Behind the Scenes: UFC Fighters and Their Weirdest Pre-Fight Rituals

MMA is a high-risk and high-reward sport that involves a lot of pressure, where fighters spend most of their time training to reach their limits. Still, for most of the UFC fighters, more than training or learning their opponents’ moves, getting into the right frame of mind for a fight is an important thing. They use all sorts of odd and unusual practices to relax before a bout, to motivate themselves, or to get the spirit that is required inside the cage. These pre-fight warm-up exercises include such things as dancing like Michael Jackson and even making faces, which are as far from normal as can be imagined, and this shows how some fighters have strange ways of getting ready for battle.

Here are some of the most bizarre warm-up and preparation routines ever seen from UFC fighters.

1.Lyoto Machida: He Drinks His Own Urine

Among the most unusual warm-up exercises that have ever been associated with a UFC fight comes from Lyoto Machida, the former UFC light heavyweight champion. The 32-year-old fighter is famous for his karate-based moves and heretical strikes in the cage, and as for his strange warm-up routine, he drinks his own urine.

Machida says that taking urine is healthy for him as it aids in cleaning the body and recycling nutrients. Although there is no scientific evidence to prove this, Machida says that his father brought him up on it, and he has been practicing it to the letter for years. He even attributed this ritual as one of the reasons for his success, saying that it prepares him both mentally and physically.

While this has drawn the ire of fans and his fellow fighters, Machida has stood his ground, saying that it is a cultural thing and that it helps him. This aspect of his strict adherence to this peculiar practice is reflective of his general philosophy toward conditioning and combat—a very systematic and unorthodox way of thinking.

*Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone: Boxers Jump Before Battles

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is one of the most entertaining and unpredictable fighters in the history of the UFC because of his readiness to fight at any time and place. Cerrone’s warm-up, where he does activities that are thrilling, such as skydiving or wakeboarding, before a fight is as unique as the fighting style.

To Cerrone, fighting can be nerve-wracking, and the way to relax is not to sit in a quiet room and meditate, but to go skydiving. To quote the man himself, prior to fighting, he places himself in life-or-death situations, as this helps him to remove fear. This despite the fact that Cerrone has stated in interviews, “How can I be afraid of a fight when I’ve just been flying through the air at 12,000 feet?”

This might sound anti-logical to many, but for Cerrone, it gets him all pumped up and prepares him for the fight; it helps him focus. It is also indicative of his rather flamboyant character, be it in and out of the cage.

3. Ronda Rousey: I am listening to ‘Sexual Healing.’

Ronda Rousey, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and trailblazer for women’s MMA, had a surprising pre-fight tradition: This is a real story of how Khabib Nurmagomedov used to warm up to the song Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye before a fight in the Octagon. Unlike most fighters who select fast music to energize themselves, Rousey selected a slow and sultry number to relax her and concentrate.

To Rousey, music was a tool that helped her manage her emotions as well as temper her aggression prior to a bout. With the help of “sexual healing,” she was able to reduce stress that is inherent for the top-level fighter who has to perform constantly. It’s a clear case of how each fighter’s training of the mind is individualized by the fighter’s personality. This shows how Rousey was able to maintain a calm attitude when competing in such a high-pressure match, which was a big factor in her being such a champion.

4. Georges St-Pierre: Obsessive Routine and OCD Tendencies

Georges St-Pierre (GSP), arguably one of the most skilled fighters in the history of MMA, was not only a master of the fight game on the inside of the cage but also a workaholic outside of it. GSP himself was not shy in admitting that he has OCD, and it was a big part of his preparation before the fight.

The measures of precaution that St-Pierre took went to almost every part of his life in the buildup to the fight. He would do the same thing over and over and be extremely pious about the schedules as to when he ate, trained, or visualized meals, training, and visualizations. This highly structured methodology assisted GSP to deal with the nerves and to be mentally ready for the fight, which is actually a chaos.

His rigorous training has been attributed to the fact that he has been able to retain his status as one of the best athletes for quite some time because he did not miss any aspect of his training. To GSP, these superstitions were not just silly beliefs, but the idea behind them made a lot of sense in the context of the otherwise unpredictable sport of MMA.

5.Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Scent of the Woods

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion known for his ferocious fighting style and knockout power, had one particularly strange pre-fight habit: spraying a liberal amount of cologne before he enters the cage of the UFC. Although this might seem quite mild compared with other ceremonies on this list, Jackson’s choice of the cologne was not a regular one. He would spray himself with some cologne that had some sort of scent of the forest; this made him say he smelled like a forest.

For Jackson, it was all about the psychology of the ritual. He felt that the smell was grounding him and linking him to the basic animal instincts, which he would then tap into during his fight. Also, he assumed that his opponent, who was already nervous and tensed up, would get distracted by the smell emanating from him.

Rampage’s use of cologne was as peculiar as the rest of his behavior and lifestyle, which was part of his showmanship and psychological warfare, where every aspect counted.

Khabib Nurmagomedov: The Eagle and Spiritual Solitude

Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the UFC, had both spiritual and traditional pre-fight rituals. Popular as “The Eagle,”  Khabib hails from the mountainous region of Dagestan, which has a very rich and rooted culture and religion.

The pre-fight routine that Khabib used to perform was to go into isolation and concentrate on his religion, Islam. He would pray and meditate and get focused on what he believes in before he steps into the cage, the Octagon. To Khabib, it was not just a battle of muscles; instead of it being a game of flesh and bone, it was a spiritual game in which a man looks for strength from something beyond this world.

Also, the name ‘The Eagle’ that Khabib used was a reflection of his love for nature because in Dagestan eagles are highly regarded. He saw himself as a reflection of the eagle’s might, and that is how he went to each battle.

Diego Sanchez: “Yes Cartwheel” and Energy Work

UFC fighter Diego Sanchez is one of the most enigmatic and flamboyant fighters in the Octagon and is well known for his strange warm-up routines. Sanchez, who has been with the UFC for close to 16 years, is known to be a fighter who always incorporates mind and spirit in his fighting techniques that include several forms of rituals.

One of his most peculiar warm-up activities is the so-called ‘Yes Cartwheel.‘ Before entering the cage, Sanchez will cartwheel and say “yes” to himself as many times as possible, a kind of psychological preparation to keep the mind free from negative thoughts and to make the fighter’s victory inevitable.

Sanchez has also adopted other kinds of cartwheels in addition to the cartwheel, such as meditation, breath work, and even with ‘healers’ who assert that they can work on his energy fields. Despite the fact that such rituals may be considered rather unorthodox, they have already become a part of Sanchez’s training routine, as he is truly a believer in the power of the mind.

Urijah Faber: Strangely Weird Hair Tradition

Urijah Faber is the UFC Hall of Famer and one of the first fighters in the lighter weight classes, and he has the looks and the long hair of a California surfer. But Faber was not just showing off his hair; it was used during his pre-fight warm-up. Each time the fighters were to step into the cage, Faber would take his time to braid his hair, sometimes taking hours to make sure that it was done properly.

This ritual was not about the looks alone. To Faber, the process of braiding was psychological since it served as a way of preparing oneself through the process of repetitive motions that made him go into a meditative trance. When Faber’s hair was done, his mind would be as clear as a bell, and he was prepared to go to battle.

Rich Franklin: Math Problems

Rich Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion, was known to have a strange technique for how he dealt with nerves before a match: solving math problems. Franklin was a high school math teacher, and, before stepping out to fight, he would take time to solve mathematical problems in the locker room.

This is the reason; solving mathematical problems assisted Franklin to distract himself from the pressure and anxiety of the impending battle. It was a method of maintaining his composure and readiness for the fight so that he could do his best once the battle started.

Conclusion

Like any sport, the mind is also trained and prepared for the fight, and this is not left out in UFC fighting. For most fighters, warm-up sessions can be a big secret of success, as they use them to either calm down their nerves, to focus, or to get the morale to fight the opponent. Whether it is Lyoto Machida drinking his urine or Donald Cerrone skydiving, such rituals are as peculiar as they are unique, and they all serve to illustrate the fact that fighters have their ways and means of preparing for the fight.