MMAOddsBreaker’s Frank Trigg speaks with UFC Fight Night 90 lightweight John Makdessi as he prepares for his upcoming preliminary card fight this Thursday night (July 7, 2016) against Mehdi Baghdad at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The talented tai kwan do stylist branched out during this training camp with new coaches and training environments, and he’s expecting a solid performance come fight time:
“What changed is everything, the way I train, my philosophy. Everything was always about performing in the gym and you put so much stress on yourself and when the fight comes, you’re more nervous. I’m just trying ot change in a sense of not putting too much emphasis on having a perfect practice all the time. Some days are more relaxed, some are more technical. It’s about quality over quantity. It was about finding my balance versus trying to master 20,000 techniques. Everyone is always pulling you in different directions and the next thing you know, you’re burnt out, you’re depressed and you’re asking yourself why you’re not happy. [Mehdi Baghdad] is a Muay Thai fighter from France. It’s not my first rodeo against a bigger, taller guy. It’s always about my state of mind and my attitude. I’m very emotionally driven. I’m not robotic. I need a combination of mental and emotional so I surrounded myself with guys that understand what clicks and push the right buttons.”