Ex-U.S. Navy Seal and ultramarathon runner David Goggins is snapping back at UFC fans.
Earlier this week, Goggins and former UFC interim titleholder Tony Ferguson released a video showing the pair working together ahead of Ferguson’s return to the Octagon on December 16. El Cucuy‘ is currently sitting on a six-fight losing streak. Determined to turn things around, the UFC fan favorite called in Goggins, an elite athlete and motivational speaker who has put the UFC star through a “hell week” in hopes of guiding him back into the win column next month.
However, many fight fans were quick to criticize Goggins’ extreme training methods which can be seen in the video clip below:
Delivering an explicit-filled response on social media, Goggins insisted that critical commenters were simply uneducated and afraid of the hard work being put on display.
“Rather than trying to find flaw in the methodology, try finding inspiration in watching someone searching their soul for every last bit of themselves!” Goggins wrote on Instagram. “I have been a high-level endurance athlete for almost 20 years and trained some of the best athletes around and what we are doing right now is not for the faint of heart.
“When you train a person like Tony, you have to find their limit and once you find it, that is when you have to push them way beyond it. The challenge with Tony is that his limit is way the fuck out there because of his ability to handle so much pain. What you are seeing in this video is a man that has been through 4 days of a no-shit hell week. This isn’t like a football two-a-days or some wrestling camp bullshit.“
Goggins Insists Hard Work ‘Is Never Pretty’
“I see the comments that Tony should be sparring or be on the bag rather than doing this kind of cardio,” Goggins continued. “I can tell that the vast majority of you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. To have the guts- and I mean guts- to allow a motherfucker like me to train him shows exactly his commitment to come back and win again.
“Many of you have no idea what it does to a human being’s mind when their body keeps saying to stop but their mind will not allow them to!!!! There is a lesson to be learned here. He’s comfortable with you all seeing what he is going through because this is the exact kind of dedication it takes to reach greatness. Hard work is never pretty!
“This is why it is so foreign to some of you,” Goggins said. “Watching a person work this hard and striving for greatness scares a lot of you. It’s okay. It used to scare me too. I used to be one of those guys making stupid comments about the ones who wanted it like there was no tomorrow. Stay hard!”
‘El Cucuy’ is scheduled to face streaking standout Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett at UFC 296.
If Ferguson fails to get back into the win column against the Liverpudlian, he is expected to hang up his four-ounce gloves for good, bringing an end to his 15-year career in mixed martial arts.