GSP on keeping a Whitebelt Mentality

In this great book "The Way of the Fight", Georges St-Pierre talks about keeping a whitebelt mentality, staying humble, and learning from everyone. This is a concept which has allowed GSP become the greatest welterweight of all time:

I keep the white-belt mentality that I can learn from anyone, anywhere,anytime. For those of you who have never tried martial arts, the white-belt mentality is the first thing you understand, on your first day as a beginner when you receive your white belt: everything is knowledge, all must be learned. I try to maintain that mentality. When I discover an element that I think can be useful to me, I adapt it to my routine and my outlook; I submit it to a trial-error-and-refinement process. If it passes the test, I incorporate the new knowledge into my arsenal. I practice it and build up my muscle memory to perform it properly. I enter the octagon with an open, fresh mind,and with support from my handpicked team. And finally, I apply the innovation at the right time. It becomes who I am, and it means that innovation keeps me ahead of my competition. It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around.

Bruce Lee quote on the successful warrior and focus

For Bruce Lee, focus was paramount to the success of a warrior:

“‎The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” 

Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones on doubters and haters

UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones draw inspiration from everywhere, including their doubters and haters:

Mauricio Shogun Rua on Bouncing Back from Losses

 

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made a statement about his loss to Chael Sonnen which reflects the spirit of a fighter, which includes is optimism, hope, and improvement:

"I have 11 years in MMA and Vale Tudo, I won everything I always wanted. I achieved everything I dreamed, but I want to do that again. I still want many victories; I still want to become the world champion again. Who decides when I will stop or not is myself, no one else. Thank God I’m financially stable, and I keep fighting because I love it....

I’m a really competitive guy, who hates to be defeated. I know I did everything I should have done during my preparation, but Sonnen was better on the fight. Unfortunately, in the fight, we have to wait a lot to return and bounce back. In soccer, you lose on Sunday and win on Wednesday, everything is ok. I’ll get back home, see what went wrong on the fight and train hard to make sure that mistake won’t happen again."

Josh Barnett on Absolute Belief in Yourself

 

Josh Barnett on total faith in yourself:

 

A fighter's mindset is ultimate and unflinchingly absolute belief in oneself.

GSP: I Always Say Yes to the fans

About 22 minutes into this clip, Georges St-Pierre is asked about the pressure of being a public figure, and GSP answers:

I'm a shy guy, to tell you the truth, I don't enjoy being bothered and I never say no to a fan. I say yes to everybody. But I don't enjoy this, that's the only reason why I'm fighting; I'm fighting because I like to do what I do; my lifestyle like in the training, it's a healthy lifestyle, like back in the day the Samurai used to train every day and the fighting and the competition. For the fans it's part of the game and you have to do it, even though sometimes you have some days where you don't feel like it, but it's your duty as athlete to do it. Because the fans that pay it's going to make you live, so you have to do it. So I force myself to do it all the time.

Georges St-Pierre sees the big picture and knows he wouldn't be able to make a living with fans so knows it's his duty to fulfill their requests. Pierre's attitude comes along with being a traditional martial artist coming from a Karate background. Some MMA fans like to denigrate traditional martial arts, but they bring in three powerful tools for life: Respect, Honor, and Discipline. For GSP, he shows this by having the honor code to serve the fans, have the respect for them, and have the discipline to follow through with it every single time. GSP is one of the classiest fighters out there and that comes from having a code of honor being that type of good person and respecting all. The discipline aspect of it comes with him staying consistent in this approach, whether he feels like it or not.

Conor McGregor: Stay Ready, Don't Get Ready

 

For Irish UFC featherweight sensation Conor McGregor, he takes the approach of always being prepared so that he can take advantage of any opportunity. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready. If you have that mentality you can really capitalize on some major opportunities, including title shots. In desperate situations due to injury, which crop up in the UFC, you can get a title shot if you're ready and willing to step up and fight on short notice. Part of taking those opportunities is always being ready. There's an old adage which says that luck is opportunity meets preparation, and staying ready is a plan of action to increase "luck".

 

It's almost like looking at the job of fighting in a similar way to any other profession. A plumber can lay pipe at the drop of a hat. An accountant, surgeon, lawyer, or any other professional are ready to perform their craft at a moment's notice. So if a professional fighter takes that same mentality they can really take advantage of some big opportunities which arise from time to time in the UFC and beyond.

Hip Hop Preacher speaks to Anthony Pettis and rest of Roufusport

Eric Thomas, AKA the Hip Hop Preacher, speaks passionatesly to UFC fighters Anthony Pettis and Erik Koch as well as the rest of the team at Roufusport MMA gym:

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breath, is a mentality. Is a way of life. It's how you eat, how you think, how you sleep, how you dream. When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, it's not some philosophy or some idea, it's what I breathe as life. And so what I need you to understand is guys, when you talk about being the best of the best; like when you talk about being in a sport where at the end of the day the way you win is somebody got to surrender. You're talking about two grown people...somebody got to surrender; you're talk about will now. You're talking about heart now. You're not talking physicality, you're not talking about how you look, you're not talking about how strong you are, you're not talking about how tall you are, how fit you are, you're talking about will. You're talking about when you get to the point where it's two people and somebody got to tap out before the other person taps out. Will. Heart. And so it is a mentality. The thing I love about Michael Jordan when Michael Jordan played. Michael Jordan had the flu and he still put up 38 points. He played every single minute; took a break and got some Gatorade and came back. Got some water, came back. Because he understood, "I got to want this thing and I can't take a day off." Like, "If I don't play this playoff game, there might not be another playoff game." 

...And when you want it as bad as you want to breathe...I'm willing to make any sacrifice, I'm willing to go through any pain, I'm willing to go through any suffering, I'm willing to go through whatever it takes so when I get in there and it's me and him one on one, that I guarantee you at the end of it I won't be the one that surrender.

...Vince Lombard said, "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender".

Phil Davis Quotes

UFC light-heavyweight Phil Davis has transitioned masterfully from being a success amateur wrestler into becoming one of the best 205ers in the world. Davis holds wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, and Lyoto Machida. Davis is not only known for his great fighting skills, but his wit and wisdom, and positive attitude he brings to the game.

Travis Browne: We're Braver for 15 minutes longer

Travis Browne made a nice speech saluting and showing respect to fans after his knockout comeback victory over Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 26:

The only difference about us in here and you guys out there is we're braver for about 15 minutes longer. That's it. Y'all the same.

This is something that falls in line with what Rashad Evans and Renzo Gracie have said in the past about everyone being a fighter:



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Quotes from MMA fighters:

Anderson Silva
Chael Sonnen
Chris Weidman
Fedor Emelianenko
Georges St-Pierre
Jon Jones
Ronda Rousey

Myles Jury Quotes

Myles Jury not only is an exceptional lightweight fighter in the UFC, but also tries to maintain a positive and inspirational attitude towards life. He strives to enjoy his life to the maximum with his family and friends, have fun in the sport and everything he does, and live out his dreams in mixed martials and beyond.

I have a big belief that whatever you passion is in life, pursue it to the fullest and try to be the best at it.
—Myles Jury