HOW TO DEAL WITH BEING NERVOUS BEFORE FIGHTS! 🥊🥋

What's up, guys? Got asked a couple of questions recently. Some requested videos that a couple of guys asked questions about. One was about being a fighter and how you deal with the emotions, the nerves, being nervous. That was one question. And then the other question was very similar. A guy was asking about doing a video about when you make your pro debut and how you deal with the magnitude of the moment and the nerves and stuff like that.

Understanding the Nerves

It's kind of similar both ways, guys. You're always going to be nervous to a degree. I think everybody gets nervous. Most people lie, say they don't get nervous. Everybody gets nervous to a degree. But some people get way less nervous than others, that's for sure. And it's kind of obvious if you've been around the MMA or the fighting community; it's very obvious. Some people just do struggle with nerves.

Everybody gets nervous to a degree. But some people get way less nervous than others, that's for sure.

Fighters Need Experience

This is why I also say that people should be fighting a bunch of smokers before they take even sanctioned fights. Quite a few amateur fights before they take professional fights. Because the more times you do this stuff, guys, the less nervous you get. You're just less nervous.

My Personal Journey

I remember a big part of how I broke this. I was never the person that got super nervous, but I mean, you're human, you still get somewhat nervous. But what I did is when I started, I started off boxing first, and it was, I started training late in life. I was two months before my 20th birthday. So basically 20 years old when I started training anything and it was boxing, I found a boxing gym.

And what I did is I took as many fights as I could. My coach would be like, "Oh, there's a tournament this weekend. You might get two or three fights." So I would go sign up and I had 20 amateur boxing fights, all basically in about a year and a half time period. When I transitioned from boxing to MMA, I had no ground game. I'd been grappling for four months when I started doing amateur MMA fights. And keep in mind this was 2009, so the sport has evolved drastically since then.

Back then, I had four months of ground game, and I was able to win four out of five amateur fights. With the one I lost, I got arm-barred, but I won four out of five amateur fights with basically four months of grappling because these other guys were so nervous and so scared to get hit. They weren't used to boxing, and I was used to competition at that point.

For a year and a half previous, I had had 20 fights. I was used to making big walks. I fought with the Golden Gloves is still a pretty big event here in Fort Worth, Texas. So I would, you know, I fought in that two times and then I also had a bunch of tournaments where I'd have two or three fights. Just making that walk out there, hearing the crowd, being nervous, it really made my transition to MMA very easy, honestly.

And also, you know, even though I didn't, I only had four months of grappling. I've kind of always kind of had good natural takedown defense, but as a whole, the experience was amazing. It really helped me get used to breaking my nerves. So that's why I suggest, guys, you take ten, I say ten minimum. Ten smokers, boxing and kickboxing, both.

You don't want the first time, even if you're a high-level grappler. Let's say you're a brown belt in jiu-jitsu or you've been a junior college wrestler or something. I don't think you should be... I think you need to get used to getting hit, so you don't need to just do grappling tournaments. You need to make sure the first time you get punched is not in an MMA fight. And I think that will help you with your confidence and not be, you know, not be so nervous as well.

Physique and Mental Preparedness

But it comes, guys, it comes. And some people handle it worse than others. Another solution I would say is you have to be in tip-top shape when you, first of all, you should be in shape year-round, and you should be in shape when you have fights and you should really be putting in real work.

The only thing that's going to solve the problem of you getting nervous, having maybe adrenaline dump is your cardio. Your cardio is going to have to push you through that because especially if you're new to fighting, this is your first or second fight, whether it's a smoker or a sanctioned amateur fight or a pro fight, you're gonna get nervous. So if it's your first one, you're really most likely almost for sure going to have an adrenaline dump.

I remember my first fight was at the Golden Gloves. I fought three times that one week and my first tournament ever. And you know, you trained for three-minute rounds in boxing, but this was, I was a novice beginner division, so you were finding two-minute rounds then so many people signed up. There were so many people there, they didn't have time to make them long. They made all the fights, 1-minute rounds, all of the novice fights. So I was a beginner fighting three 1-minute rounds, and I was just dead. I was so exhausted. Adrenaline dump, and everything was like a sprint.

Strategies to Combat Nerves

These things are going to come, guys. But the best advice I can give you is to be in shape, be in the best shape, and get over the fact that maybe you might have an adrenaline dump. Be mentally prepared for it, and know if it comes, you can deal with it, and it'll make it easier. Just anticipate it may be happening. Obviously, visualize otherwise.

I think visualization in fighting doesn't get talked about as much as it should. I mean, visualizing, closing your eyes, seeing yourself walk out there, seeing your people cheer at you, seeing yourself being relaxed, seeing yourself trying all these different techniques and then landing and seeing your hand get raised at the end, seeing, you know, just every step. Visualize the moment exactly how you want it and do that very consistently leading up to a fight.

Visualize the moment exactly how you want it and do that very consistently leading up to a fight.

Recap and Final Thoughts

That, and I do feel like that helps, guys. But, yeah, that's my, I guess, simple, easy answer there for that question about how to deal with your nerves. Just make sure you're in good shape and be ready for it. Just anticipate that it might happen and be ready for it, and your cardio will push you through.

If you work hard enough, it will. And just try to take as many fights leading up to a professional fight as you can. The more ring time you have, that's something that can't be replaced. You can't replace someone who's been training for ten years longer than you. It's hard to catch up to those reps. Well, guess what? If you have 20 fights and they have no fights, it's hard for them to catch up to that ring time. So it works both ways.