As long as you're diligent, you train hard, you have heart behind what you're doing, success will come. You just have to keep marching forward, regardless of what those around you are saying. —Frank Mir

"There are situations where you can either rise to the occasion or you can feel sorry for yourself. Really that's within your own abilities to make that decision." -Frank Mir

“When I’m doing my best is when I’m completely focused…You completely wipe off any thoughts of the future, there’s nothing going on in the past, you’re just completely locked in on the moment, and there’s no thinking, you’re zoned in on this moment in time.” -Frank Mir

Frank Mir is describing the state some people refer to as being in "Flow". Oftentimes it's defined as being "in the zone". It's a state where you are totally immersed in the present moment and what you are doing and you lose your sense of "self" or "I". In a sense you remove your ego, time slows down, and you are completely in the present moment. This can be the catalyst to greatness within the realm of sports or anything for that matter, Whether you're playing a musical instrument or competing in a UFC Octagon.

Oftentimes the hindrance from achieving this state is having a very hyperactive mind. That is why some fighters such as Icelandic UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson takes the approach of fighting with a clear head. He removes thoughts before fights, empties his mind (a-la Bruce Lee), and then is able to just go out there and get the job done. "Gunni" noted in the past that his most impressive BJJ performance in a grappling tournament was when he had no notice for fighting in it and was just called up to compete. He was just laughing, chilling with his mates on the sidelines, and then was thrown into competition. Having that lack anxiety generated by a hyperactive "monkey mind" as they call it in sports psychology, can often be disastrous for performance.

That is also why Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, and exceptional mixed martial arts fighter, also goes into a "no thought" state of mind prior to fights. He calls it "Mushin", which is a zero-thought type of meditative state, and that is a springboard to getting into the zone.

When you are in the zone it may only last a few seconds, and the prolonging of it can be hindered by the ego getting involved. The mind/ego starts to chatter, "Wow, look at me and how great I am in this state", along with a whole variety of other phrases along with that. When that occurs you lose that flow state. Just like anything though it can be trained and improved upon with continual practice.

Frank Mir on staredown psychology and poker faces

Frank Mir on staredown psychology and likening it to poker players. Some say the eyes are the window to the soul and they can tell a lot. But Mir maintains at the level of professionalism in the UFC, there aren't many tells which fighters give off. Kind of like seasoned poker professionals who keep the strength of their hands concealed throughout the entire duration of hours of combat on the felt.

Frank Mir on Improving and Moving outside his comfort zone

Frank Mir on constantly improving and moving outside of his comfort zone by doing things such as training at the Jackson team in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

I'm constantly trying to find other people to better me, to improve. I'm moving outside of my comfort zone.

Frank Mir has taken that approach to experimenting with different training methods and programs and diet throughout his career. That has allowed Mir to stay fresh and continually reinvent himself during his decade-plus run in mixed martial arts.

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Quotes from MMA fighters:

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

 

UFC 164: Extended Video Preview

Going for that title I'm putting myself in the center of all the most dangerous fighters in the world. And I realize that that adversity is going to make it to where I have to rise to the occasion or die trying.  - Frank Mir

Main card

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis   
Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
Chad Mendes vs Clay Guida
Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera
Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

Preliminary card (Fox Sports 1)

Jamie Varner vs. Gleison Tibau
Louis Gaudinot vs. Tim Elliott
Pascal Krauss vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Chico Camus vs. Kyung Ho Kang
    
Preliminary card (Facebook)

Soa Palelei vs. Nikita Krylov
Ryan Couture vs. Al Iaquinta
Jared Hamman vs. Magnus Cedenblad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Mir's advice to aspring fighters

Frank Mir on patience, diligence, and consistency on the road to success. Definitely consistency is a mark of champions and falls in line with a great quote from Tony Robbins:

In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.

Sometimes gains can take a while to materialize, and that's when the diligence and patience are effective tools for success. Some other good quotes on this subject are from UFC stars Urijah Faber and TJ Grant below:

 You can fast forward to 2:45 of the interview below to get some more explanation of Frank Mir's advice for aspiring fighters: 

 

Frank Mir on how he describes hell

For Frank Mir his life is all about reaching his potential and totally being the best he can possibly be. So it's no surprise that Mir's definition of hell is based on not making that effort to be the best and not going out there and giving it your all to improve and reach as high as you possibly can:

“You know what the true definition of hell is? It’s when you die, you get to meet the person you could have been.”

Frank Mir on Learning from Mistakes

One of the reasons why Frank Mir has been such a successful mixed martial artist is his unending quest for improvement, and ability to learn and grow from past mistakes. Mir has reinvented himself dozens of times over the past decade and continually either remained a champion or contender in the UFC's heavyweight division.



Click for more quotes by Frank Mir.

Frank Mir on Martial Arts vs Religion

Frank Mir on martial arts testing him in the here and now:

Religion doesn't seem to test you until after you pass away, that's when you get tested. Martial arts, I'm tested every day.

Frank Mir: Bruce Lee is a Legend

Frank Mir's reverence for the late Bruce Lee:
Bruce Lee's a legend. For a guy who passed away at 32 years of age to have such an impact still, 40 years later, every martial artist in some way has some kind of influence in their life by him; I don't know what else you could say about a human being.

Frank Mir on success and improvement

I don't think anybody that's motivated feels that they've achieved the level of success they should...There's no way anybody can truly feel that they've arrived.
- Frank Mir

Frank Mir's advice on training

Frank Mir's advice on being a martial artist:
Take it slowly and enjoy it, keep on going, but consistency is the key.

Why Frank Mir is successful

Frank Mir has been able to either be a champion or up their with the top contenders in the UFC's heavyweight division for over a decade because of a couple of big reasons; first his desire to improve and secondly his desire to perfect. For him it's akin to the Japanese concept of Kaizen, which focusses on constant and never-ending improvement. This desire for improvement has led him to places such as Greg Jackson's academy in New Mexico, trying different diets, experimenting with strength and conditioning programs, and more. He is like an MMA scientist and his body is the test tube; results are determined inside the UFC Octagon.

The second reason Frank Mir has been so successful is his focus on perfection. If he is learning new techniques, he is focussed on perfecting them. He wants to be able to wrestle like Cael Sanderson, box like Mike Tyson, and be a master of every style. He wants to be the cream of the crop in every domain. It's a never-ending quest for perfection, and improvement. It's a quest that has allowed Frank Mir to thrive in the UFC and win the heavyweight title, and an interim belt with his TKO victory over Antonio Rodgrigo Nogueira.

Quotes on Not Quitting

Quotes on not giving up:

 

Life Quotes