So, if you didn't know already, I'm a major UFC fan and last year an incredible fight took place that taught me an important life lesson. This story actually begins in 2014 when middleweight veteran contender Michael Bisping, was facing a relative newcomer to the UFC by the name of Luke Rockhold.
Luke, the betting favourite, had come from Strikeforce, a now defunct MMA organization of which he was middleweight champion. He'd made his move into the UFC, hoping to extend his success into the big league. At the time his record was 10-2. Michael on the other hand was the underdog. He had been fighting in the UFC for a long time, often remaining consistently ranked among the top ten of his division, but never being able to secure the title or even get a title shot. He had a lot of wins but also some losses which put his record at 25-7. He was also 36 while Luke was 30. However, none of these discouraging facts prevented him from initiating the trash talk that persisted throughout the buildup. They went back and forth in several TV interviews and random encounters, getting in each other's faces and vowing to make short work of each other inside the octagon. The animosity continued growing between the two as the fight date grew closer and closer with both men equally certain in their heads that they would get the victory.
The fight
The two met in the middle of the cage to hear the referee's instructions and much to my surprise, they touched gloves before returning to their respective corners. Once the fight commenced, Luke Rockhold stalked Bisping while Bisping actively used short blitzes to keep his distance while Rockhold tried to counter him. When there was close to one minute left in the first round, Rockhold landed a hard body kick on Bisping, severely weakening him. By the beginning of the next round, Bisping had still not recovered. He looked like he was merely surviving. It wasn't long before Luke landed a head kick on his opponent which sent him stumbling to the floor. He then secured a guillotine choke on him.
Michael Bisping tapped 57 seconds into the second round.The defeat was effortless and made Michael a mere stepping stone on Luke's way to the middleweight title.
Fast forward 2 years later
Bisping had fought three times since his lost to Rockhold winning all three. His most recent win was a hard fought, tooth and nail win over Anderson Silva-one of the greatest of all time but at the end of his prime, a feather in Bisping's cap nonetheless. Luke had fought twice, winning both. He was slated for an rematch against his last opponent-Chris Weidman, the man he had taken the title from (the UFC often grants immediate rematches to long reigning champs who had just been dethroned, except Jose Aldo that is...). Chris was devestated by his first MMA loss and was eager to redeem himself in their rematch. He was extremely disciplined in his physical and mental preparation for it, desperate to reclaim his belt.
The news
Two weeks before the rematch, it was announced that Chris Weidman had to pull out of the fight due to a spinal disk injury. Rockhold was left with no opponent, unless someone was willing to step up on two weeks notice. Surprisingly enough, Michael Bisping did. He agreed to fight Luke Rockhold with the disadvantage of not having a full 8 weeks to prepare, which is how long a full length MMA traning camp is. To make things even more surprising, during the pre-fight buildup, Bisping trash talked even more than he did for the first fight and showed a ridiculous level of confidence in his ability to win. The following are just a few of the many bold claims he made leading up to the fight:
"I'm gonna knock him out, he's gonna be laying on the floor, he's gonna look up at the stars and think, 'shit, I just lost my belt to somebody that came in on two weeks notice.' How's that gonna feel Luke?'
"I asked for you on two weeks notice, that's how high my confidence is."
"don't be so cocksure buddy, I'm gonna knock that fucking look off you face pal, believe you me, believe you me"
"I'm gonna meet you in the center of the octagon, I'm gonna back you up against the fence, and I'm gonna smash your pretty little face in"
He was about to take on a challenge, even bigger than his first fight against Luke which he had a full eight weeks to prepare for. The betting odds put him as an even bigger underdog than their first fight.
Day of the fight
Once again, the two fighters meet in the middle to hear the reff's instructions. After they touched gloves, Luke says the words "no touch," to Bisping to let him know that he didn't want to touch gloves a second time once the first fight commenced (something fighters will typically do). As Bisping is retreating back to his corner he can be heard saying the words "I'll touch you in a second motherfucker!" He's obviously still just as confident the day of the fight and the nerves have not gotten the best of him. The fight commenced and the two engaged each other in a manner not unlike the first fight. Luke was pressing forward, gauging his distance while Michael circled around him. They engaged in brief exchanges with neither gaining a significant edge. At one point, Joe Rogan, the commentator, called attention to Luke's relaxed and almost bored posture and how high his head was held. It was shortly after that, Rockhold stepped into Bisping's range with a lazy, overextended jab, which missed. Bisping countered with a straight right to the body and a left hook to the head. Rockhold was stunned by the hook and fell backwards to the floor but quickly sprang back up in an effort to recover. Bisping pursued him and landed another left hook on him which sent him back to the floor where he was finished with a few more strikes to the head.
It was a spectacular and well calculated victory that earned him the title he'd been desperately chasing his whole UFC career. During the post fight press conference, Bisping used the opportunity to gloat over his victory, relishing the punishment he was able to dish out on the smug, overconfident man he'd faced. He entered gleefully yelling out phrases like "I'm the champion of the world people!" and "I hate to say I told you so." One of his more notable quotes was "Some say revenge is sweet. I disagree, I think its better than sweet."
Significance
I used to be very inclined towards pessimism which, in my ignorance, I viewed as realism. But I didn't understand reality and how it could be shaped. If I were in Bisping's situation, I would have been certain that it was impossible for me to defeat Luke in the rematch, considering that I lost in the first bout when I had a full training camp to prepare. This fight changed my life by teaching me the power of the mind. Bisping's powerfully concentrated self belief allowed him to bring about his positive outcome. If he had been doubtful in his ability to defeat Rockhold, he would've cast an aura of invincibility on him, seen him as a daunting task and when the opportunity came for him to execute the counter punch, he would have hesitated . And let me make this clear, as far as raw ability and skill goes, I really do believe Rockhold is the more skilled fighter in every facet of MMA, and part of the reason Bisping's win was possible was because of Luke underestimating him but there's still much to be learned about Bisping's mindset. In his mind, he was %100 certain he was going to win. He had visualized the win in his head and verbalized it boldly so many times that it was a crystal clear reality in his mind. When the opportunity presented himself during the fight, he was ready for it and identified it as his for the taking before making his move. Luck is said to be 'is when preparation meets opportunity.' Bisping was prepared both physically and mentally.
Visualization is absolutely essential. If you've ever assembled something before, such as a lego vehicle, a jigsaw puzzle or IKEA furniture, you would've seen the completed image on the box. It gives you a goal, a guarantee, something you're working towards and know you'll get. If it had only shown up with instructions, but no picture whatsoever of its completed form, it would be far more difficult for you to stay driven in your completion of the project because you could only hope that it will end up being something useful.
When you visualize something in your head so vividly that it becomes a reality, it serves as the completed image on the lego box. It's just a matter of making it happen by assembling it. There's no stress over whether or not its gonna turn out. In your mind its already done, it's just a matter of slapping some pieces together. Once you've visualized it, obstacles won't faze you when you encounter them, you won't be discouraged when people tell you that it's impossible and any false inadequacies you think you have will be easy to overcome mentally. The reality that you've visualized in your head is simply yours for the taking. The following example illustrates how paradoxical it can be. If a guy wants to ask a girl out, believing she will say yes when he asks her will increase the probability of her saying yes. Is this mystical? No it's simply because, if you believe she'll say yes, you'll ask in a much more relaxed, confident way, which she'll find more attractive and will have a higher probability of saying yes to. This applies to all facets of life. Believing things will work out, will make you act in ways that are more conducive to them working out. Reality is determined by your mindset.
If you're a risk taker of any kind like Michael Bisping was (which you should be, at least to some degree, if you want anything of high value in life), once you've decided in your mind to take a risk, press through it wholeheartedly as if you're %100 certain that it will be successful, as if it's already happened and is just yours for the taking (obviously within reason, I still see the merit in contingency plans). If you do this, it won't necessarily bend the fabric of reality, but it will put your mind into a state of positivity where you will see opportunities when they present themselves and take advantage of them appropriately. You will surprise yourself with what you can do. This comes naturally to some individuals, but it is something that I am in the process of teaching myself and gradually there are fewer and fewer things i see as out of reach. Whatever is on your lego vehicle/IKEA furniture box, is what you will inevitably end up building. Luckily, in life you can determine what's on the box and more often than not, end up spot on or at least really close.
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