“Many of you study the science of recovery and of training. I am here to tell you that most of it is bullsh*t.” —David Goggins, who runs fast and was in the Navy.
Most UFC fans have no idea what they’re talking about.
That’s according to David Goggins, the former NAVY Seal who is now a content creator on social media, dazzling average joes with his ultra-endurance training videos and don’t-be-a-pussy motivational speeches.
Goggins was enlisted to help former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson prepare for his upcoming showdown against 155-pound wunderkind Paddy Pimblett, which takes place at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.
A recent clip of Ferguson vomiting during his training session had UFC fans concerned for the health and safety of “El Cucuy,” who is mired in a dreadful six-fight losing streak — having been finished in his last three losses.
Goggins insists the critics are just scared and uneducated.
“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.”
“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!”
Ferguson, 39, is expected to retire with a loss at UFC 296.