Legendary boxer and coach Roger Mayweather once famously uttered the phrase that
“Most people don’t know sh*t about boxing,” and that sentiment certainly remains true.
Part of that translates well to MMA training, too. You’ve seen the Rocky series and the
Warrior movie, and you’ve watched the insider clips on Instagram, so you think you
know what it’s like to be training hard – even when the cameras aren’t present.
However, there are still many situations going on behind the curtain for fighters from
every level. From what MMA fighters wish they knew before their first fight, to weight
cutting struggles, to fight cancellations and the mental aspect that comes with counting
down the days, it is a gruelling career and only the strong survive.
Luckily, Eryxgear has some of the strongest minded athletes in the world, and they’ve
pulled back the curtain to tell you five things only fighters know about MMA training.
“There’s So Much That Goes Into It” – Anna Shukhman, amateur women’s MMA
prospect
There’s much more to fighting than what meets the eye, and that’s backed up by the
experience of rising amateur star Anna Shukhman.
Getting under the bright lights and having your name called for all to see is everyone’s
idea of fighting. That’s the exciting part. Everyone visualises stepping in the ring and
scoring that dream knockout. But it doesn’t always go that way.
Despite holding three concussive victories to her name already, Shukhman has learned
this the hard way. Sometimes, no matter how hard you’ve trained, it just isn’t your night,
and Shukhman wants to bring that to fans’ attention:
“I’d say how the fight is the part everyone sees and where the cameras are on, but
that’s only a few minutes of that performance. And there’s so much that goes into it in
camp with the training and mental aspect,” she said.
“You can do everything right in camp and just not perform on the night.”
“All The Doubts Start To Creep In” – Sam “The Mighty Mole” Kelly, Cage Warriors
Bantamweight
It’s all well and good when you’re winning fights, knocking out opponents, and stacking
up the highlight reels. That’s what every fighter dreams of. But when you’re on the
losing side, that’s when you find out what you’re made of.
Cage Warriors scrapper Sam Kelly has been on both sides of it. He once had a three-
fight losing streak, coming up short in nail-biting brawls that quickly made him a fan
favourite no matter the outcome.
However, having the heart to go back in the gym and work your socks off to get back to
winning ways is the measure of a man. “The Mighty Mole” certainly proved himself, and
he confessed that it wasn’t in the gym that he fought the hardest. It was when the lights
went out at night.
“When I train, that’s when I feel my most confident and know I can do it. It’s the hardest
when I put my head on the pillow at bedtime,” he revealed.
“That’s all the doubts start to creep in. putting the effort in at training and being able to
hang with high calibre fighters is what pulled me through.”
“I See This All The Time” – Mateusz Figlak, Cage Warriors Welterweight Star
MMA training is about improving the software without damaging the hardware, and
Cage Warriors welterweight star Mateusz Figlak wants to keep it that way.
Gym wars are legendary in combat sports. In times of old, many fighters would fight in
the gym, unknowingly chipping away at their health. Then when the biggest fights arrive,
the competitors haven’t peaked. They’ve past their prime.
Figlak believes he’s seen multiple cases of fighters falling apart in the cage due to the
damage accrued in the gym. It’s never a pretty sight for him to see, and he says this to
pull back the curtain to force fighters to train smarter, not harder.
“Something only fighters know is that sparring and fighting are two very different things,”
he revealed.
“You could be a world champion in the gym and can never put it together in a real fight
scenario – which is where it matters the most. I see this all the time.”
“You’ll Have The Highs Or Lows” – Joffie Houlton, PFL Heavyweight Tournament
Star
Joffie Houlton's approach to fighting differs from many. Many athletes are known to
enter battle with the world on their shoulders, having not given a thought to anything
post-fight.
However, the Stoke-on-Trent heavyweight embodies a “c’est la vie” approach to fighting. To him, no matter what happens on fight night, the world will continue to turn, and he’ll
always appreciate that there’s more to life than what goes down in those 15 minutes.
“I’d say that only fighters know that all of it doesn’t matter,” Houlton began. “The
training, the wins, the losses. None of it.
“When it’s all done on Saturday night, you’ll have the highs or lows. But by Monday,
none of it matters.”
“You Don’t Need To Impress Anyone” – Andreeas Binder, The Ultimate Fighter
Star
For Andreeas Binder, he believes the fans, critics, and everyone else on the outside will
never understand the pressure of a big fight.
When a huge opportunity comes his way, much like his appearance on The Ultimate
Fighter 33, it consumes him.
So many fighters worry about making errors on fight night, but Binder makes a crucial
effort to get all of his mistakes out of him in the gym to shine brightest when it matters
most. That helps him get over the pressure of the occasion.
“I think the biggest thing is the difference between the pressure of fighting and training,”
he said.
“A fighter puts so much pressure in there when fighting, trying to not make the mistakes
you have done in training. There are no bright lights or crowds that you have to perform
in front of when in the gym, so you can make those mistakes. You can make those
adjustments and you don't need to impress anyone!”
