Elite Athletes Ltd: August 2014

I've just arrived in Bangor, Maine (don't worry I had to Google where it was too when I first heard it) and I'm slightly weary from the two flights and long connection it took to get me here. However the excitement of fight week, the magnitude of this fight and the three coffees I've had today are keeping me positive and excited about being here.

It seems like only a couple of weeks ago we were in Alberqurque being handed a somewhat controversial decision at the hands of the Alberqurque athletic commission. But since then I've traveled to New Zealand with Jamie Tehuna (full article to come rather than a blog to give justice to the magnitude and power of the experience) and to Dublin, Ireland with Norman Parke.

Dublin was a fantastic experience. I arrived on the Friday just before the weigh in. Norman had been lighter this whole camp and hadn't needed the hands on help with the weight cut so I just remotely advised and consulted and supervised the rehydration and refuelling.

I very often find that fighters make the mistake of thinking their job is done once they have weighed in but I believe that the most important part of the weight cut is the point from the weigh in to the fight. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of times I've seen guys stuffing their face straight off the scales or drink fizzy drinks or eat junk food to refuel thinking that their job is done, the job isn't done until your hand is raised in victory. Why would a fighter go through all the trouble of dieting and cutting weight to gain a performance advantage to throw it all away by filling themselves full of processed, low nutrient food?

The same philosophy applied during camp of fuelling your body with nutrient dense, earth grown foods should be applied after the weigh in and with even more diligence.

During fight week the fighters calorie intake is reduced and the body is craving to replenish its nutrient stores so feeding it with only the best nutrients is vital to allow the body to recover from the weigh in and put the body, mind and soul in a state to perform.

The weigh ins were one of the most high energy and well attended I've ever been to. The venue was 3/4 full with eager fans and the anticipation of seeing Dublin's golden boy Mcgregor was almost too much. All the local fighters were met with rapturous cheers and applause but nothing compared to the reception Mcgregor received. The face off between Mcgregor and Brandao was heated and the fans loved every second of it. Emotions continued to run high back stage and insults and fighting words were exchanged. The anticipation of the fight was heightened by the weigh in and I knew that it was going to be a special show.

Normans cut went really well and we had a nice relaxed meal a couple of hours after the weigh in. The priority immediately after the weigh in is rehydration and trying to eat a large meal too soon can have disastrous effects on the fighters digestion and leave them bloated, uncomfortable and unable to adequately refuel.

The Irish fans were amazing and that evening the hotel was busy with all the people associated with the UFC. Judges, refs, fighters, managers, reporters and fans were all rubbing shoulders and the atmosphere was great.

I think the Irish fans are some of the most passionate and knowledgable in the world. This was the first time in 5 years that the UFC had been to Ireland and they were acting like they hadn't eaten for 5 years and this was their first meal.

Dan Hardy was also there and it was nice to catch up with him as with both our busy schedules and me living in Windsor now we don't get to hang out as much as we'd like. Dan and John Gooden have been doing a great job with the commentating and it's been great to see Dan transition so effortlessly into his new role. I would however still like to see him compete in the octagon again and I'm confident he will in the not to distant future.

In the morning of fight day Norman did a light workout but before that Ross Pearson did a good session as he was in town and needed to train. Ross was there to watch the fights and support his fiancé Kristie Mckeon who's the UFC's ring girl.

It was one of the rare opportunities that Coach Eric Del Fierro and I get to coach Ross together other than around fight week. We worked on some technical pads,not focused around any particular opponent then did some positional work on the ground and then we rolled for a few rounds. It was great timing as Ross's fight against Able Truijio had just been announced so we were able to plan out the camp structure face to face rather than by email and Skype. Ross had kept in shape since the Sanchez fight and was injury free and ready to go. It made planning the camp much easier.

Norman did a light technical session with his head coach Rodney Moore and coach Eric I gave small bits of advice and reaffirmed the game plan. It had been a few fights since Norman and I had worked together and it was obvious to see how much he had progressed and improved in that time.

Norman has a great fighting brain and attitude to training, he has great self belief and had a lot of confidence going into this fight. I was excited about watching him perform.

The venue was literally a stones throw from the hotel but we still got a coach to it to avoid the fans at the venue. The warm up rooms were small but it was fine for a warm up. Norman was oozing confidence and didn't show a bit of nerves about the fight or the occasion. When it was time to walk out I could hear the crowd getting louder as we made our way back stage to the curtain. Norman got a great reception and I could see he was feeding off it and excited about the fight.

The fight went well and Norman stuck to the gameplan, at the end of the first round Norman was opening up with some good ground and pound and if there was longer left in the round he could have finished him. Whenever a round ends I look at the opponent first to gauge where he's at both physically and mentally... he was broken.

Norman sat down and said "I'm way stronger than him" we gave him some advice and sent him back out there. Norman knew he could dominate him grappling and took the fight to the ground again and began opening up with some big elbows and punches forcing the ref to stop the fight. Norman did an Aldo and ran into the crowd but was quickly brought back by security to do his post fight interview. Norman called out Diego Sanchez so hopefully we'll get that fight.

After the fight Norman had to have the mandatory medical and then a series of interviews. We got back to the changing room and there was just enough time to head out and watch the main event. The atmosphere at this point was reaching fever pitch and the energy was electric. The only thing comparable to this was when we were in Brazil for Ross's fight against Barbosa.

Mcgregor's walk out was one of the best I've witnessed, not for the showiness of it but for the atmosphere and reception he received. Mcgregor seemed supremely confident and didn't seem at all fazed by the magnitude of the occasion, instead he seemed to be feeding off it. Brandao was the polar opposite and seemed like the occasion had got to him and was far too excited.

The fight was exciting but there was only going to be one outcome and excuse the cliche but Brandao was fighting two men that night, Mcgregor and the Irish fans. The noise when Mcgregor won was unbelievable it seemed like there was 20,000 fans there not 10.

Time will tell what level Mcgregor will get to but if self belief is anything to go by he's going to go very far. From speaking to him you can see he means what he says and he says what he means. Love him or hate him you have to admire his self belief, it's the most powerful tool any athlete can have. It's the same as an in form striker or hot basket player, they have a confidence and self belief that will make the difference when all other attributes like skill or power are equal.

Ross is in that place right now and his confidence and belief in himself is on a different level. He's aiming for the belt and to establish himself as a great and it's the only mindset that is possible in achieving that goal.