The Psychology of Fighting

Fighters ready themselves mentally for months to step into combat for mere minutes. Before success can be achieved or failure suffered, the mind realizes the body has no refuge in a fight, despite extended preparation.

“In sports such as MMA, where the athletes are consistently exposed to real physical danger, it triggers the mind to be in a fight or flight response,” said Jennifer Moilanen, owner of Ultimate Performance Consulting, a sports psychology firm in Orinda, Calif. “So that then makes the mind want to try many strategies to avoid that danger in the future.”

Mental blocks come in the form of racing thoughts, lack of self-confidence, diminished focus, self sabotage, fear, panic and anxiety, according to Moilanen. The fight begins before the first punch is thrown. Increased heart rate, nausea, shakes, sweating, shortness of breath and vomiting are common, as well. These physical manifestations are proof that the mind can undermine the body.

Fighters, however, learn to control their mental tics, as they repeat the process leading up to a fight over and over again throughout their careers. Once a fighter enters the cage or ring, a different clash ensues. This is where a fighter’s heart, fortitude or mental strength -- or lack thereof -- shines through.

Answering adversity

Competitors have a myriad of ways with which to end an MMA match, all of which have psychological components. Being finished, whether by submission or by knockout, can damage a fighter physically and mentally.

A knockout can serve as a sudden, unexpected trip where time seems to skip a beat. “One loss, one shot,” said Jens Pulver (Pictures), who has carved out an MMA legacy through his knockout-or-be-knocked-out style. Recovering from such a quick and decisive defeat can make one gunshy, as a fighter’s flight response moves to the forefront.

A submission, on the other hand, is the realization by the mind that it’s better to admit defeat than absorb further damage.

Bas Rutten (Pictures) claims his last loss -- a submission defeat to Ken Shamrock (Pictures) in 1995 -- was physically painful but emotionally harmless. The reason? He had identified his weakness through adversity.

“I had no ground, no submission experience,” Rutten said.

Moilanen backs up Rutten’s admission, claiming fighters “need to process versus suppress they’re mistakes, their knockouts, their losses” in order to recover and improve.

Refusing to acknowledge a loss can work to a fighter’s detriment, as the trauma suffered can spill into future bouts. Not dealing with adversity may even leave a fighter ill-prepared in a sport that demands every last detail be accounted for.

“It’s just as important to have a mental strategic plan as it is to have a physical strategic plan,” Moilanen said.

Outside distractions

When competitors underperform in the UFC, “Octagon jitters” are often cited, a reference to fighters who were unable to handle the dynamics of fighting on the biggest stage. While a one-fight-at-a-time mentality is employed by most, each confrontation brings about its own set of unique challenges.

“I think a lot of fighters have [personal troubles], and I think that is a lot of times why you see guys not at their best,” said former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock (Pictures), who knows how much outside distractions can affect training. He spends much of his time before a fight purging himself of negative energy.

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Frank Trigg (Pictures) sees fighting as a struggle within oneself.

“The battle is still within me being able to do what I think I should be doing during that fight with this particular competition,” Trigg said. Like Shamrock, he believes “whether it’s a title fight or not, to me it’s always a big deal.”