Issue 104

August 2013

‘The Damage’ travels fully loaded when he’s preparing to throw down in the UFC 145lb division

Backpack and Gym bag

“I always bring two bags with me to the gym because I always want to be prepared for whatever happens in training. In my backpack I’ll have all my grappling gear and all the other required necessities. I’ll always put some MMA gloves in there too, because you never know when you’re going to want to hit some stuff or do some simulated workouts.”

UFC MMA Gloves

“Usually I use UFC gloves in training, but I’m not too fussed about what gloves I wear. Any will do really – and that pretty much goes for all my training gear. Sometimes I’ll use bigger MMA gloves, it just depends on what’s around if I’m honest.”

Jump Rope

“I’m not a fan of using a heavy jump rope as I prefer to use the lighter ones because it ensures faster footwork. It’s supposed to be a speed workout after all.”

Headgear

“I always use headgear when I’m sparring, but I don’t have any particular brand that’s my favorite or anything. Us MMA fighters always act like tough guys, but I’m definitely a huge fan of using headgear. Sparring without headgear is just dumb.” 

BOXING GLOVES

“You’ve gotta use 16oz boxing gloves in training, because when you’re sparring you don’t want to use anything lighter in my opinion. Getting hit in the head isn’t that much fun.”

Gatorade

“I have at least one Gatorade a day, especially when I’m training. It gives me the increased amount of energy that I need because I have some grueling sessions, man (laughs).”

Hand wraps

“I’ve definitely got to have some hand wraps with me. I like using really long hand wraps because I want to wrap my hands tight and make sure I don’t damage them. I’d like to use hand wraps that are 180ft – or even longer would be better. Although rolling them up would be a chore!”