ONE TOPIC IS dominating discussions in the mixed martial arts world at the moment and that, of course, is the five-year suspension handed down to Nick Diaz as a result of a failed drug test due to marijuana use.
Many observers — the majority, it seems — have been extending sympathy in the direction of Diaz, but I’m not one of them. It might seem unfair that he’s been hit with such a lengthy ban for using what a lot of people will call a light recreational drug, when some other guys have been using steroids — which is quite dangerous — and been banned for only six months or a year. So there does seem to be a bit of an imbalance there.
However, there’s a bigger picture here. This is Nick Diaz’s third time being caught and you have to be accountable for your own actions. A long, long time ago, my own coach told me that if you’re going to coach fighters, be ready to deal with a lot of cry babies. And he was right. But at some stage, these men have to be held accountable for things they ultimately have control over.
In the two or three weeks leading up to a fight, your diet becomes even more disciplined than normal and you have to cut out certain things you might enjoy… like sugar, for example. That’s just what’s required to be a professional fighter. THC (the primary ingredient in marijuana) only stays in your system for about two weeks, so he just has to go two weeks without taking it in order to pass the in-competition drug tests.
But in Nick Diaz’s eyes, the world is against him so he points the finger at everybody but himself. At this stage it just annoys me.
Every fighter has to make sacrifices in order to compete at the highest level, whether that’s abstaining from ice cream when you’re cutting weight or marijuana when you’re within two weeks of a contest. Sacrifices are part of the game. Them’s the rules, whether you like it or not.
This is Diaz’s third offence and if he had been given a pass, I guarantee it wouldn’t be long before there’d be a fourth. Nick Diaz has shown, time and time again, that he’s on a self-destructive path and, in his eyes, everyone else is to blame. I would encourage him to look inside and take ownership of mistakes that he, and nobody else, is responsible for. Irrespective of the length of the punishment, it’s difficult to have sympathy for someone who continues to make the same mistake.
Speaking of being accountable for your own actions, we welcomed a new member to Straight Blast Gym this week who’s an excellent example of how to go about doing that in the right way. Recently I came across an article about a young man from Dublin, aged 15, by the name of Carlos Wolfe. Carlos received seven honours in his Junior Cert, despite having to study while living in emergency accommodation and sleeping rough in Phoenix Park after his exams.
In the article, Carlos said: ‘No matter what happens in my life, I’m going to make something of myself’. That sent chills down my spine and made me immediately think that this is the kind of person I want to be around. I decided to reach out to Carlos and invited him to become a member at SBG. I was delighted that he accepted and arrived in for his first class this week.
Carlos clearly understands the importance of taking responsibility and being accountable for your own life. That’s a kid who could easily have turned to drugs, violence or vandalism. He could easily have thought: Nobody has ever done anything for me, so why should I care about anyone else? It irritates me when you hear about teenagers who have been causing trouble and they justify it by claiming that there’s nothing else to do. I have no sympathy for someone with that approach.
Carlos has been sleeping rough, in and out of assisted living, but what’s he doing? Going to an A&E in a hospital so he can study for his exams. I was blown away by that, and even more so after meeting him, so I wanted there to be some reward. I’ve been able to arrange a VIP night for him next month at UFC Dublin, membership here at Straight Blast Gym and he’s been given all the gear he needs too.
He’s an extraordinary young man who deserves a helping hand, even though he’s not the kind of person who’d ever ask for it. It’s a pleasure to have him in the gym because I think he’s someone that everybody else here can learn from. I know I certainly will.
Elsewhere, I recently returned from Bahrain where we’ve linked up with the KHK MMA team. Two of our most promising young fighters — James Gallagher and Frans Mlambo — will now compete under the KHK banner, but they’ll continue to do most of their training here at SBG and I’ll remain in their corner.
It’s still early days and I’m curious myself to see how it all unfolds, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for the guys, as well as removing their financial worries for the near future. The people at KHK will be assisting James and Frans in a number of areas, including doctors, physios, media and stuff like that, and we’ll spend some time out there in Bahrain too.
UFC Dublin is on the horizon and Aisling Daly, in particular, is sticking out in the build-up to 24 October. She has gone to a different level already in this training camp, improving a huge amount and putting in crazy hours at the gym.
She has really grabbed her own career by the scruff of the neck lately so I’m looking forward to seeing the results of that, but the others — Paddy Holohan, Cathal Pendred and the fighters competing this Saturday too at BAMMA 22 at the 3Arena — are also bang on schedule.
Conor McGregor returned from the US a couple of weeks ago and we’re gradually ramping up the preparations for his fight against Jose Aldo in December. As I mentioned in my previous column, we’ll be staying here in Dublin for this fight camp before heading out to Vegas with about four weeks to go.
As for the media commitments, we’re definitely planning for a smaller schedule this time. Conor is the main man when it comes to that side of the game so there’s a lot expected of him, although he’s very well compensated for that.
At the same time, the media stuff is never a major issue either because we’ve gotten used to how to handle it. If, for example, there’s a media obligation at the gym at 3pm on Thursday, that then becomes the training session. We work around it seamlessly. It’s just about being smart when it comes to fitting that stuff in and that’s something we’ve mastered at this stage.
I’ve read the views of certain people recently who claim that Conor is only motivated by money these days. As someone who knows exactly how much work he puts in behind the scenes, I find those claims quite amusing.
If your goal is money and fame, you won’t go too far. You certainly won’t make it to the top of your sport, as Conor has. Between advertisements, movies and stuff like that, Conor could walk away from MMA today and remain wealthy for the rest of his life.
Adding a few extra zeros on to your earnings doesn’t hurt, but attaining wealth has already been achieved. That box has been ticked. However, that’s not what drives him. What drives him is competition and the opportunity to improve himself as a fighter every day. His primary goal is to become a lethal mixed martial artist and to put that on show to the world. That’s why he’s in the gym each day, whether that’s in Dublin, Las Vegas or somewhere else.
If Conor’s only motivation was money he’d no longer be fighting. At this stage he could quit fighting and make more money from movies. But Conor McGregor wants to be the best fighter in the world, not the best actor.
He’ll prove that again on 12 December.
