Professional fighters, what do you think during a fight?

 

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I can’t speak for all pro fighters, but I think I speak for most high level professionals when I say that the only thing I think of in a fight is the fight itself. As an amateur fighter a lot of times emotion plays a big part. (Fear, excitement, anger, etc.) As a professional there’s a lot more that goes into the preparation for a specific opponent. Pros have an established style and have tendencies, meaning studying tape is infinitely more important to recognize attack patterns, strengths, and weaknesses so that a game plan can be developed taking these into account. Once in the ring the mind is focused on these things while taking into account that he’s got a plan for you as well, so he will move slightly differently than he has in the past while he attempts to implement his game plan. This is why the first moments of a fight are so different between professionals and amateurs. Amateurs typically start fast; showing their hand (and often blowing their gas tanks) very early. Professionals on the other hand typically spend the first round throwing basic techniques at half speed and half power to check the opponent’s response and make sure it falls in line with everything they’ve studied. Differences give you insight into their game plan for you and similarities confirm subconscious reactions that they cannot change within the span of this fight. The end goal is to push him into a purely reactive situation that has him falling into old habits that you’ve been preparing for no less than 6 weeks to exploit.