Issue 182

September 2019

You are coming off a convincing second-round TKO stoppage of Chael Sonnen at Bellator 222. What were your thoughts of Chael and thoughts about the experience as a whole?

I had a great camp. I had eight weeks of camp. I never stopped training since my last fight. I broke my nose. I had other injuries and trained through all of that. I can’t foresee the fight before the fight, but I can feel the fight before the fight. I was so well prepared for this fight. I knew that I could give my best at the time and I knew I could control the fight.

I respect Chael as a fighter and as a person. He is a legendary fighter. Both of us are, actually. We already fought a lot of legendary fighters and this fight could have happened in the past but fortunately or unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

I knew it was going to be a great fight for the fans, for Bellator, for me and for Chael. I couldn’t wait to step into the cage and fight that fight.

Madison Square Garden is the Mecca of fight sports. What does it mean to have been able to fight there?

I only had a chance to be there once before, when my brother fought there. I watched so many fights from Madison Square Garden on TV. It is a very mystical, special place. So many great fighters have fought there – Ali, Tyson and so many great boxers and MMA fighters as well. It was my turn.

I didn’t want to focus too much on it. I put my focus on my opponent. It will be a part of my story and my story in Bellator.

I am so happy and so grateful to have the opportunity. Imagine how many guys would like to be in my place? For me, it’s amazing. It was a great opportunity for me to give my best to my fans, my friends and my family that were there.

You had an incredibly tough debut opponent in Bellator when you picked up a split-decision victory over Rafael Carvalho. What are your takeaways from your Bellator debut?

That was my first fight in Bellator and I have to be honest, I felt the pressure. Even though I am a veteran fighter, when you step out into a different cage it’s hard to say you don’t feel different. You feel different. Its a lot of pressure. The pressure is there all of the time. You can feel it. It’s all about the outcome. I got the win.

Rafael is a very tough opponent. I broke my nose in the beginning of the fight. It’s not an excuse but I have to say everything. I broke my thumb. That’s why I put the fight on the ground, to control the fight. That’s it.

I am so happy because the first fight is always the hardest fight, always. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is because you have to fight with yourself first.

You have said that your toughest opponent is yourself. How do you beat that particular opponent, so to speak?

Throughout all of my career, throughout all of my life as a regular guy, as a regular person, you have to fight yourself all of the time. It doesn’t matter what you are doing. In my professional career as a fighter I have to fight myself all of the time.

Every day when you wake up you have to fight yourself. Sometimes your body is in pain. Sometimes you are tired. Leading up to the fight you have to control your mind because a lot of thoughts cross your mind that you have to control. You have to control the anxiety, the fear, and the nerves, the everything. That’s why I still believe the worst opponent is yourself every time.

Speaking of having that battle within one’s self, you talk to yourself during your fights. Can you share with us a conversation or thought you had during a particular fight?

When I fought Rich Franklin, for example, he was really tough for me. In that moment in time he was 14-0. I just had two fights at the time. It was just my third fight.

I had to control my mind all the time because my manager at the time was a Japanese guy who didn’t believe in me. He came up to me and said ‘Lyoto, if you stay standing with this guy he can knock you out. You have to grab him, put him on the ground and control the fight.’ In that moment I had to control my mind way before the fight started, like, two days before the fight happened.

During the fight when I went to the ground with Franklin, I had to control my mind. I would talk to myself and say ‘Lyoto, you are in control of everything. Just implement your game and you can become victorious in this fight.’

So, that’s what happened. That is what I have done my whole life, inside the cage and outside the cage, with my relationships and everything. I really think people should learn how to control yourself and how to talk to yourself to a better outcome.