Quote:
Originally Posted by Khabib.
Got some fighter/mma questions, as its something that I find interesting and its pretty cool to have a pokerplayer//mma expert. Feel free to answer here or on ur podcast...
What kind of foot strengthening excercises do you do? (balance pipes?, slant boards?, stability type stuff?)[/quote]
I do a lot of work with a mobility coach named Kate Galliett. It's a combination of neurological work with foot/toe mobility, short foot exercises, eversion/inversion stuff. We did an assessment at her place and she gave me a lot of drills specific to me and my situation but she has some general stuff on
her youtube channel here
Do you ever use a yoga ball in ur ab workouts?
Not really, I tend to just use the ab roller a lot. I like using the yoga ball for solo guard passing drills though (see Jeff Glover on this topic).
How important is the speed bag? Is this something every fighter should be incorporating into their workout everyday?
I have no idea tbh. I mean obviously there are lots of world-class MMA fighters, Thai fighters and kickboxers who don't use speed bags. But boxers have been using it forever so obviously they find value in it. I don't really feel qualified to answer this. I personally find the double-end bag a bit more useful since it's somewhat more realistic.
Have you seen the joe rogan podcast with nick curson and his training methods which say lifting weights has little benefit for many fighters?
I didn't listen to that particular JRE. But while Nick Curson is much smarter than I am or ever will be on this topic, he's also selling a product. Speed is important. But I think MMA does have a few specific components were pure strength is relevant, so I continue to lift weights 1-2x/week.
At what point does weight just become to much of a factor in a fight, as in throw out some hypotheticals, can a 150lb guy who has been training mma for 6 months beat a 200lb decently in shape man who goes to gym 4x/week, lifts heavy, but never been in a real fight?
Yeah, I mean the 150lb guy would be a lot like JC Alvarado (who's actually closer to 160), who would tear up an untrained but athletic 200lb guy.
At about 135lbs the fight would be a lot more fair. Or if the 150lb guy had only 2 months training.
You have yet to lose, do you think you will ever face a loss in the octagon? Is it likely or forseeable that a defeat will cause you to re-evaluate the fight game? A lot of fighters with similiar records will take a loss and end up moving on to something else.
I've lost. I've lost by decision in an amateur boxing match, I've lost probably dozens of jiujitsu competition matches, and I recently lost in the first round of an MMA tournament in Macau. Maybe I've never lost in a major MMA cage match, but I'm sure I will. I've never had the ego to think that I'm so great just because I'm 3-0. I've trained with enough beasts to know I'm not special.
And you're totally right, losing for the first time changes people. I don't know how I'll react. I hope I'll react well.
Do you ever worry about brain trauma? Is hard sparring something that you do a lot of?
Yes I do, and I try to keep hard sparring to only the last couple weeks before the fight. (My coaches may or may not agree with this tho. :/ )
Do you have any significant others or family that just has a hard time watching you fight? Maybe they care to much about you to see and cant appreciate the competition of the sport given the violence.
Yeah, my mom won't come to a fight. My dad's never been to one either, but I think it's just because he's indifferent. My girlfriend gets both super excited and insanely nervous. My cousins love it and think it's awesome.
What characteristics make a natural fighter? If you were 15 years old, and some1 said that you would take up fighting and step in an octagon was that forseeable?
No idea on Q1. I guess some combination of toughness, athleticism, and emotional intelligence.
At 15 I probably thought that pro wrestling was cooler than real fighting. So that gives you an idea where I was at then.
Were you picked on or bullied as a kid?
Nope. I got suckerpunched once in like Grade 10, but largely was left alone.