According to feedback from several fighters, stepping into the Octagon for the first time can be a nerve racking experience — it often doesn’t matter if a he has been a pro for five years or 15.
The truth of the matter is that a UFC debut can apparently psyche out even the most grizzled veterans.
Here’s some perspective from UFC fighters past and present via the The Peterborough Examiner on the feeling:
“I fought two great big guys in that tournament. The first guy was 300 pounds, the second was about 290 … I remember being about ready to piss my pants walking into that cage. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to climb the fence and run or stand in there and fight.”
– Randy Couture
“It was an amazing experience. I was so nervous. The thing just went well but I didn’t fight the fight I wanted to … I made a lot of mistakes, but the important thing for me was that I won. That’s all that matters.”
– Georges St. Pierre
“… he had never been as nervous going into a bout, noting how he was not used to seeing himself on billboards around town.”
– Rampage Jackson
“He [Pat Miletich] had been right that this was a fight like any other fight, yet the consequences would be huge.”
– Matt Hughes
“I knew at my age I wasn’t going to get overawed with nerves. What I wasn’t prepared for was I was just so excited whenever I was in there. I didn’t relax when I was throwing the shots. I just realized when it was too late, ‘My God, how can I be tired after the training I’ve done.’ But I was. I was just so uptight… Over here I would be sort of more known for how cool and how calm I am when under pressure. But I just got carried away, the Belfast crowd going wild.”
– Colin Robinson
“It is an entirely different experience than any other fight show I’ve ever been in, anywhere in the world…. It was a strange feeling walking out in front of all those people. I felt very, very much like I didn’t really belong … You’re completely in awe of everything going around you and, for myself anyways, the first time I just didn’t feel like I was prepared for it.”
– Joe Doerksen
Good luck to Jason Day, Cain Velasquez and Brad Morris — all three fighters will be making their respective Octagon debuts at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ less than one week from today at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on April 19.
It sounds like they might need it.
10 Comments »
I’d say about 3/4 of the fighters making their debut get the octagon jitters. You can almost tell when they are walkin out when you look at their eyes and just their demeanor in comming out. But there are some guys that are just ready to go (i.e. Houston Alexander in his fight with Jardine).
It’s really interesting to hear those kind of things from legends like Randy Couture and Matt Hughes. Good composite of quotes mania.
Off topic..But i found this funny.
Just watched WWF with my son and the Undertaker won a match by Triangle choke!!
There were also references to half guard and full guard.
Not seen WWF for a long time so I dont know if this is something they do now, or are they just starting to jump on the MMA bandwagon?
Relatively new to adding MMA in small doses. Undertaker beat Edge in Wrestlemania via gogoplata too.
I get jitters just by going to the UFC events.
I don’t really get too worked up until the Baba O’Riley highlight reel comes on before they go live. Has the vid been leaked yet?
mike – you’re too right, it’s not just the fighters, especially in Montreal.
they tend to riot if their team loses in the hockey playoffs. oh yea, they riot if their team wins too!!
I’m hoping this doesn’t happen with fights too.
should be a fun night next saturday.
I guess chuck is the only exception to this theory…….that guy is never nervous……..
I think UFC jitters do exist. Shogun should have beaten Griffin. Sokoudjou’s debut wasn’t successful either but then again, his opponent was Machida. I believe Heath Herring said he had some jitters too at his UFC debut as well.
this should not be an excuse for losing. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!!!!