Words With A MAD Coach

FFI Future Stars / First Time In A Long Time

MAD Storm dives into the potential stars who may be leaving the promotion—and the future stars being born as a direct result of their impact. MAD Coach answers texts and messages from people looking to start training again after time away from athletics. We close the episode by breaking down the latest MMA news and headlines

Fixing Mistakes

Personal Correction (You Correcting You)
This is the one area where immediate correction is usually best—and safest.
When you’re correcting yourself:
Ego threat is minimal
Emotional load is controlled
You already understand your own intent
If you recognize a technical, behavioral, or decision-making mistake in real time, stop and adjust immediately. This is how mastery is built.

You're Not A UFC Fighter

Relax. Take the pressure off yourself.You’re not training a high-performance athlete yet—you’re training an athlete who hopes to reach that level one day.So don’t chase results or outcomes. Chase performance, habits, and daily improvements.Progress compounds.Enjoy the ride.

What Does 2026 Look Like For You?

MMA
The next generation officially takes over
New stars aren’t just fighters—they’re brands with systems.
Data-driven camps (output metrics, pacing models, recovery analytics) gain edge.
Global talent pipelines deepen (Eastern Europe, Africa, Central Asia).
Fans crave meaningful matchmaking, not just names.
Organizations like UFC will feel pressure to balance star power with competitive integrity.
Expectation: Fewer legends, more killers—and smarter fans.

MAD Storm / Best MMA Awards

How to improve the process of recognizing the best athletes

What is in your Head?

At a foundational level, when a fighter is “in your head,” it means they’ve occupied cognitive bandwidth that should belong to decision-making, perception, and execution.
In other words: your mind is no longer fully present in the moment—it’s reacting to them instead of the fight.
This isn’t mystical. It’s mechanical.

MMA / Combat Sports News

Ex-UFC star mocks Joe Rogan for ‘really pretty girl’ remarks about Dakota Ditcheva
Daniel Cormier open to facing Jon Jones one last time — but not at UFC White House
Dwayne Johnson reveals how his parents' personal struggles influenced one of his heartbreaking movie scenes
Terence Crawford believes Conor McGregor did ‘real good’ against Floyd Mayweather
MMA Fighting’s 2025 Fighter of the Year: Islam Makhachev
Daniel Cormier says Paramount deal is already helping UFC fighters
One Championship: Superbon insists his longevity, success are rooted in discipline

MAD Storm / What 2026 Will Bring

Across North Carolina, in-house scrimmages and invite-only grappling matches are emerging as a natural correction to a stressed local ecosystem. A slowdown in available events, paired with a sharp rise in gym memberships, has created a bottleneck where athletes outgrow beginner classes but aren’t yet protected by fair debut matchmaking. Coaches are increasingly wary of throwing students into one-sided first fights, so these controlled scrimmages have become a missing middle step—a way to expose athletes to pressure, pacing, and unfamiliar opponents without the long-term consequences of a sanctioned bout.
 
The upside is real: these events allow coach-to-coach matchmaking, tighter weight and experience control, and faster evaluation of skills that don’t show up in the gym—energy management, composure, adaptability, and response to chaos. They also keep athletes active during event droughts and build inter-gym trust when outside teams are invited. The risks, however, come when lines blur. Ego can push intensity beyond intention, inconsistent rulesets can create friction, and injuries carry no official upside. Without proper framing, athletes may gain false confidence—or unnecessary doubt—based on outcomes that were never meant to mirror real fights.
 
Best practices are what determine whether these scrimmages help or harm the scene. Successful programs keep rounds short, intensity agreed upon in advance, and officiating neutral and authoritative. Protective gear, clear stoppage criteria, and coach-only matchmaking are non-negotiable. Most importantly, these events must be treated as developmental labs, not fight-night substitutes—no public winners, no inflated hype, just honest evaluation and post-match feedback. When run with discipline, in-house scrimmages don’t delay debuts; they prepare athletes to earn them the right way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls-WN2-bDAA
 

Holiday MAD Storm

Downtime in combat sports is where real fight IQ gets built. When the calendar goes quiet, most people default to doomscrolling rumors and drama for a quick hit of dopamine—but the serious fans, coaches, and fighters treat the lull like a private camp. This is the season to stockpile context: not just “who won,” but why styles worked, how rules shaped behavior, and what patterns repeat across eras.
 
https://fightforitcompany.com/no-holiday-events-open-up-the-archives/
 
 
 

MMA News / Combat Sports

Finishing Up Fight For It 26 reviews and reviewing combat sports from this past weekend.