For Fighters, the Last 24 Hours Are All About Rest

By Michael David Smith - Lead Blogger

Follow @MMAFighting on Twitter, and Like MMA Fighting on Facebook.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The final 24 hours befor an MMA fight are all about resting, relaxing and refueling, as several fighters on Saturday night's Strikeforce Miami card detailed at Friday night's weigh-in.

"I rest, I loosen up, I do some deep breathing exercises, I drink water and I fuel up while staying away from fat," said Bobby Lashley, who will fight Wes Sims. "I stay relaxed. I try to keep everything under control. My aggression can bubble up too soon and I want to save it for when I step in the cage."

Jay Hieron, who weighed in at 170.25 pounds for his fight with Joe Riggs, said he won't do much more than lounge around and sip water between weigh in and fight time, a 24-hour period during which he plans to gain 10 or 12 pounds of water weight.

"All the work is done," Hieron said. "It's just relaxing and hydrating back up. I might do a little something in the morning like take a walk, but I don't need to do anything special. Just relax. I know how to get my adrenaline going once I get in a fight."

Melvin Manhoef, who fights Robbie Lawler Saturday night, described his fight-day routine as, "Relax, eat pasta and rice, drink water, watch a movie."

Manhoef added that he doesn't even think about the fight until the final minutes before he walks into the cage, at which time, he says, "My coach psyches me up."

Just a couple of minutes before stepping onto the scale, Marloes Coenen said, "I'm thirsty right now." But she said that once the weigh-in was complete, she would begin her final preparations for her fight with Cris Cyborg by going out to eat.

"I brought some old friends and my boyfriend with me to Miami so we're going out for a big dinner," Coenen said.

At that dinner, Coenen's coach, Martijn de Jong of Golden Glory, will be there to make sure she eats right, and that she's enjoying herself rather than getting too fired up or stressed out.

"After you make the weight you have to eat the right things," de Jong said. "And I don't want her to think too much about the fight because she could use up too much of her energy."

It's also important for fighters to surround themselves with people who will help them prepare. Nate Diaz, the UFC fighter whose brother Nick Diaz will fight in the Strikeforce Miami main event, says he'll be the one encouraging his brother to get a good night's sleep.

"We'll hang out and go eat," Diaz said. "And then I'll tell him to get at least eight to 10 hours' sleep."

Read More: bobbylashley, cris cyborg, criscyborg, jayhieron, joeriggs, marloescoenen, martijn de jong, martijndejong, melvinmanhoef, natediaz, nickdiaz, robbielawler, strikeforce miami, strikeforcemiami, wes sims, wessims, Bobby Lashley (MMA), Jay Hieron (MMA), Joe Riggs (MMA), Marloes Coenen (MMA), Melvin Manhoef (MMA), Nate Diaz (MMA), Nick Diaz (MMA), Robbie Lawler (MMA)

Follow @MMAFighting on Twitter, and Like MMA Fighting on Facebook.

Tweet 0 comments