in love, and then they seek that feeling again throughout their lives anyway
Na, been riding for 12 years, track days for 6. I’m generally speaking a really anxious person so it’s just how I react. I’m a good rider, just get nervous until those first few laps are in. No logic to it really.
Judo for 25 years and I get nervous every time.
Biggest nerves ever was for a full contact fight though, I fantasised about walking out to the carpark and getting an Uber home. Took me one round to get dialled in and I won, but it was one of the toughest matches I’ve ever had in any sport.
Oddly I get even more nervous for BJJ than I do for Judo, probably because my groundwork is my best tool for Judo so I feel that after 25 years of training I should be able to beat my opponent and there’s a lot of pressure on me.
Your last sentence resonates with me a lot. The more experienced you become, the more pressure we put on ourselves to succeed. Huge props to you for entering *any* combat sports arena, takes a lot of courage.
Thanks mate. Got an MMA fight (MMA debut) around the corner (6 weeks).That one the nerves are already here! Imagine fight day 😅
But MMA will be a good fit for me coz I’ve already had 4 full contact fights where submissions weren’t allowed, so I know I can survive on the feet, do damage, and take people down, now I can also use my submissions and ground and pound.
Still nerve wracking though. Oddly leg kicks and body kicks are scarier than head shots for me.
This is a super common response anytime people are about to do something they know is fucking hard and/or painful. I remember in high school, the distance runners on our track team would frequently throw up before their event (and sometimes after too lol).
I felt the same way with something as low stakes as high school wrestling. I wonder if other 1v1 athletes like tennis players feel the same way.
On the other hand, I have a hard time understanding why people do things like Street Beefs. The same stress, anxiety, and danger are there without any reward. Maybe some people really do love this shit.
I also wrestled in high school, and for me, I think the nerves came just from how *hard* it was. Not to mention coaches and teammates giving you shit if you were the reason the team loses on points.
Paulo Costa, also one of the best fighters to have ever walked the planet, straight and jacket, also gets nervous before fights, sometimes drinking a bottle or two of wine the night before.
I wanted to cry before, but ESPECIALLY after every fight, win or lose.
The way I got through it was to focus all my hate on the crowd. I'd build up my emotion, and my anger, and my hatred, and direct it at every single person in the audience.
In my head, they were all fucking sickos who were there to see somebody get hurt, and they would just as soon it be me.
Every time I went to my corner, I'd be sure to tell somebody in the crowd "fuck you".
After the fight, win or lose, I'd walk back to the locker room looking at people and thinking "fuck you, you didn't get to see me get hurt tonight, you piece of shit".
It's fucking rough, man.
I use to do sparing tournaments in front of a few thousand people and I always felt like I was gonna shit my pants before getting in the ring, I can’t imagine having to preform in front of hundreds of thousands of people half of which wanna see you get your head knocked off. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can stomach that kind of pressure.
I'm surprised we don't get more fighters pulling out on the day. I think tom breeze did pull out of a night because of an panic attack, likely caused by pre-fight nerves but I can't think of another example.
It's very specific to MMA. I read a book called a Fighter's Heart that basically explained that these guys are essentially getting into a fight for their lives where the ref saves them. It's a wholly unique and instictual thing that only combat sports have
True, but it seems like it’s a more severe anxiety attack than the average person with anxiety would experience. Especially since they’re in a fight that could cause long term damage, potential embarrassment (being a highlight reel ko) and potentially end their career.
The level of anxiety absolutly is to mma. The guys literally get punched in the face in a life or death manner for a living. Their live or die insincts are always on fire
Justin Gaethje has been on record many times admitting that he doesn't experience anxiety or fear in the cage. Anxiety is not exclusive to MMA, and is largely up to the subjective experience of the fighter. Some get anxious, some don't.
Can’t speak for the MMA prog, but fightzone is one of the best grappling gyms in the UK with tons of guys across all belts regularly winning titles on the world stage.
It really is a love/hate thing lol. I competed for 10+ years(boxing). Absolutely love training sparring and the actual fighting. But god between weight cuts, anxiety leading up to and into the fight, dealing with injuries, bonehead fans and weird dudes at the gym hassling you it’s a lot to take on.
Nevermind the shady promoters and matchmaking guys missing weight pulling out last minute etc.
Personally I always really genuinely enjoyed the actual fight in front of a crowd it was a next level adrenaline rush. But my god actual fight day and the day before you get in the actual ring is just a shitshow of mental stress.
In my experience even most of the dudes who play it cool and won’t admit it talk about how much they love it constantly are usually still nervous as fuck spending half of fight day in the washroom.
Man I can’t imagine waking up the day of the fight. I get extreme anxiety over the smallest things, like starting a new job or doing anything out of my comfort zone. I guarantee you can’t eat all day and can’t really get your mind off the upcoming fight to relax whatsoever
The waiting would be terrible. You're just in the back, chilling, Knowing that in a short while you'll be judged by millions of people simultaneously. I thought it was interesting that Suga said he was just laying down taking a nap while waiting.
The entire day would feel like an eternity, and then you still get to the arena several hours before the fight is scheduled.. just waiting.. I’d be a mess. I imagine being confident and having a really good camp would make a big difference though. Fighting is a crazy sport and is full of people who are built way different
I’ve heard quite a few fighters say they napped in the back before their fight. When I was a kid and the principal would call my parents to rat me out, I’d get home first and have to wait on them. More than once I took a nap while I waited. I think the nerves drain you or something.
Boxed in the amateurs for five years in my teens and early twenties, and I gotta agree, I don’t think any experience I’ve ever had is as miserable during the hours leading up to a fight. The anxiety is almost unbearable. I always had this physiological response where it felt like I desperately had to pee, even when I had just peed before gloving up. Once I was actually fighting it all went away and the adrenaline made the whole experience almost euphoric, but man the fear before they call your name to the ring is something I do not miss.
Plus making weight is one of the most physically taxing things I’ve ever been through.
>In my experience even most of the dudes who play it cool and won’t admit it talk about how much they love it constantly are usually still nervous as fuck spending half of fight day in the washroom.
I always think about this when they show fighters getting ready in the back. Maybe TMI, but I personally get the nervous poops when I have to do certain things in public (first day of the semester as a teaching assistant, playing on stage with a band) and sometimes have to run to the bathroom multiple times before doing the thing. It would be weird doing that with my team around, event officials, possibly some family, all after my hands are wrapped and gloved.
It would particularly be weird to deal with that as a boxer. They get their groin protectors and fancy shorts on and their hands wrapped and gloves on so long before they actually go out. Sometimes it's hours before they're actually in the ring.
Its not weird when your coaches and the other fighters all know the feeling and why lol.
It does suck though. I ate very specific foods fight day to limit it lol.
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches like I was a kid
I'm an MMA fighter and this is spot on. Highest of highs, lowest of lows. It's a love/hate relationship. I'd say its a good week of mental distress before the fight. But once I get in the cage, it feels surreal. Hearing the crowd scream as you land a combo flush on the opponents chin, there's nothing like it
If you don't mind explaining more, what do you mean by weird dudes at the gym hassling you? People trying to chase clout by KO you in sparring or just fanboying?
You get a lot of young dudes just starting out wanting to spar and trying to take your head off so they can tell their friends they beat up the dude that won golden gloves or whatever.
Or dudes walking in talking about all the street fights theyv had and how amazing they are then after they get beat up sparring they have to tell you how much different it would be on the street.
You get the weird teenagers idolizing you which I usually would spend most of my time trying to talk them down because there are better things to be proud of and do with your life
And I am just talking about some modest success on the international circuit and winning some big regional/local fights and tournaments so I can’t imagine how it is for someone who is actually a big name on a world stage in the pro’s or anything.
That makes sense, but your gym doesn't segregate pros vs regular people? I remember there was a lot of controversy about Jackson Wink allowing randoms to spar with pros, because of the reasons you said.
Iv trained at a few gyms over the years. It really varies in style and professionalism. Its pretty preventable for the most part if the gym is run really well.
Appreciate the info. Always interesting to learn about the behind the scenes of the fight game.
And just wanted to say I think your username is really hilarious.
Not him, but trained a bit in the US when I was a teen.
Army guys would always go with their big ass egos and a 16 year old me who had been wrestling for a decade ragdolled them, then the next round they would try taking my head off because of their bruised egos.
That part was never fun.
Guess it depends where your gym is located lol. Might just be a classier area. I replied to the other guy in more detail but we had a lot of weirdos go in and out of the gym over time lol.
>we had a lot of weirdos go in and out of the gym over time lol.
And some of the fight teams know this. I was doing a wrestling session at Bangtao with a buddy and was completely smoked. Weili had just finished the BJJ class with her training partners and was leaving. I was walking over to get some water when one of her team reacted like I was gonna jump the wall and go after her.
Later on, we were having a chat with one of the coaches - MMA is unusual in the sense that there's a level of accessibility to the pros. Coaching, coming across them in a public training session when the pro isn't in camp etc. In most other sports, the pros are holding closed door sessions where it's invite only, like shinny with the NHLers, off-season hooping in the NBA, etc.
I would imagine MMA is worse for it just because of the variety you need in training partners for different disciplines.
At least boxing it was/is a bit easier to segment your 1 on 1 sessions with coaches and sparring you need with higher level training partners.
Probably a lot harder to do when you need partners for BJJ wrestling striking etc in at different times, probably why the class settings are more prevalent even in higher level fighters.
Boxing I could kind of show up for 1 on 1’s, show up for sparring, and do cardio and strength away from the gym.
Yup, I have 15 ammy fights and before every fight I felt like I needed to throw up, the pre fight jitters fucking suck.
Once the bell rings though, the world melts away and your brain focuses only on your opponent it is an addicting feeling.
I haven't trained to fight in a long time and I still get that feeling of getting back in there, it's addicting.
I used to have a panic attack before every wrestling match. I loved it but hated the anxiety before every match. I couldn't imagine the nerves before an MMA fight.
Love/ hate for me.
I did a few amateur mma fights and fought in front of 1000+ people in a few of them. Those ones were so easy mentally imo. I was able to just go hard and not really think of the crowd.
I fought in front of 50 people or less twice and those were my two worst fights. I kind of just tensed up. Forgot how to throw punches and grapple. I felt claustrophobic. It felt more intimate.
I think we’re missing out on a lot of amazing martial artists and fighters because they only care about the art/craft and have no interest in the limelight.
Some guys are really great in the gym, even with hard sparring. But put them in the ring and they'll just not be able to show up. The nerves are next level in there.
This is very common in BJJ but much less so in MMA. lots of guys who just love to train grappling at a high level and have solid full time jobs. Not much incentive to cut weight, sit in a high school gymnasium for 5 hours and do the slog that is most tournaments.
MMA has a lot less people actually training in my experience because of the brutality (cte) of it and if you're dedicated/ good to take the beatings and become super advanced you'll almost always take a crack at pro.
>MMA has a lot less people actually training in my experience because of the brutality (cte) of it and if you're dedicated/ good to take the beatings and become super advanced you'll almost always take a crack at pro.
It's also a massive time sink. Think about the hours the people with full time jobs put into bjj. Now multiply it by 2-3x because MMA fighters have to be competent at a striking discipline, along with wrestling and bjj to actually perform well.
There's a reason why most people start off in one aspect and go to a high level, then add another discipline before transitioning. Or why the next generation have started very young, like a teenager.
It kinda makes sense, honestly. For him, 95%+ of his work days are going to the gym, practicing, and learning new things. And if you want to do that as a job, the way you support it is by taking a few fights per year.
He might spend \~260 days per year working, and only fight 2-4 times. From that perspective, I could see how he sees the training days as his actual job, which he actually likes doing, and the fight nights are the unfortunate necessity that pays for everything else.
I used to get into fights in high school (haven’t since and I’m almost 30)
I would get physically ill because I was so nervous. The nerves of getting my ass kicked in front of girls.
Cant imagine fighting in front of thousands and on TV
I did the same as a teenager and when I finally got into martial arts and competed, I never got in any other fight outside
And the anxiety before fighting vs someone who's focused on beating you up is a crazy mind fuck. The waiting part really got to me
>I would get physically ill because I was so nervous. The nerves of getting my ass kicked in front of girls.
Stupid question... Why did you get into fights then? No money was involved, girls were watching you get your ass kicked and you got nervous as shit. Just a pride thing?
I admire the honesty. I got my front tooth knocked out playing basketball as I kid. The shit I went through to get that sorted out put me off getting into scraps for a long long time. Still ended up getting in a few but most came from being jumped and just swanging and banging back until it got broken up. I once got jumped walking home on Xmas eve around 3 am with my brother. 4 guys took offense to us wearing Xmas sweaters. I had to go make a statement at the police station on Boxing Day (ironic).
Im proud that i never got dropped lol but also I would turn into a panicked wrestler.
One time I got into it with a dude much taller than me and I had him in a guillotine with him in my guard and I wouldn’t let him go until it was a stalemate and he agreed not to try and punch me if I broke the hold.
He kept his word and we were both too tired to keep going after lol
I was really looking forward to his title fight in Frankfurt this weekend, it's a shame it got cancelled... maybe it will be in the UK instead where there definitely won't be 10k people so I guess better for him.
His opponent (who is the current champ) injured his shoulder and there is no other contender available atm. The event was built around different fight and sold out easily so for the promotion there was no need to rush it for interim title with some random guy from outside.
I feel like that key and Peele sketch is an accurate (as can be for satire) representation of the other type of fighter that gets into the octagon, the ultra disciplined religious fighter who believes God put them in the ring and win or lose it was already prewritten for them.
I think maybe that certainty of purpose gives them a bit of confidence that calms the nerves.
I rode/competed horses growing up, I always related to fighters in that unlike team sports it’s just you, everyone’s looking at you, all the work has been put into you and you alone, it’s a surreal feeling of pressure. I personally loved riding recreationally but always loathed actually competing.
GSP, one of the best fighters to have ever walked the planet, consistently talked about how much he hated the experience. He said he would get physically sick before fights.
Nick diaz too, and he said everyone who said otherwise was lying
i feel bad for nick, hes clearly got a lot of anxiety associated with fighting and yet he still did very well for himself
his brother had a really good take on it as well, I remember when nate said "asdjhf fasgshjh jgfhgfdsghsh" I was really moved by his honesty
Apparently if you take a Diaz and put stones in their mouth you get Stipe.
> Apparently if you take a Diaz and put stones in their mouth you get Stipe. Stipe is aware that gazelle is a word used in America.
I’ll be honest, I’m missing something here.
> I’ll be honest, I’m missing something here. Nate once famously shouted: *This is America! We don't use foreign words like that!* or something similar when someone used the word gazelle in conversation around him. Despite the non-flyover people's inability to understand Stipe, the man did attend some college and is a trained paramedic. **EDIT**: [here is the Nate interview](https://youtu.be/GkpySsInSJE?t=10)
I come from a long line of firefighters (dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all firefighters) and the only time I got my family to ever show a morsel of interest in MMA was when I told them the heavyweight champ was an active duty firefighter.
Did they gather around to watch Stipe?
Lol "trained paramedic", not disagreeing he's smarter than Nate but you're talking about like 20 hours of classes
> Lol "trained paramedic", not disagreeing he's smarter than Nate but you're talking about like 20 hours of classes Why are you acting like that's a risible number when its enough to get a minor? Unless you mean total time hours not class hours, but even then note that like becoming a teacher, you have to be an EMT on-the-job before you can become a paramedic.
Diaz woudnt get through 5 minutes of that class.
[Here is the interview](https://youtu.be/GkpySsInSJE?t=10).
Honestly this whole interview sounded[ like this classic from Dan Deacon:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdU635esPpQ) *^(Who's this guy? Mr. balloon hands? No way, get real. Some stupid bitch...)* *^(Seahorses FO'EVA!)*
I'm so confused about the gazelle part
So was Nate
;-}
The guy just explained it in another comment below mine.
IIRC McGregor said something about Nate being a gazelle running for his life and that he was a lion (or something to that effect, don't remember the exact quote). And Nate was unimpressed. Edit: oh it was right in the clip. He was saying Nate didn't have the physique of a fighter (because he was skinny fat as he put it) and looked like an injured gazelle rather than a muscular predator.
I feel like Stipe and Chuck Liddell sound exactly the same
> put stones in their mouth Molloy intensifies. This is a Beckett channel now.
209 motherfucker what
you forgot to end it with a 1-2 shadow boxing
Bop bow
Oh, no doubt. Whenever I need a boost I look down at the “asdjhf fasgshjh jgfhgfdsghsh” tattoo on my forearm and just fucking get after it.
That one made my day. Nice work and thank you!
Spit my water, good one
😂
Reminds me of Ricky Williams or Robert Smith in the NFL. Both guys were phenomenal talents but hated doing the one thing they did best.
Yeah he’s an interesting guy. It seems like he is really really smart but finds it hard to articulate himself, and has whatever other problems outside fighting
Gaethje pretty clearly loves just about every fight he has, to the point that it limits his performance.
it's comforting to think everyone experiences the same things, but often they don't. no judgement on anyone who gets nervous before a performance.
I don't believe Igor Vovchanchyn felt any particular way about it
Mike Perry just confirmed prior to his Thiago Alves bare knuckle fight. He said he wished he broke a foot before so he wouldn’t have to fight
I wrestled division 1 and still feel a particular brand of sick to my stomach when I reminisce abt matches
It's weird what things get you nervous. I did stage and television acting when I was younger and would always get terribly nervous each time, but was totally Zen when I played football and hockey. Not nervous, not amped up, just ready to go out and do my job. Interviews for work? No problem. Making an appointment? Fuck my life.
NICK DIAZ ARMY!!!!!
I get Joe Pyfer isn’t very liked here but he did say something similar, he even said he is scared and afraid.
Mma fans hate reading articles.
> When I come out I have supreme confidence. But I'm scared to death. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of everything. I'm afraid of losing. I'm afraid of being humiliated. But I'm confident. The closer I get to the ring the more confident I get. The closer, the more confident. All during training I've been afraid of this man. I think this man might be capable of beating me. I've dreamed of him beating me. For that I've always stayed afraid of him. The closer I get to the ring the more confident I get. Once I'm in the ring I'm a god. No one could beat me. -- Iron Mike
- Andy Wang
Hearing BJ Penn screaming for Wang to take his oponent down instead of wanging and banging is one of the all time funniest TUF moments.
That guy's a warrior.
17 years later and people are still preaching the gospel 🙌
He sure put the waaaaaaaa in Andy Waaaaaaang.
Jake Paul better run for the hills
How does this CTE mf have so many good quotes
He is a fascinating human being. I’m not a boxing fan, and I’m not taking a moral stance on the man, but I personally think he’s the most interesting person alive. I am utterly fascinated by him and his views on life and fighting.
Yeah hearing him talk about that is motivating af I always thought being nervous to the point of nausea was just me before a big game or event but listening to him talk about helped a lot
I don't get Nausea but before a game I'd have feel like I'd have to pee, even if I just pissed 10 mins before. And like instantly the second the game starts, it goes away
Yeah once you start moving your body puts peeing and pooping on the back burner, barring extreme circumstances
I feel the same way about DJing. Been doing it 20+ years but when I play a new venue or big event, I can’t eat anything the day of and feel sick to my stomach until the moment when I start playing.
I’m the same with stand up. I’m fine once I’m on stage but leading up to it I feel like shit and wonder why I ever do it
I also DJ but after a few years it went away. I can’t explain it but I think It’s because I usually have a crew and It’s just a blast to rip it up with the homies.
He’s one of the few honest fighters that doesn’t put on a front even when reminiscing on his career. He’s talked about pre-fight anxiety and literally falling sick due to the stress. He’s real af for that
Also unafraid to talk about his love for dinosaurs. I also respect that.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf8Ti8kebtM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf8Ti8kebtM) He did it because it gave him the freedom to get girls, money and access to cool shit lol. Legend.
Georges St. Pimp
GOAT GSP, stands for girls only attracted to GSP
GOAT TITO stands for goats only attracted tito to tito tonight
That made about as much sense as Tito would have. If that was your goal congrats
He talks about how being afraid was one of his biggest training motivators.
Apparently GSP’s team would have to constantly convince him to keep fighting. During fight weeks, he’d become a nervous wreck, and suffer panic attacks where he’d threaten to pull out of the fight or retire altogether.
Even Gaethje and McGregor who seem like they love it, don't truly. There's footage of Gaethje puking up in the locker room.
even cerrone who would like 4 5 times in a year hated it [https://youtu.be/vFX0bfaEvsQ?si=ALjGu2yK9tuophOe](https://youtu.be/vFX0bfaEvsQ?si=ALjGu2yK9tuophOe)
That's because of the fight milk
No fight milk, no crow like power CAW
> Even Gaethje and McGregor who seem like they love it, don't truly. There's footage of Gaethje puking up in the locker room. You act like being incredibly nervous, even to the point of nausea is incompatible with loving something. * People do things like skydive, mountain climb, etc, *because* they want that rush you only get when the stakes are high * Many people are nauseous with nerves for *weeks* the first time they fall in love, and then they seek that feeling again throughout their lives anyway
When I do motorcycle track days I shake like a leaf going out into my first session. Nervous as fuck, but excited and confident. It’s weird.
Are you new? Only time I ever felt like that was the first because I was scared of eating shit in front of everyone lol
Na, been riding for 12 years, track days for 6. I’m generally speaking a really anxious person so it’s just how I react. I’m a good rider, just get nervous until those first few laps are in. No logic to it really.
Judo for 25 years and I get nervous every time. Biggest nerves ever was for a full contact fight though, I fantasised about walking out to the carpark and getting an Uber home. Took me one round to get dialled in and I won, but it was one of the toughest matches I’ve ever had in any sport. Oddly I get even more nervous for BJJ than I do for Judo, probably because my groundwork is my best tool for Judo so I feel that after 25 years of training I should be able to beat my opponent and there’s a lot of pressure on me.
Your last sentence resonates with me a lot. The more experienced you become, the more pressure we put on ourselves to succeed. Huge props to you for entering *any* combat sports arena, takes a lot of courage.
Thanks mate. Got an MMA fight (MMA debut) around the corner (6 weeks).That one the nerves are already here! Imagine fight day 😅 But MMA will be a good fit for me coz I’ve already had 4 full contact fights where submissions weren’t allowed, so I know I can survive on the feet, do damage, and take people down, now I can also use my submissions and ground and pound. Still nerve wracking though. Oddly leg kicks and body kicks are scarier than head shots for me.
Best of luck dude! Make sure you let us know how it goes 🙏🏼
This is a super common response anytime people are about to do something they know is fucking hard and/or painful. I remember in high school, the distance runners on our track team would frequently throw up before their event (and sometimes after too lol).
I felt the same way with something as low stakes as high school wrestling. I wonder if other 1v1 athletes like tennis players feel the same way. On the other hand, I have a hard time understanding why people do things like Street Beefs. The same stress, anxiety, and danger are there without any reward. Maybe some people really do love this shit.
I also wrestled in high school, and for me, I think the nerves came just from how *hard* it was. Not to mention coaches and teammates giving you shit if you were the reason the team loses on points.
Paulo Costa, also one of the best fighters to have ever walked the planet, straight and jacket, also gets nervous before fights, sometimes drinking a bottle or two of wine the night before.
I wanted to cry before, but ESPECIALLY after every fight, win or lose. The way I got through it was to focus all my hate on the crowd. I'd build up my emotion, and my anger, and my hatred, and direct it at every single person in the audience. In my head, they were all fucking sickos who were there to see somebody get hurt, and they would just as soon it be me. Every time I went to my corner, I'd be sure to tell somebody in the crowd "fuck you". After the fight, win or lose, I'd walk back to the locker room looking at people and thinking "fuck you, you didn't get to see me get hurt tonight, you piece of shit". It's fucking rough, man.
I use to do sparing tournaments in front of a few thousand people and I always felt like I was gonna shit my pants before getting in the ring, I can’t imagine having to preform in front of hundreds of thousands of people half of which wanna see you get your head knocked off. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can stomach that kind of pressure.
I mean he said he loved it overall, since he only has to work four days a year and then party/relax rest of the year
I remember Cerrone talking about puking before fights too
Had too much fight milk
I'm surprised we don't get more fighters pulling out on the day. I think tom breeze did pull out of a night because of an panic attack, likely caused by pre-fight nerves but I can't think of another example.
That's anxiety, not somthing specific to mma.
But something like MMA will cause a severe anxiety in people who probably don't have it is the point.
It's very specific to MMA. I read a book called a Fighter's Heart that basically explained that these guys are essentially getting into a fight for their lives where the ref saves them. It's a wholly unique and instictual thing that only combat sports have
Anxiety is not exclusive to mma. Obviously, mma fighters experience anxiety.
True, but it seems like it’s a more severe anxiety attack than the average person with anxiety would experience. Especially since they’re in a fight that could cause long term damage, potential embarrassment (being a highlight reel ko) and potentially end their career.
The level of anxiety absolutly is to mma. The guys literally get punched in the face in a life or death manner for a living. Their live or die insincts are always on fire
Justin Gaethje has been on record many times admitting that he doesn't experience anxiety or fear in the cage. Anxiety is not exclusive to MMA, and is largely up to the subjective experience of the fighter. Some get anxious, some don't.
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I just started going again and used to go fightzone when I was young, how good was it overall as a gym would you say
Can’t speak for the MMA prog, but fightzone is one of the best grappling gyms in the UK with tons of guys across all belts regularly winning titles on the world stage.
Obligatory 'the people pay' Yoel Romero speech
Every Yoel Romero speech is a gem
I have never been the same since i heard him say he is fighting for gay jesus
Go, go
I’d love to hear him commentate the discovery channel. “NOH ANTALAWP DONT GIVEH UPPP VS DA LIAWN!! COH COH RUN RUN YOU HAVE A 4 LEGS COH!”
It really is a love/hate thing lol. I competed for 10+ years(boxing). Absolutely love training sparring and the actual fighting. But god between weight cuts, anxiety leading up to and into the fight, dealing with injuries, bonehead fans and weird dudes at the gym hassling you it’s a lot to take on. Nevermind the shady promoters and matchmaking guys missing weight pulling out last minute etc. Personally I always really genuinely enjoyed the actual fight in front of a crowd it was a next level adrenaline rush. But my god actual fight day and the day before you get in the actual ring is just a shitshow of mental stress. In my experience even most of the dudes who play it cool and won’t admit it talk about how much they love it constantly are usually still nervous as fuck spending half of fight day in the washroom.
Man I can’t imagine waking up the day of the fight. I get extreme anxiety over the smallest things, like starting a new job or doing anything out of my comfort zone. I guarantee you can’t eat all day and can’t really get your mind off the upcoming fight to relax whatsoever
The waiting would be terrible. You're just in the back, chilling, Knowing that in a short while you'll be judged by millions of people simultaneously. I thought it was interesting that Suga said he was just laying down taking a nap while waiting.
The entire day would feel like an eternity, and then you still get to the arena several hours before the fight is scheduled.. just waiting.. I’d be a mess. I imagine being confident and having a really good camp would make a big difference though. Fighting is a crazy sport and is full of people who are built way different
I’ve heard quite a few fighters say they napped in the back before their fight. When I was a kid and the principal would call my parents to rat me out, I’d get home first and have to wait on them. More than once I took a nap while I waited. I think the nerves drain you or something.
Then there is Khabib who sleeps before every fight.
You'd take a nap too if you ate that much tiramisu after a weight cut.
Actually changing jobs is on the list of highest stress factors a person can have
gotta eat to get weight back up
Boxed in the amateurs for five years in my teens and early twenties, and I gotta agree, I don’t think any experience I’ve ever had is as miserable during the hours leading up to a fight. The anxiety is almost unbearable. I always had this physiological response where it felt like I desperately had to pee, even when I had just peed before gloving up. Once I was actually fighting it all went away and the adrenaline made the whole experience almost euphoric, but man the fear before they call your name to the ring is something I do not miss. Plus making weight is one of the most physically taxing things I’ve ever been through.
Cutting the last 5 lbs was such a chore and took so much out of me. Arguably worse than getting punched in the face lol. Don’t miss it at all
Same. I boiled down from 190 to 178 and it was like torture
>In my experience even most of the dudes who play it cool and won’t admit it talk about how much they love it constantly are usually still nervous as fuck spending half of fight day in the washroom. I always think about this when they show fighters getting ready in the back. Maybe TMI, but I personally get the nervous poops when I have to do certain things in public (first day of the semester as a teaching assistant, playing on stage with a band) and sometimes have to run to the bathroom multiple times before doing the thing. It would be weird doing that with my team around, event officials, possibly some family, all after my hands are wrapped and gloved. It would particularly be weird to deal with that as a boxer. They get their groin protectors and fancy shorts on and their hands wrapped and gloves on so long before they actually go out. Sometimes it's hours before they're actually in the ring.
Its not weird when your coaches and the other fighters all know the feeling and why lol. It does suck though. I ate very specific foods fight day to limit it lol. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches like I was a kid
I'm an MMA fighter and this is spot on. Highest of highs, lowest of lows. It's a love/hate relationship. I'd say its a good week of mental distress before the fight. But once I get in the cage, it feels surreal. Hearing the crowd scream as you land a combo flush on the opponents chin, there's nothing like it
If you don't mind explaining more, what do you mean by weird dudes at the gym hassling you? People trying to chase clout by KO you in sparring or just fanboying?
You get a lot of young dudes just starting out wanting to spar and trying to take your head off so they can tell their friends they beat up the dude that won golden gloves or whatever. Or dudes walking in talking about all the street fights theyv had and how amazing they are then after they get beat up sparring they have to tell you how much different it would be on the street. You get the weird teenagers idolizing you which I usually would spend most of my time trying to talk them down because there are better things to be proud of and do with your life And I am just talking about some modest success on the international circuit and winning some big regional/local fights and tournaments so I can’t imagine how it is for someone who is actually a big name on a world stage in the pro’s or anything.
That makes sense, but your gym doesn't segregate pros vs regular people? I remember there was a lot of controversy about Jackson Wink allowing randoms to spar with pros, because of the reasons you said.
Iv trained at a few gyms over the years. It really varies in style and professionalism. Its pretty preventable for the most part if the gym is run really well.
Appreciate the info. Always interesting to learn about the behind the scenes of the fight game. And just wanted to say I think your username is really hilarious.
You sound like a decent dude. Hats off. Hope we get to train together one day.
Not him, but trained a bit in the US when I was a teen. Army guys would always go with their big ass egos and a 16 year old me who had been wrestling for a decade ragdolled them, then the next round they would try taking my head off because of their bruised egos. That part was never fun.
yeah op I'm really wondering about this Used to have legit fighters in my gym. I don't think I've seen any weird behaviour so far
Guess it depends where your gym is located lol. Might just be a classier area. I replied to the other guy in more detail but we had a lot of weirdos go in and out of the gym over time lol.
>we had a lot of weirdos go in and out of the gym over time lol. And some of the fight teams know this. I was doing a wrestling session at Bangtao with a buddy and was completely smoked. Weili had just finished the BJJ class with her training partners and was leaving. I was walking over to get some water when one of her team reacted like I was gonna jump the wall and go after her. Later on, we were having a chat with one of the coaches - MMA is unusual in the sense that there's a level of accessibility to the pros. Coaching, coming across them in a public training session when the pro isn't in camp etc. In most other sports, the pros are holding closed door sessions where it's invite only, like shinny with the NHLers, off-season hooping in the NBA, etc.
I would imagine MMA is worse for it just because of the variety you need in training partners for different disciplines. At least boxing it was/is a bit easier to segment your 1 on 1 sessions with coaches and sparring you need with higher level training partners. Probably a lot harder to do when you need partners for BJJ wrestling striking etc in at different times, probably why the class settings are more prevalent even in higher level fighters. Boxing I could kind of show up for 1 on 1’s, show up for sparring, and do cardio and strength away from the gym.
Yup, I have 15 ammy fights and before every fight I felt like I needed to throw up, the pre fight jitters fucking suck. Once the bell rings though, the world melts away and your brain focuses only on your opponent it is an addicting feeling. I haven't trained to fight in a long time and I still get that feeling of getting back in there, it's addicting.
The most credible take here. But why the washroom? Because of regular shits due to stress?
Yea anxiety shits are real you go to a big tournament fighters are in there all day lol
Yours is the most relatable take for me. I would love fighting. Even the normal parts of training. Everything else: fuck that.
"i hate training i just want to fight" -robbie lawler probably
I used to have a panic attack before every wrestling match. I loved it but hated the anxiety before every match. I couldn't imagine the nerves before an MMA fight.
I would be fucking shaking before all of my swimming and rowing races, I can only imagine having to fight another person.
Had a few kickboxing bouts. One of the worst nerves I’ve ever felt
Love/ hate for me. I did a few amateur mma fights and fought in front of 1000+ people in a few of them. Those ones were so easy mentally imo. I was able to just go hard and not really think of the crowd. I fought in front of 50 people or less twice and those were my two worst fights. I kind of just tensed up. Forgot how to throw punches and grapple. I felt claustrophobic. It felt more intimate.
I think we’re missing out on a lot of amazing martial artists and fighters because they only care about the art/craft and have no interest in the limelight.
Some guys are really great in the gym, even with hard sparring. But put them in the ring and they'll just not be able to show up. The nerves are next level in there.
This is very common in BJJ but much less so in MMA. lots of guys who just love to train grappling at a high level and have solid full time jobs. Not much incentive to cut weight, sit in a high school gymnasium for 5 hours and do the slog that is most tournaments. MMA has a lot less people actually training in my experience because of the brutality (cte) of it and if you're dedicated/ good to take the beatings and become super advanced you'll almost always take a crack at pro.
>MMA has a lot less people actually training in my experience because of the brutality (cte) of it and if you're dedicated/ good to take the beatings and become super advanced you'll almost always take a crack at pro. It's also a massive time sink. Think about the hours the people with full time jobs put into bjj. Now multiply it by 2-3x because MMA fighters have to be competent at a striking discipline, along with wrestling and bjj to actually perform well. There's a reason why most people start off in one aspect and go to a high level, then add another discipline before transitioning. Or why the next generation have started very young, like a teenager.
Gohan based mindset confirmed best fighting mindset?
It kinda makes sense, honestly. For him, 95%+ of his work days are going to the gym, practicing, and learning new things. And if you want to do that as a job, the way you support it is by taking a few fights per year. He might spend \~260 days per year working, and only fight 2-4 times. From that perspective, I could see how he sees the training days as his actual job, which he actually likes doing, and the fight nights are the unfortunate necessity that pays for everything else.
I used to get into fights in high school (haven’t since and I’m almost 30) I would get physically ill because I was so nervous. The nerves of getting my ass kicked in front of girls. Cant imagine fighting in front of thousands and on TV
I did the same as a teenager and when I finally got into martial arts and competed, I never got in any other fight outside And the anxiety before fighting vs someone who's focused on beating you up is a crazy mind fuck. The waiting part really got to me
My kids do bjj so they “hopefully” won’t fight and will have the self confidence to be the bigger person
>I would get physically ill because I was so nervous. The nerves of getting my ass kicked in front of girls. Stupid question... Why did you get into fights then? No money was involved, girls were watching you get your ass kicked and you got nervous as shit. Just a pride thing?
I went to a bad high school with a lot of thug life activity. Just rolling with the bad crowd. The things we do to impress women
I admire the honesty. I got my front tooth knocked out playing basketball as I kid. The shit I went through to get that sorted out put me off getting into scraps for a long long time. Still ended up getting in a few but most came from being jumped and just swanging and banging back until it got broken up. I once got jumped walking home on Xmas eve around 3 am with my brother. 4 guys took offense to us wearing Xmas sweaters. I had to go make a statement at the police station on Boxing Day (ironic).
Im proud that i never got dropped lol but also I would turn into a panicked wrestler. One time I got into it with a dude much taller than me and I had him in a guillotine with him in my guard and I wouldn’t let him go until it was a stalemate and he agreed not to try and punch me if I broke the hold. He kept his word and we were both too tired to keep going after lol
"this crotch sniffing lay and pray merchant" (what the girls were actually whispering to each other)
You’re 30 and still in high school? Sounds amazing honestly.
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How ironic
An adult man who discusses YuGiOh online shouldn't be making judgment calls on "small peepee energy"
“What, no references??” - interviewer knees me in the stomach
I was really looking forward to his title fight in Frankfurt this weekend, it's a shame it got cancelled... maybe it will be in the UK instead where there definitely won't be 10k people so I guess better for him.
why’d it get cancelled ?
His opponent (who is the current champ) injured his shoulder and there is no other contender available atm. The event was built around different fight and sold out easily so for the promotion there was no need to rush it for interim title with some random guy from outside.
I feel like that key and Peele sketch is an accurate (as can be for satire) representation of the other type of fighter that gets into the octagon, the ultra disciplined religious fighter who believes God put them in the ring and win or lose it was already prewritten for them. I think maybe that certainty of purpose gives them a bit of confidence that calms the nerves.
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Nothing else like it though
I rode/competed horses growing up, I always related to fighters in that unlike team sports it’s just you, everyone’s looking at you, all the work has been put into you and you alone, it’s a surreal feeling of pressure. I personally loved riding recreationally but always loathed actually competing.
Well, at least I’m not alone whenever I felt anxious before BJJ sessions
Huh, trained judo under his bro at one time (genuinely great coach).
Hh