Myles Jury: Inside view on fighting outside of the country
UFC featherweight Myles Jury writes about his experience fighting on foreign soil and what preparations fighters can take to adequately prepare for the experience.
My 1st FoxSports feature: Fighting out of the country
From: JuryJiuJitsu
Member Since: 2/13/10
Posts: 382
I am writing features for Fox Sports now, in addition to blogs on my website, TheTeamFury.com, to offer my knowledge/experiences for anyone interested.
My first FS feature is: “Weight cuts, elevation and hostile crowds: Myles Jury on fighting out of the country.”
Getting used to different time zones and elevation.
A fighter “should” get into the location of the fight, early enough to adjust their bodies to the different time zone and elevation, when in another country. For my fight in Japan in 2014, Tokyo was 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, so I had to stay awake during the entire 11-hour flight to be on par to fall asleep upon arrival in Tokyo.
It wasn’t easy, but it was crucial to have my sleeping pattern on the right track for my big fight. A fighter must also get into the country soon enough to adjust to the elevation or any other changes such as climate.
Cutting weight
When fighting out of the country, it makes simple things like finding food for your diet or water, a pain in the butt. When I was in Japan, it was nearly impossible to ask someone on the street where a grocery store was, due to the language barrier.
Fighting in front of a hostile crowd
In Brazil, the crowd is very hostile. A Brazilian crowd was screaming “you’re going to die,” at one of my teammates, as he walked to the UFC octagon. It’s not uncommon for Americans to be “booed” in Brazil or have loud chants of “Brazil, Brazil” as they’re fighting in the cage.
The crowd in Ireland is notorious for being the loudest and most energetic crowd in the world. In fact, a July 2014 UFC event in Ireland, reached the highest decibel point ever for all UFC events, according to UFC president Dana White. That mark was a constant 103, compared to a rock concert at 110.
Downtime
I like to call the week before a fight, “hurry up and wait,” because a lot of the time is spent lounging around with your team and trying to keep your mind off the fight. When fighting out of country, a fighter doesn’t have all the luxuries that he or she is used to back home, such as going to your favorite restaurant for a bite to eat or grabbing a coffee with a friend or family.
There is a lot of isolation involved in fighting out of the country, so a fighter must find things to do in order to stay sane. In Japan, for example, I spent a day roaming the city with my coaches and training partners, immersing myself in the culture of Japan, walking around checking out different stores and visiting temples.
It was a great way to keep my mind fresh and motivated for the big fight ahead.
UFC Fight Night 76: Holohan vs. Smolka on Saturday will be held at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, and all the factor’s Jury notes will be coming into play for many fighters.