Stepping into the Octagon is pretty much the biggest thing that can happen in a MMA fighter’s career. It is the place where every amateur MMA fighter ultimately wants to end up. With that great honor, comes a certain amount of stress. All the bright lights, TV cameras and huge crowds of people have a way of making people nervous. Then you throw in the fact that the opponent you are facing is also at the top level of MMA and could give you the fight of your life. The word nervous may not serve justice to the feelings a fighter may have before a professional fight. Every fighter handles these things in their own way. Some fighters such as Karo Parisyan have admitted to having full on pre-fight panic attacks before their fights.
In this clip, Frank Mir describes what is going through his head the day of a fight, and how he reacts physically and mentally.