You have probably heard it from various trainers and different fighters regarding abstinence from sex before a fight. Renown boxing coach Freddie Roach has gone on record to say that he asks his fighters to abstain from sex ten days before their fight.
Bellator MMA’s Emanuel Newton recently found that he should have taken Roach’s advice. Newton spoke with MMA Junkie and feels that his loss could have been avoided with one simple choice.
“I had sex like three or four hours before the fight, which was stupid,” Newton told MMAjunkie. “Once again, I was getting caught up in that (mentality that) certain things couldn’t touch me when I have to understand that I am human and I do have to train hard and I can’t be going out and making stupid mistakes. Then the first takedown of the fight that Phil got on me, I popped my rib. It just wasn’t meant for me to win that fight because I learned so much.
“(Having sex) definitely took away my hips. My trainer Antonio (McKee), even the day before when we were doing the open workouts I was kicking him off his feet with spinning back kicks. The first takedown Phil got on me was when I threw a spinning back kick and he powered through it and he got that body lock and that’s when I popped my rib. But right when we were warming up my trainer looked at me and said, ‘What happened to that power?’ Lesson learned. It happened for a bigger reason and I did learn a lesson and get a deeper understanding of myself.”
Newton said that with every loss is a learning experience and will not make the same mistakes twice.
“I thought I was Mr. Invincible, but I got what I needed to come to the state of fighter that I am now,” Newton said. “I’m not going into this fight to mess around like when I fought Phil. I’m a fighter and a warrior. I can’t go into a mindset of, ‘Hey, this guy is my friend and we’re just showing off our talents.’ I need to go in there with the mindset of, ‘I need to take this guy’s head off because he’s trying to take a win from me.’ I need to have a more aggressive mentality and a more aggressive attitude. Everything I do has to be full power, full speed ahead and I’m here to (expletive) you up and take your head off.”
What are your thoughts on abstinence before a fight? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!