Hall: Ronda Rousey advice helped my mindset
Uriah Hall: “One of the best things Ronda Rousey told me was that her mom used to grab her before every fight and tell her, ‘Nobody has the right to beat you.’ It took me a while to understand it.”
In 2013 rumor began to trickle out that The Ultimate Fighter 17 had a terrifying ‘TUF Beast’. It was Uriah Hall, who got into the house sending Andy Enz to the hospital with a broken arm; that was the first of four consecutive Hall opponents that took an ambulance ride. There was talk that a title shot vs. Anderson Silva was inevitable.
However, a kinder, gentler Hall showed in the finals vs. Kelvin Gastelum, and the TUF Beast lost a split decision. Hall’s next fight was another split decision loss, to John Howard; it was notable for a lot of high fives. UFC president Dana White considered cutting Hall.
I love Uriah Hall, said White after the Howard loss. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man. … He was telling me when I talked to him after ‘TUF’ like, ‘You know, I just really like [Gastelum] he’s a really nice guy.’ OK. Well that really nice guy just took every f***ing thing you ever wanted. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?
Hall is now in the UFC’s top 10; he’s 6-6. In January he had a life-threatening weight cut and was unable to fight Vitor Belfort. There was vitriolic fan scorn from some quarters.
“Fans are the worst,” said Hall to for Sporting News. “MMA fans are just as bad as soccer fans because they don’t realize it’s a game. To them, it’s more than a game, and that becomes a problem.”
“[Fan comments] used to affect me a lot and it really messed with me. One of the best things Ronda Rousey told me was that her mom used to grab her before every fight and tell her, ‘Nobody has the right to beat you.’ It took me a while to understand it, but now I carry that mindset.
At UFC 226, Hall makes his return, vs. Paulo Costa, who has never lost and never even seen Round 3. Costa has called him mentally weak, and Hall vows to make him pay. He asks fans to withhold expectations, and watch what happens.
“There’s so much noise, but you have to get a white canvas and paint like an artist,” said Hall. “I stopped looking back to ask people what I should paint and decided to paint how I want to paint. Why am I going to live someone else’s life and fight the way they want instead of my how I want to?”