New details have been unveiled concerning a UFC fighter that walked out of a match on fight night due to debilitating fear.
Mixed martial artists from around the world put in their dues to one day make their way onto the roster of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Still, the octagon is not for everyone. For this fighter, it was perhaps just a bit too much.
Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for the UFC, Jeff Novitzky recently sat down with longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan on the cage side commentator’s popular podcast Joe Rogan Experience. During the podcast, Novitzky broke down the time he witnessed a UFC competitor walk away from the octagon on fight night.
“Early on in my tenure here at the UFC, I saw one of the most incredible things that I’ve ever seen.” Novitzky said. “I’ve only seen it once. But I saw a fighter show up fight night, outside the locker room, and basically said ‘I don’t want to go in. I don’t want to do this.’
“I was just blown away. Sean Shelby went up and had a great conversation with the fighter and said, ‘Look, you are not feeling something that every other fighter on the roster doesn’t feel. You’re just letting it get the best of you.'”
Novitzky continued, “For a second, the fighter came back a little bit and boom, left the arena. It was crazy.”
