UFC 107 Preview: The Mind of Diego Sanchez
by Luke Thomas on Dec 12, 2009 3:12 PM EST
in MMA News
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The Nightmare explains the training of his best weapon:
But dig a little deeper and you’ll discover a method to his madness. Sanchez is a devoted follower of Tony Robbins, the motivational guru and self-described "peak performance coach," who has taught Sanchez how to "unleash the power within."
"The psychological aspects of mixed martial arts are so huge, if you’re not right in the mind you’re not going to be right in the cage, and the worst thing a fighter can let enter his mind is doubt," Sanchez says.
Doubt is the one thing that Sanchez seems not to experience. He simply cannot conceive of losing. In his mind, he is already the UFC lightweight champ, he just has to go into the cage on Saturday and let Penn know that.
In Robbins speak, Sanchez operates in the "Peak Mind State," in which the impossible becomes possible, including defeating the overwhelmingly favoured Penn.
"It doesn’t matter — lack of sleep, nutrition, training, everything — because there is a power within all of us, a spiritual power," he says. "There is something special in all of us and you can tap into that at any given time." Sanchez calls it "the switch," a mental on/off button that he flips before a fight, unleashing his untapped inner energy. The Chinese call it qi, Obi-Wan Kenobi calls it the force and Tony Robbins calls it the Peak Mind State. Mostly, it’s an inner faith, he says. "I flip the switch and just trust in myself."
Sanchez's particular methods often seem, shall we say, peculiar. But the reality is the mind is a fragile, delicate thing. Your own mind in moments of desperation and challenge will often tend towards flight or acquiescence. Wrestling legend Dan Gable often remarked that fatigue and adversity naturally compelled the mind to quit. The mind was predisposed towards avoidance (generally speaking) when pushed to it's natural limits. The challenge in improving or winning lied solely in denying that impulse and raising what limits the body and mind could accept.
The strange "YES!" mantra or the steady diet of positive feedback over time Sanchez feeds himself has shaped his self-reflection. Over the long run, they allowed him believe that chasing great feats are possible and that he can succeed.
The reality is that one cannot will themselves into places the body or mind simply won't go, but they will allow one to maximize their ability. They turn limits into illusions predicated on weakness. Overcoming the instinct to accommodate challenges is what Sanchez has been mastering for his entire athletic career. Whether his limits lie within the scope of defeating Penn at UFC 107 tonight is impossible to know at this juncture. But we will know when the final bell sounds that Sanchez will have exhausted every mental resource in the pursuit of an athletic dream. Very few fighters - including BJ Penn - will ever be able to boast such a rare accomplishment.
UPDATE: Readers are pointing out there might be some plagiarism issues with the article cited. I'm looking into it and will report back what I find. As for my analysis of Diego and his mind, none of it changes.
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diego is a beast
That’s the kind of confidence you find in a great athelete. Ala kobe bryant, mj, shit even gsp. Once you have self confidence, you’ve won half the fight.
by jabcity on Dec 12, 2009 1:40 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Interesting article...
nice write up, Luke… I’ve grown to admire Diego more and more… at the same time my impression that he is weird is diminishing.
I met Dan Gable once when I was younger. He pretty much told me I was too fat.
"Negative, negative. I gotta stay lean and lightning and ready to fight." Capt. H.M. Murdock
well i wouldent take it too personal, this guy use to wake up in the middle of the night and worry that peoplle were training to beat him so he would get up and do sit ups/push ups etc until he fell back to sleep. the man had a bit of an obsession, but it helped him become one of the greatest wrestlers ever so can’t fault him
Unfortunately…this incredible self confidence can ruin a man as well.
I’m not saying this WILL happen…but…What if BJ runs through Diego in a round? Just utterly destroys him and provides him with nothing positive to take from it. What does that do to Diego? Can he ever be the same?
Some men with that self confidence never have it taken away no matter what. Some men, when struck with a hard dose of reality are never the same again.
I honestly think tonight may be the end of Diego as a legitimate contender.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 12, 2009 2:55 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Mostly Agree
If Sanchez puts up a tough, competitive fight, I can see him coming back and trying again. If he gets routed, he could break mentally from such a crushing blow. So far, his two losses are close decisions – one where he woke up the next day being eaten by staph, the other by being out-muscled by an enormous WW. If Penn decisively beats him, however, I wonder how he’ll handle it mentally…
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 12, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
Possible
but this is also a guy who said his car breaking down gave him an opportunity for something good. Hell if any sane person knows what that opportunity was.
More relevant, I’ve heard him talk about injuring his right hand and how he was glad it happened because it gave him time to focus on improving his left hook. I don’t know if he can be mentally broken by a fight.
If nothing else, he will push the creepy and kooky Tony Robbins induced Yus-ness to the absurd extreme during his entrance tonight and make it even more difficult to take him seriously. Who knows, perhaps it will make BJ lose his concentration—while he laughs his ass off with the rest of us—which will give Diego the only hope he has of winning this fight.
"Der freie Mensch ist Krieger" -- Nietzsche
i really can't see diego losing a round in a big way
think of the guys he has fought… he’s found guys that are dynamic in every way, elite grapplers, wrestlers, strikers… and he’s only lost twice… one split, one when he had a 3 inch hole in his leg. i really cannot see him being dominated. BJ, for all his talent, is not infinitely more talented than diego in my opinion. i really see this fight going down the same way shogun/ lyoto went down and us as the fans begging for a rematch. This is going to be the fight of the year undoubtedly.
by Austin Martin on Dec 12, 2009 8:01 PM EST up reply actions
you might have a point Brent.
I remember how confident stevenson was and then he got demolished…I really hope it doesn’t happen to diego. But just seeing joe daddy cry like he did after the beating he took…brutal man.
by jabcity on Dec 12, 2009 3:12 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I’m torn. I do not know who to place my bet on.
On one hand, you never bet against B.J. Penn.
However, the same was said about Couture and when I bet on Couture/Lesnar I lost.
B.J. Penn is sick but Diego had been unstoppable lately.
The Couture comparison doesn’t work- Randy has what, 10 losses? How many does BJ have at this weight class?
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
by ufc4 on Dec 12, 2009 3:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
On betting terms, BJ doesn’t lose at LW. Couture loses often.
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
by ufc4 on Dec 12, 2009 5:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'm a big believer in this stuff
I’m a big Diego Sanchez fan because of this. Before I just thought he was weird but in my own life I’ve experienced the reality that a strong mental game can push you through the hardest of times. This is true in athletic endeavour or business or anything else you do.
The human body potential is far beyond what most people use (same with the brain). You have all heard those stories of people being able to super human feats in moments of extreme danger. I believe anyone is capable of this – one just needs to be able to tap into those resources.
How far can this carry diego?
He is already a huge overacheiver IMO. He has gone much further than most guys with similiar skill sets have gone, based on pure will and confidence. Bj has gotten by mostly on his natural physical gifts, that being said those physical gifts will be too much for diego.
by havomaster on Dec 12, 2009 3:35 PM EST via mobile reply actions
lack of sleep
is one of the symptoms of psychosis.
For The Record
The article that Luke cited is a virtual word-for-word plagiarizing of Fight Magazine’s June 2009 cover story on Diego. The writer actually lifted direct quotes from Diego AND prose. Just…WOW.
thanks for letting us know about that
do you remember who wrote the FIGHT piece?
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I Wrote It
My name’s Dave Kalstein. I’ve written several cover stories for them other than the one on Diego (Wanderlei, Josh Barnett, Tito Ortiz). It’s disheartening to see this kind of plagiarism because Fight Magazine – along with this web site – goes to such great lengths to legitimize MMA journalism.
Way to go, Nak. Keep up the good original content.
by casey manrique on Dec 12, 2009 6:40 PM EST up reply actions
i read that article
it was excellent, especially for a diego homer like myself. sorry to see your creative property stolen.
by Austin Martin on Dec 12, 2009 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
Meh
I don’t really buy this stuff. Believing it’s your “destiny” to be the champion is a crutch and a cop-out. Fate and destiny are bullshit. You become the best from dedication, repetition, muscle memory, technical intelligence, and putting in those 10,000 hours. I think BJ Penn is much stronger mentally than Diego. Sanchez is a show-pony. I sort of feel bad for the kid, watching him eat his balls at the press conference, etc, it’ll be merciful when “it’s all over.”
by Ninkynonk on Dec 12, 2009 5:30 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
This was good commentary.
And a lot of people won’t believe it, but Diego is right about tapping into the zone. I’ve had times where I was so zoned in that people have told me that it looked like the matrix. A noticeable increase in my speed and reflexes. It doesn’t happen all the time and it’s hard to get there because you really don’t turn it on and off. You just have to be there.
Blatant Plagiarism in MMA Journalism...
I followed the link in Luke’s post to the original article in which the analysis of Diego was first posted, “UFC 107: There is a method to Diego Sanchez’s Madness” by Barrett Hooper. I enjoyed Mr. Hooper’s “article” immensely.
I was surprised to have enjoyed it so much, in fact, considering this is the second time I have read it; the first was when it appeared in its entirety as the cover story of the June 2009 issue of Fight! Magazine. Back then, its title was slightly different: “The Method To His Madness: Diego Sanchez.” Of course, it’s probably worth noting that the original version of the story was not written by Mr. Hooper at all, but by frequent Fight! contributor Dave Kalstein.
I would consider the scope of Mr. Hooper’s plagiarism to be astounding were it not so brazen… instead I find it downright offensive. The very first paragraph of Mr. Hooper’s “article” is a word-for-word copy and paste of the first lines of Mr. Kalstein’s. From there, Mr. Hooper’s “article” reads as nothing more than a poorly abridged version of Mr. Kalstein’s, utilizing the same narrative structure, story points, and, in many cases, whole chunks of text borrowed verbatim from Mr. Kalstein. Mr. Hooper even goes so far as to provide suspiciously sourceless quotes from Diego Sanchez, the true source of which, of course, is the actual interview that Mr. Kalstein conducted with Diego in preparation for his cover story.
I would think, being the National Magazine Award nominee that he is, that Mr. Hooper would have some concept of journalistic integrity; sadly this “article” proves that to be far from the case. Passing off another writer’s work as his own is deceptive, immoral, professionally embarrassing and, to be quite frank, downright cowardly. It makes me wonder who awarded Mr. Hooper the “blue belt in life” he cites on his blog.
It seems to me that Mr. Hooper owes an apology to Fight! Magazine, Mr. Kalstein, The National Post, and probably Diego Sanchez as well. I don’t think it’s too much to ask; there’s probably many great boilerplate apology letters available online that would suit Mr. Hooper’s literary idiom perfectly.
and as the sport progresses, I think that the ability to “tap into the zone,” for lack of a better term will be the quality that separates the good from the great.
Being well rounded technically isn’t enough because everyone is well rounded now, and so the evolution of the development of fighters will be spiritual in nature because that is what it takes to truly have a calm mind. I’m not saying that is proof of the existence of god. I’m just saying that serious fighters take the next step. I suggest yoga, for real.
A truly confident person doesn’t have to do all these things to show he/she is confident. To me, he is still trying to convince himself that he really is a great fighter. I think that is going to be much more difficult after tonight because BJ is going to dominate him. Not because BJ is more confident, but because he is a better fighter.
And there is nothing short of entering the cage w/a chair that Tony Robbins can do about it.
If you really are a tough guy or a bad-ass or even a great athlete, you don’t go around yelling and mean-mugging people. Why? Because you don’t have to.
"It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear".- Doc Holliday
by MyFistYourFace on Dec 12, 2009 6:57 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
"A truly confident person doesn’t have to do all these things to show he/she is confident."
But that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?
A lot of these fighters are scared. They should be. It can be a frightening experience.
More to the point: the technique of feeding yourself positive reinformcement seems awkward and phony but studies suggest it has merit. My understanding is that over time people began to retune their attitudes when the volume of positive reinforcement you’re getting. When your inner dialogue is positive, you can remain healthy and happy.
And because the mind is so malleable, perhaps Diego knows he has to crazily psych himself up to perform the way he’d like to perform; to be as brazen and daring and brave as he can be. Without the exercise of preparing himself he can’t achieve those heights. All that proves is that the techniques Diego uses may acknowledge fragility but with the implied argument the techniques overcome the weakness.
“My understanding is that over time people began to retune their attitudes when the volume of positive reinforcement you’re getting.”
Should read…
My understanding is that over time people begin to retune their attitudes with the volume of positive reinforcement they experience.
Apologies. Carry on.
A truly confident person doesn’t have to constantly mumble and/or shout “Yus” to himself every two seconds in a pathetic attempt at self-affirmation. The truly confident person steps into the ring armed with quiet certitude and determination, not motivational speaking hocus-pocus. Penn is confident he will win while acknowledging the reality that in championship fights in the UFC anything can happen. Diego, on the other hand, has deluded himself into thinking that, contrary to reality, he is somehow already champion. He can run that fantasy through his head a million times, but until he actually has his hand raised at the end of the fight, it is little more than the self-indulgent fantasy of someone who is actually unsure of himself deep down inside. The true champion walks the walk without fanfare. The pretenders to the throne are naively convinced they have already walked the walk before they have even taken the first step. Sherk and Florian were brimming with confidence when they walked into the ring and Penn humbled them both. I will be shocked if he doesn’t do the same thing to the Yus-Master. But what can I say, I am a Sanchez nay-sayer.
"Der freie Mensch ist Krieger" -- Nietzsche
The mental strength thing
has its limits. But it’s most definitely an important factor in the fight game and in all parts of life.
What you believe you can accomplish you can accomplish. I personally truly believe this. After you believe that you can – you know it will happen then you just have to work out the means. And that’s where all the training and technique and physical hard work comes in.
But mental attitude is key
My own little saying that I use for myself is:
“Fighting may be 90% mental, but mental preparation is 90% physical”
by casey manrique on Dec 12, 2009 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
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