On the surface, MMA fighters may seem like they have nerves of steel, and certainly anyone who’s been brave enough to step into the cage and compete has demonstrated tremendous strength of character, regardless of whether they ultimately win or lose. However, as confident and composed as they may appear on the outside, it’s interesting […]
On the surface, MMA fighters may seem like they have nerves of steel, and certainly anyone who’s been brave enough to step into the cage and compete has demonstrated tremendous strength of character, regardless of whether they ultimately win or lose.
However, as confident and composed as they may appear on the outside, it’s interesting to know just how many MMA stars suffer from crippling pre-fight nerves that turn their insides upside down, sap their strength, erode their self-belief and leave them contemplating quitting the sport.
In this article, we’ll look at 10 prime examples, including some of the biggest stars in the sport, who have admitted that some of the toughest battles of their careers have taken place in their own minds backstage before the fight has even begun.
Donald Cerrone
As one of the UFC’s most active fighters, as well as an extreme sports enthusiast, you’d be forgiven for believing that Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is immune to fear.
Not all is as it seems though, as his long-time coach Greg Jackson knows only too well, revealing to MMAJunkie that “He gets really nervous right before the fight.
“Usually how it works is, he gets nervous, we talk about how he’s never, ever going to do this again, and then he goes out and fights.”
According to Jackson, ‘Cowboy’ doesn’t watches footage of his opponents as it can affect him negatively while indulging in extreme sports during fight week helps him keep his mind off his upcoming bout.
Jackson’s not saying anything that Cerrone wouldn’t admit to himself though, as he’s gone into great detail about the trials and tribulations he faces in the hours before a fight.
”It’s a lot of pressure,” Cerrone said in a special UFC feature. “So, you’re back there, you’re warming up, your arms are heavy, your legs are weak, you’re like, ‘What? Why do I feel like this?’ It’s like the weirdest feeling.”
On camera as Cerrone walks out to the Octagon he might look like he’s ready to go to war, but the reality is that internally his mind is reeling.
”You’re like, ‘what face do I need to do right now? Do I need to look serious, because I feel scared, but I don’t know how I need to look on camera. Do I need to look like a bitch walking into this motherf***er, or do I need to act tough?”
Only when he sets foot in the Octagon does Cerrone finally break free from that inner turmoil and become mentally prepared to do what he does best.
Octagon veteran Chris Cariaso announced his retirement from MMA on Wednesday. Cariaso finishes his career with a 7-6 record in the UFC, and a 17-8 overall MMA record.
“I’ve decided after 22 years of active fighting to call it a career,” Cariaso told MMAjunkie. “It’s a bittersweet decision, as fighting and competing in a ring or cage is about all that I have known for a lifetime.
“The last four-and-a-half years fighting under the umbrella of Zuffa have been nothing short of amazing. I have so many memories and have been able to travel the world doing what I love best. Honestly, my life is what many only get to dream about, and I have to thank so many people for making dreams a reality to me.
“I’m excited for this next chapter in my life. I’m young still, and I’m healthy still, and I feel that this is the right time to retire. I have so much more to offer the world as a trainer, entrepreneur and father.”
Cariaso lost his last three bouts. He may be most known for his UFC Flyweight Championship fight against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 178.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPvynk_NkEs
Octagon veteran Chris Cariaso announced his retirement from MMA on Wednesday. Cariaso finishes his career with a 7-6 record in the UFC, and a 17-8 overall MMA record.
“I’ve decided after 22 years of active fighting to call it a career,” Cariaso told MMAjunkie. “It’s a bittersweet decision, as fighting and competing in a ring or cage is about all that I have known for a lifetime.
“The last four-and-a-half years fighting under the umbrella of Zuffa have been nothing short of amazing. I have so many memories and have been able to travel the world doing what I love best. Honestly, my life is what many only get to dream about, and I have to thank so many people for making dreams a reality to me.
“I’m excited for this next chapter in my life. I’m young still, and I’m healthy still, and I feel that this is the right time to retire. I have so much more to offer the world as a trainer, entrepreneur and father.”
Cariaso lost his last three bouts. He may be most known for his UFC Flyweight Championship fight against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 178.
(Henry Cejudo [right] roughs up Dustin Kimura during their fight at UFC on FOX 13. / Photo via Getty)
After winning his UFC debut at bantamweight last month, Henry Cejudo has decided to throw caution to the wind and return to flyweight for his next bout. The 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist will meet former flyweight title challenger Chris Cariaso at UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas), according to UFC officials.
Which begs the question: Why mess with a good thing? Why not see how far you can get at bantamweight before putting your career and health at risk once again chasing 125? From what we can gather, Cejudo’s TKO win over flyweight super-jobber Miguelito Marti at Gladiator Challenge: American Dream in May 2013 was the only time that Cejudo has ever successfully made 125 pounds in an MMA fight. And now he’s going to try again, God help him, while taking a gigantic step up in competition against one of the top ten flyweights in the world. What?
(Henry Cejudo [right] roughs up Dustin Kimura during their fight at UFC on FOX 13. / Photo via Getty)
After winning his UFC debut at bantamweight last month, Henry Cejudo has decided to throw caution to the wind and return to flyweight for his next bout. The 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist will meet former flyweight title challenger Chris Cariaso at UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas), according to UFC officials.
Which begs the question: Why mess with a good thing? Why not see how far you can get at bantamweight before putting your career and health at risk once again chasing 125? From what we can gather, Cejudo’s TKO win over flyweight super-jobber Miguelito Marti at Gladiator Challenge: American Dream in May 2013 was the only time that Cejudo has ever successfully made 125 pounds in an MMA fight. And now he’s going to try again, God help him, while taking a gigantic step up in competition against one of the top ten flyweights in the world. What?
Anyway, Chris Cariaso hasn’t competed since being submitted by Demetrious Johnson in the main event of UFC 178 last September, snapping a three-fight win streak for “Kamikaze.” UFC 185 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight, and will also feature a heavyweight smash-up between Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson.
The classy dudes at TYT Sports were kind enough to have me on their show this morning to discuss the top three fights at UFC 178. First up, this breakdown of the main event, Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso.
I haven’t watched the video yet because I don’t like looking at my own face or hearing the sound of my own voice, but I definitely remember what we talked about. Basically, I ran down the lopsided two-round beating that Johnson gave Cariaso, why Mighty Mouse’s performance was impressive and not impressive at the same time, and why staying in the flyweight division might not be in Johnson’s best interest, career-wise.
Give it a look, and please subscribe to TYT Sports on YouTube for more UFC 178 analysis videos from yours truly, which will be posted by this evening.
The classy dudes at TYT Sports were kind enough to have me on their show this morning to discuss the top three fights at UFC 178. First up, this breakdown of the main event, Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso.
I haven’t watched the video yet because I don’t like looking at my own face or hearing the sound of my own voice, but I definitely remember what we talked about. Basically, I ran down the lopsided two-round beating that Johnson gave Cariaso, why Mighty Mouse’s performance was impressive and not impressive at the same time, and why staying in the flyweight division might not be in Johnson’s best interest, career-wise.
Give it a look, and please subscribe to TYT Sports on YouTube for more UFC 178 analysis videos from yours truly, which will be posted by this evening.
Remember last week when we went apeshit over MMA sites purporting to have full-fight video highlights but not actually delivering?
In case you don’t remember, loads of site posted “full fight video highlights” of the fight between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. The only problem was the highlights were missing the most important part: The knockout.
The highlight video above is much better. While it cuts away right before the fight is stopped, it shows just enough of Conor McGregor‘s first-round KO of Dustin Poirier for you to get the idea of how it went down.
And do you know what else is awesome? Pretty much all the other “full fight video highlights” from UFC 178 are the same. They actually show the parts you want to see. Chalk up another victory for the Potato Nation. It seems our irreverence is finally starting to make a difference in the world of MMA SEO clickbaiting.
Watch the other highlights after the jump, and be sure to enjoy your 40-seconds of violence and anodyne commentary!
Remember last week when we went apeshit over MMA sites purporting to have full-fight video highlights but not actually delivering?
In case you don’t remember, loads of sites posted “full fight video highlights” of the fight between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. The only problem was the highlights were missing the most important part: The knockout.
The highlight video above is much better. While it cuts away right before the fight is stopped, it shows just enough of Conor McGregor‘s first-round KO of Dustin Poirier for you to get the idea of how it went down.
And do you know what else is awesome? Pretty much all the other “full fight video highlights” from UFC 178 are the same. They actually show the parts you want to see. Chalk up another victory for the Potato Nation. It seems our irreverence is finally starting to make a difference in the world of MMA SEO clickbaiting.
Here are some of the other highlights. Enjoy your 40-seconds of violence and anodyne commentary!
Low and behold, the answer to all of our political problems. (Photo by Esther Lin of MMA Fighting)
UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us all pretty bummed out.
With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.
That being said, let’s take a look at the most compelling scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.
Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style.
(Photo via Getty)
UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us pretty bummed out.
With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.
That being said, let’s take a look at the biggest scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.
Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style:
Look, it’s pretty obvious Johnson is a spectacular combatant, the most dominant champion in the organization, and a fighter so technically sound he generates silence throughout the arena because the fans are simply in awe of him.
Well, no.
It’s apparent “Mighty Mouse” isn’t really a pay-per-view star, and he’s suited best for FOX broadcasts moving forward. He’s definitely capable of generating interest in a co-main event, much like he and Cariaso were supposed to do at UFC 177, yet headlining the whole PPV shebang may not be his forte.
But that really isn’t his fault. He’s more so a victim of consequence here. The flyweight title fight wasn’t supposed to headline this card, however, a title fight should have enough power to generate interest on its own. You can say he’s still in a transitional phase, yet UFC 174 is still pretty fresh in our minds.
Anyhow, his win over Cariaso was like watching Sid Justice maul a jobber on Saturday mornings, and it’s funny to think that even though the champ was in a relatively easy fight, nobody is mentioning that it’s his third stoppage victory in his pas four title defenses. He was also asked one question at the post-fight presser (well, two, but from the same person … so, one).
2014 has been fairly good to us in the main event department. If Johnson vs. Cariaso lacked that particular oomph, then Cerrone vs. Alvarez was straight up going to be some deep-fried organized violence.
It turned out to be a great fight, one all too familiar for “Cowboy.” After a difficult and lopsided first round, Cerrone turned it on in the second and started to hack away at the Bellator champion’s legs, eventually breaking that tree down and earning the unanimous decision victory.
Cerrone’s been through the thick and thin, and by defeating Alvarez, he’s either going to be in another title eliminator bout, or finally challenge for UFC gold. As for the “Underground King,” it wasn’t the worst of debuts, yet that’s just what UFC wanted … another Bellator guy stifled by a golden boy employee who takes on all jobs.
Conor McGregor Is The Next Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Michael Jordan, And Walt Disney
If you watched the post-fight press conference, you noticed the Irishman sitting there glowing in his ivory elephant trunk suit, with every member of the media asking him the same three questions he’s been asked for the past year. Hell, he even got a post-fight media scrum.
Don’t get it twisted; “Notorious” truly is the biggest prospect in the UFC right now, and to be honest, he pretty much surpassed that status last night with a first-round TKO over the always-game Dustin Poirier. Did that shot hit “Diamond” in the back of the head? Did McGregor land more shots to the back of the head when following up?
It’s kind of subjective at this point. Whether he did or didn’t, it shouldn’t overshadow his performance. He was awarded the victory after all, and we’ve seen a lot more clusterfucks than that in the past.
UFC’s legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Goldberg compared him to Michael Jordan, not to mention Uncle Dana saying he was bigger than Brock Lesnar, the biggest draw the sport had ever seen. McGregor is going to Brazil to sit cageside with his homies at UFC 179, so don’t be surprised if he’s slotted in the Octagon as the next contender to the featherweight strap. We’re not going to assess if he deserves a title shot or not … we’re just going to predict what we think will happen, seeing that UFC as a whole thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Yoel Romero Sitting On His Stool, Giving Less Fucks Than Ricky Rozay
Romero’s battle alongside Tim Kennedy was pretty good while it lasted, and subject to a boatload of controversy. Romero was basically out on his stool, and after “a UFC employee put too much Vaseline on him,” he sat there for about half a minute while his corner “attempted” to leave the cage.
There’s no question that if any of us were the American, we’d be pissed. “Soldier of God” was dazed, and it looked like he was prepared to vomit at any moment. Still, he comes out in the third round and completely torches Kennedy in the biggest win of his career.
Sorry UFC, but victim blaming won’t work here. That one was on “Big” John McCarthy, and it’s puzzling to think one of the best officials in the game let that one slip by. Like, dude, at least tell the guy to stand up and ask him questions.
Cat Zingano Win Inspiring, But Please, Leave Her Alone
“Alpha” has been through a lot in the past year. Joe Rogan hinted at in her post-fight interview after her comeback win over Amanda Nunes in the third round, but failed to say what happened, which led to an honest assessment of Zingano saying she just wanted to go home, spend time with her son, and happy she got that shit over with.
Zingano’s third-round stoppage over the Brazilian was ultra inspiring, with the majority of the sport’s observers feeling genuinely happy for the next women’s bantamweight number one contender. However, let’s give it a rest, and leave her alone. I’ve always felt indifferent when it comes to exploring one’s personal circumstances in a difficult time, and unlike the next fighter on the list, Zingano went through hardship that nobody deserves to go through. So for next time, let’s not hint at her troubles multiple times (Rogan & Goldie) without mentioning what happened, and let her enjoy possibly the biggest win of her life?
Dominick Cruz Is The Best Pound-For-Pound Athlete In The Universe, Currently Sitting In CRUZ Control
Imagine what you live for is taken away from you for three years. We’re not talking about being abstinent, you horny pervert. In Cruz’s case, we had no idea how he was going to look. He never lost the bantamweight championship, yet his last bout was three years ago, and there was a plethora of questions regarding his physical and mental state.
Call it a travesty that his fight against Takeya Mizugaki was on the FS1 prelims, although it was the best-case scenario. Dozens of thousands of viewers witnessed DOMIN8TION for free, with Cruz mauling Mizugaki after landing a takedown which may or may not have given most of us at this website an instant erection.
Credit the brass for booking Cruz against T.J. Dillashaw next, because frankly, that’s the only sensible option. “Dominator” could have fought Urijah Faber, too, especially after his post-fight jab, but let’s not pretend last night’s winner lost his title and didn’t beat Faber in convincing fashion three years ago.
All In All …
It was a perfect night of fights. Truth be told, it was the type of card we live for, and the reason we still wake up at freaking 5AM to watch putrid battles featuring foreign fighters with 2-0 records. Honestly, it felt like 2007 all over again.
In the end, we got a main event that had less drawing power than a George Lopez sitcom, a superstar’s official coming out party, #stoolgate, and two competitors that were granted guaranteed title shots (with two others in the championship limelight, also). That’s the UFC we know. That’s the pain we face. That’s why after all this time, we still put up with Stemm.
Enjoy it while you can. It’s not like we’re treated to these gifts every weekend anymore, however, something tells me the rest of the year heading into the next could be something special.
