This month, in his regular column, respected cutman Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran reveals how the UFC’s elite keep themselves calm in the moments leading up to battle.

The things I see the stars in both the UFC and boxing do to combat the dressing room anxiety. 

Frank Mir probably said it best when he stated: “When I see Stitch walk into the dressing room to wrap my hands, my stomach drops because I know it’s time to fight.” And, even more recently, I was wrapping Spencer Fisher’s hands before he fought Thiago Tavares at UFC 134 and heard something similar. It was Spencer’s 16th fight in the UFC and his 32nd pro fight. He’s been in the cage with some of the best around and has had a tremendous career. But as I sat across from him with a folding chair between us, he bowed his head and acknowledged: “The nerves are killing me.”

These are some of the many feelings a fighter has before entering the cage or ring. It’s tough for sure, and if guys like Mir and Fisher experience pre-fight jitters, young fighters everywhere are probably flipping out in dressing rooms before their fights!

These nerves may be very hard to control, but at the same time, what you do the day of the fight to maintain your sanity is very important.

Anderson Silva and Randy Couture are probably the two coolest guys I have seen before a fight. As I entered the dressing room to wrap Anderson when he fought Yushin Okami (on the same night I wrapped Fisher), I saw him lying on the mat with his two sons like they were all stargazing. His demeanor was more like that of a dad with his kids lying in the middle of a park staring up at the clouds and pointing out animal shapes. He was relaxed and enjoying a peaceful moment with his kids before a huge fight. He, of course, was also surrounded by his team and many others, including Steven Seagal.

Randy on the other hand listens and smiles more than he speaks while he is in the dressing room. He has to be the calmest guy in MMA.

His team sits around telling war stories and joking around. They know that by doing this they are taking the edge off of Randy. 

This brings up an important point. Fighters need to surround themselves with people they trust and people who will help them feel as calm and prepared as possible just before a fight.

It might be smart to talk to them beforehand to let them know what environment you’d like. 

Every fighter handles the dressing room stress differently. I have walked into the dressing room to see Andrei Arlovski playing cards.

It’s what he needed to relax and focus for that particular fight, and I know it worked. He scored a knockout in the first round.

Wladimir Klitschko is probably the most disciplined and systematic fighter I have seen prior to a fight. Wladimir reaches into his bag and pulls out two mouthpieces. He comes to me and says: “Stitch, the red one is first and the blue one is second.” Next he starts lacing up his boots, puts on his shorts, and then pre-wraps his hands.

Everything is meticulous and exact. It doesn’t seem like this would be the best way to combat pre-fight nerves, but I figure it is Wladimir’s way of staying relaxed. And by his boxing record it definitely seems to be working!

I have also seen the toll that dressing room nerves bring. I was wrapping a fighter (who will remain nameless to protect his manliness) when all of a sudden he started to cry like a baby. The tears flowed down his cheeks and he seemed embarrassed. After all, he is a fighter and supposed to be tough before stepping into the cage.

I understood his feelings though, and waited until he finished.

I then gave him words of encouragement and let him know that it was alright. Next I gave him a reassuring hug and the knockout wrap.

About an hour later he used the knockout wrap to win. 

Dressing room nerves are real and they can determine the outcome of a fight. That’s why it’s very important to learn how to relax as much as possible. See yourself in that dressing room before your big fight.

See your walkout and make sure the people around you are who you need. Prepare yourself to deal with those pre-fight nerves before you walk into the battlefield so you’ll end the night with your hand raised.