It’s the moment before the moment that the fighter has been waiting for. Hanging in their locker room backstage, cooling the nerves and warming up the body, about to go to war. Any athlete will tell you preparation is key and, for a fighter, how they get ready for competition can mean the difference between a night of celebration and a night in hospital. 

Most fighters have rather straightforward, predictable warm-up routines: stretching and light pad work in the changing rooms, coupled with a quick pre-fight pep talk from their coaches before walking out into the bright lights of the venue, bombarded by the baying cries of thousands of fans hungry for the fight.

But, for every dozen or so conventional combatants, there are one or two equally unusual individuals whose pre-fight rituals are every bit as exciting as their fighting flare, if not more so. So how do these warriors get themselves psyched before battle?

LOOKING GOOD

Soft-spoken welterweight Brian Ebersole shaves his chest hair into an arrow, which he has dubbed the ‘hairrow,’ pointing to his chin to make sure that his opponents know where to hit him. “I don’t get hit very often... I kinda give ‘em the big, big clue, and for some reason they still can’t find the chin.”

Perhaps the veteran unwittingly fashioned himself some kind of hairy good luck charm, as he chalked up 51 victories in his sixteen year career. Maybe shaving an arrow into his chest hair was just what it took to get Ebersole in the fighting mood.

Brian Ebersole isn’t the only cage warrior who liked to get their hair done prior to fight night. Englishman Dan Hardy was known as much for his trademark red mohawk as his gutsy striking style, but he didn’t always keep it fresh when he’s between training camps. Watch him in his off-season interviews and, most of the time, you’ll see that with a full head of hair on him Hardy isn’t really as much of an ‘Outlaw’ from society as he looked when he stepped inside the Octagon.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Two-time UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz gets himself geared up by doing a full-on training session just hours before a fight. According to Eric Delfierro, head coach at Alliance Training Center: “It may frighten a lot of fighters, and coaches for that matter, but Cruz actually warms up in the dressing room for about two hours first... His conditioning is insane and he builds his confidence by knowing he cannot be out-paced.”

Indeed it may sound frightening but, with Cruz’s impressive 22-2 pro MMA record, who can argue with the results?

Cruz isn’t the only fighter who enjoys a tireless training session before making the walk to the cage. Retired MMA legend Bas Rutten says that he liked to have an intense work out before he fought. The former UFC heavyweight champion explained, “I want to have my second wind in the ring. I don’t want to get in the ring and have that barrier to climb over.” It might seem crazy to risk gassing yourself out before the show has even started, but if an intense pre-fight warm-up comes with the ‘El Guapo’ seal of approval it would be sacrilege for any knowledgeable MMA fan to question it.

WRESTLING WITH REST

In contrast with those who feel the need to work up a sweat before a bout, some fighters find that it is more important to rest up as much as possible in the build-up to the big night. Veteran welterweight Jon Fitch likes to catch a few ‘Z’s on the night, just an hour or so removed from his shining moment. Much like the wild warm-up approach of Cruz, this kind of practice seems counter-productive yet, once again, the results speak for themselves, as Fitch has a 32-7 pro record within which lies one of the longest winning streaks in UFC history.

Conversely, George St Pierre has confessed to struggling with sleep in the lead-up to his fights. In a blog he wrote for Yardbarker, detailing the days before his title defense against Thiago Alves at UFC 100, GSP writes about the night before the day of the fight: “I sleep maybe five to six hours. I wake up a couple of times during the night because I’m very nervous.”

The vast majority of MMA athletes, minus the extensive hours of physical and mental fight preparation, think and act like normal human beings. The kill switch is only flicked when war is on the horizon, and the trigger is clearly different for every fighter. 

So what is it about hairrows, hair dye and exhaustive exercises that help these warriors to flick the switch when it matters? It’s often said the fight game is as much mental as it is physical, and pre-fight rituals, however bizarre, are as much a part of training for some fighters as their sessions in the gym. For the men and women who put themselves in the firing line, finding the right routine to get themselves in the zone can be the first step to winning the fight.