Issue 167

May 2018

Everybody does it, but should you be doing it in the run-up to a big fight? There is a school of thought that suggests that abstinence from sex should be practised before competing to give you the greatest chance of success.

This isn’t a new belief. In ancient Rome and Greece, self-restraint was considered to be crucial for peak physical performance and the link between body and spirit.

The scholars and teachers of the day believed that sacrifice was essential to success.

For some, that way of thinking is still as prominent now as back then. If anyone has trained in traditional fighting arts with old-school coaches, they might well have been told that getting down and dirty can have a number of physical and psychological repercussions.

Some say sexual frustration leads to increased aggression. Others are adamant that ejaculation draws testosterone away from the body, reducing aggression and muscle strength.

Either way, jumping in the sack is strictly off-limits for weeks or even months before fight night in certain gyms.

Obviously, much of that ‘logic’ doesn’t apply to women. There also doesn’t seem to be too much debate on the female side of MMA. Ronda Rousey caused an internet bonanza when she said tried to have as much sex as possible before a fight, but it was hardly a revolutionary thought among her contemporaries.

There are also plenty of men – particularly the athletes who want to keep getting busy rather than their coaches – who pay no mind to any thought of keeping it in their pants during training camp.

Many think the logic against it is a bunch of old wives’ tales and it’s actually a good distraction and an effective way – without trying to speak too literally – of releasing tension.

So, what is the best approach? There is no definitive scientific study that has concluded one way or another with certainty.

Here's a few fighters from different gyms, promotions and countries, to see whether they think jumping in the sack would help or hinder them before they get in the cage…

Stress relief: Cody Stamann

“There’s no abstaining in my life leading up to a fight,” says the UFC bantamweight. “I don’t believe in any of that. If you’ve never had sex and decide to have sex two days before your fight, that might mess you up. But if it’s part of your normal routine… I try to keep my life as normal as possible and not put too much weight into it.

"That doesn’t change for me at all.”

The 28-year-old adds that there have been a few training partners that have suggested he might benefit from a no-nookie rule, but he’s got a good reason for paying them no mind on that front.

“There’s a lot of guys on my team that believe you shouldn’t have sex. I don’t take their advice at all. It’s a huge stress reliever in my life. A fight can be really stressful. I don’t think I should cut out one of my favourite things to do before a fight.”

Intercourse is a two-way street, of course, and the ‘Spartan’ argues that he’s not the only one that needs that relaxation during the most intense time of training.

Wives, partners and girlfriends need that too. “It’s a stressful time for them, too, so they probably wouldn’t enjoy it either.”

Self-control: Brian Ortega

As a young fighter enjoying a high profile, you might expect ‘T-City’ to make the most of his profile with the ladies of Southern California. Not so, according to the UFC’s top 145lb contender.

“I go two and a half months without anything,” he says. “My first pro fight, I brought a girl with me – and after that incident my coach told me, ‘That’s it. Never again.’ I kind of lied and did my own thing a little bit for the first three [fights] because my opponents were easy, but since I went into my fourth fight, that was it. I was fighting an undefeated guy and he was legit, and that was it. I did a training camp for him and it was a month – and back then I was happy it was a month.

“From then on, I did my first title fight for Respect in a Cage, and from then on I’ve been doing two-month camps. I just feel like it takes away a distraction. It just helps you focus. I feel like it gives you a better energy and makes me stronger.”

You might also expect him to be jumping straight in the sack after a big win, but there’s something else ‘T-City’ says he’s in the mood for once he’s done his time in the cage: “Actually, I have patience – a lot of patience. I’m more hungry after the fight more than anything. I’m the other ‘H’!”

Screw that! Lando Vannata

Few fighters were more emphatic in their assertion that abstinence would not be the course of action he’d take.

“Absolutely not.”

“I was screwing the night before the fight [with Bobby Green]. I know fighters who do it and I tell them they are fools. I say what’s wrong with you?

“It’s relaxing, it’s a stress reliever. I’d be too tense if I wasn’t doing it. There is absolutely zero evidence that would point me in the opposite direction. It doesn’t lower your testosterone, it doesn’t distract you. It’s not a negative in any way. I’m a screwer before the fight. I sleep on fight day. I try to sleep as much as possible, so I probably wouldn’t get it in then.”

Best practice: Jimi Manuwa

The ‘Poster Boy’ listens to his training team and takes whatever advice they’ll offer in order to give himself the best possible preparation for fighting on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage against other dangerous light heavyweights.

“I think they all do it. My coach encouraged me to do it. I heard GSP does it for six weeks or something, but that’s a bit too long… I’ve got a two-week cut-off period. You know what?

" don’t really believe in it, but I think it’s just for your head. One of my fights I had an accident though…Earlier on in my career."

No better time: Eddie Alvarez

Has any of the former Bellator and UFC champion's coaches ever told him to take a break before a big fight?

"Yeah but what are they gonna do? Babysit me? They say that, but there's nothing they can do about it!

"I don't believe in that, I never have, I actually think the total opposite! I actually like to have sex the night before I fight for a world title. I've won my world title fights almost every time. The night before I won my first title, that's when my son was conceived. Regardless, of what studies say, I'm proof that sex before fights wins world titles!"

Live life to the full: Michael Chandler

A thoroughbred athlete, the former Bellator champion’s focus is on training as hard as possible to prepare himself in the best possible way. Adjustments to his personal life based on some superstitions are not his style.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” he says. “I’ve never really worried about it. I’ve just lived my life! I don’t have a certain amount of time or a certain window – except fight week.

“That’s not good. I would always put my marriage over my career. That’s the thing that’s going to last, that’s the thing that’s going to carry me off into the sunset. I would definitely not go that long without making love to my wife.”

Weak at the knees: Jose Torres

Titan FC’s dual-division champion has had 33 amateur and pro MMA fights, not to mention a college wrestling career, so cutting out love-making before fights would have pretty much cut out love-making more or less permanently.

“Most of the time when I’m cutting weight to 125lb, I want to have sex but can’t have sex because I’m so tired (laughs). At 135 it’s a little different and I have a bit more energy.

"But yeah, I guess sex the week of the fight, depending on how you do it – if you go too hard, it’s like overtraining you know? Overall, I really don’t mind it at all. I just tell people hey, if you’re the guy, be on the bottom and just let her do all of the work and enjoy the show. Preserve your energy and you’ll be ready for the fight.

“The only person who tells me not to do it is my fiancée. She always tells me we’re not having fun the week of because she doesn’t want to ruin my fight. I have to tell her there’s no problem. Sometimes you Other factors might stop him, though need to take a load off, literally.”

Hungry for love: Karl Moore

“(Laughs) That is a load of balls. That is a f**king load of bollocks! That’s a load of s**te.” It’s safe to say the Cage Warriors champion does not believe in that sort of self-discipline.

“I’d be having sex the day of my fight if I could and that’s the truth. That’s just ridiculous, I just don’t understand it.

"Muhammad Ali said that but I just think he was taking the p**s. I’ve never starved myself from sex before a fight. It wouldn’t work… To be honest, [my girlfriend] would probably be happy to get a break. Happy days!”

Some of his more experienced teammates have tried to convince him otherwise, but he explains that advice from someone older and wiser set him straight.

“Liam Shannon thinks he’s a bit of a joker and one of my first fights for him he told me you can’t have sex, you can’t drink milk – all these mad things. I went home and told my dad and he said, ‘Karl, he’s taking the p**s.’”

Old-school approach: Leon Edwards

“Three or four weeks before a fight I’ll stop,” says the UFC welterweight. “I feel like I perform better if I do. If I have sex before a sparring day, I don’t feel as good. I just judge it off that. It’s more mental than physical, probably.

“There’s a few people in my gym because my boxing coach is old-school, ‘No sex before a fight, blah, blah, blah.’ If people come to the gym to train and they’re s**t, he’ll be like, ‘Oh, you’ve been having sex last night!’ He drills it into your head to leave the sex alone and just focus on the fight. I think it depends on your age as well. If you’re older, I think it takes longer to recover from a wild night. For now, I’m good!”

If it feels right: TJ Dillashaw

Two UFC bantamweight championship victories have proved that having relations with your wife shouldn’t be a barrier to mixed martial arts success. “I think that’s a myth – an old wives’ tale,” the 32-year-old says. “If the feeling is there, then go for it! I don’t think it’s going to hinder your performance.”

He’s been warned against it since his days at Cal State Fullerton (though who really expects college kids to heed that kind of advice), but has managed to stay active in the bedroom.

“There’s always been wrestling coaches throughout the years that have said, ‘No! you don’t want to weaken your legs.’ My first striking coach, Master Thong, always told me not to do anything for three or four weeks. I was like, ‘Alright man, that’s a little ridiculous.’

But those Thais are very superstitious. “I’m sure my wife would go along with it [if she had to] because that’s how dedicated of a partner she is, but she’d probably laugh at me.”

Hard times: Ryan Bader

“I wouldn’t do it the day of or something, but I don’t adhere to [abstinence],” the Bellator 205lb champion says. “I usually leave the wife and family a week prior to the fight, so I don’t have sex that week. I think it’s more of an old-school mentality. “I’ve heard some people that are like, ‘definitely three weeks prior, blah, blah, blah!’ They’re just kind of crazy. I guess it makes them more irritated and whatnot, but I don’t really get the thinking behind it. It might be two weeks, it might be a month – that would be tough."

Bader has been married for seven years and his wife has supported everything he’s done in his career. He says an extended dry spell would be a real test for their relationship.

"It depends If it was two weeks, she’d support me. She wouldn’t like it.

"If it was a month we might have a little problem with that one!”