   Stress, Anxiety, Anticipation and Tension Whatever the term, every fighter has experienced those sensations to some degree. Many amateur MMA fighters feel this way when they prepare for a fight. I had the opportunity of interviewing various fighters right before they fought in the newest MMA fightcompetition “ R.E.A.L.” which was held at Rahway, New Jersey. Dec 15th 2007.
Dave Conception, (183 lbs) from Team Quiet Storm, Reading, PA states; “When I have a fight scheduled, I avoid obsessing about it in the weeks ahead, so I do not get to the point where I get over anxious and end up overtraining for the fight.”
Dave also states; “There’s no substitute for experience in avoiding undue nervousness before a fight. Every fight can be a learning experience. You take something away from the last fight and apply that knowledge to the next. Familiarity with the combative arena, having confidence in your training routine and most importantly have an awareness of your body’s requirements all come with fighting experience is crucial to developing an approach to prepare for a fight.”
Steve “The Sharpshooter” Williams, (189 lbs) of Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, NYC, offers advice to future amateur MMA fighters, “Early on as a fighter you have to do a little ‘trial and error.’ When you start out, everyone is a little anxious. This is the learning process, which enables you to become a pro later on and know your own body. I pay attention to how I feel before and during workouts. Every fighter can be different. It all depends on your workout schedule and when you are not in the pre-fight frame of mind.”
Steve won his title fight in the first round, by unanimous decision.
Another memo on the subject, one of the things you’ll expect early in your MMA career is that the factors of a fight can change several times in the weeks, even minutes, before a bout that there’s seldom anything concrete to obsess on even if you’re inclined to.
Jerry Mendez (fight promoter) says; “From the time you accept a fight until the moment you step into the ring, the opponent or the agreed upon weight can, and often will, change three or four times.” True enough. I have been involved in fights where, without notice, the opponent I faced in the ring was not the person who had weighed in. What you need to do is focus on training; and the rest will fall into place. When I was in the weighing room one fighter had to cut weight, another fighter five minutes later, had to gain weight. One of the fighters, Thiago Carsi, had to loose 2 lbs before the fight, he was 141 lbs. Knowing I was in the same weight class, I asked him in a joking manner, “Hey I’ll Fight you man! I weigh 141lbs too!” Thiago won in the second round. Coincidently, I myself competed in the Action Sports No-Gi Grappling Challenge, sponsored by Modern Martial Arts earlier that day at the same location of REAL RISING and won a 3rd place medal, intermediate division.
I have been practicing MMA/Jiu-Jitsu for over 6 months now, at Zen-Bu JuJutsu, www.nycselfdefense.com, which has two locations, Manhattan and Staten Island, NY.
A prospective fighter cannot just fight the night of; a fighter must be affiliated with a MMA school or martial arts school and must provide a letter of competence from the trainer. Fighters also need to provide a doctor note stating that the fighter has undergone an examination and is fit to compete. Medical clearance must be within 45 days of the competition. On the day of the fight, weigh- ins take place, 2 hours before the scheduled event. The medical examiner checks every fighter for any health ailments, such as blood pressure and heartbeat. After the final clearance, the fighter is able to participate in the MMA event.
One Grappler I had met and interviewed, “Rich Spinelli” (185lbs) said he has been grappling since 16 years of age. He is sponsored by TEAM REAL. He is also a street wrestler. Rich states that his Sensei, Brian Wright, got him on the straight path, kept him out of trouble.
After interviewing several fighters, many explained that they do recognize that some level of stress before a fight is normal. One fighter, Andrew Mohler, of Maryland said, “It can even be beneficial I think a little nervousness and excitement can be good. It will keep you on your toes.”
One MMA fighter “Ray Pina” (174lbs) told me, “The day of the fight I just stay quiet and force myself to contain the intensity that is building up inside of me. I try to shut everyone out. I keep positive thoughts in my mind and replay scenarios of me winning, and when the tension is building, the fight starts, and all the energy is released.”
Chris Aquino (139lbs) from RMAFC Academy replies, “I really want to put on a show. I put my earphones on and get really amped before a fight. Well, I got over-amped. When the fight started I could not remember anything, including keeping my hands up. I took a lot of punches I didn’t need to take before beating the guy in my previous fight.”
Another fighter, Jarad Gordon (146lbs) has been studying at Combined Martial Arts, Astoria Queens, NYC for 8 months, Jarad fought before in “Rumble in Rahway and he won, this is his third MMA fight. Jarad says; “Most fighters prepare to enter the ring are overflowing with motivation and anticipation.” Jarad won in the first round (48 seconds). Gerard “Jerry” Mendez is co-owner of REAL Fighting and is the fight promoter for New Breed Fighters. Jerry also fought in MMA competitions as well as San-Da” which is another form of MMA training and combat. I also had the opportunity to interview Carl Mascarenhas of New Breed Fighters www.newbreedfighters.com. has featured events for over a year now. He enjoys networking with various up and coming fighters as well as professional fighters such as Marcus Davis of “The Ultimate Fighter” has fought in New breed and Cage of Fury and has been pro for years now.
Scott Wapner, of CNBC, recently produced a documentary on Amateur MMA and how they become pro. He reported, “Mixed Martial Arts is one of the fastest growing entertainment attractions in the United States.” |
