Combat Mindset Quotes

When I face an opponent in the cage, it doesn't really matter who they are. Whether they're my buddy, like Scott Jorgensen, or someone I don't like, like Dominick Cruz, I'm going in there and realizing this guy is trying to hurt me, and that's what I'm going to do to him. I try to keep it real basic.

Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is only on returning to camp.

Retreat Hell! We're just attacking in another direction.

I'm confident in the fighter I am, and I have nothing to worry about.

When push comes to shove, I'm a fighter, and I'm going to force someone to fight. It takes a lot of technique, it takes a lot of skill, but to take that, and make something of it, it's a lot of heart and a lot of determination, and that's something I have. That's who I am.

I believe in that gladiatorial mind-set. I love it.

I want people to remember me when I retire as a fighter who would fight anyone - that Tony Bellew was scared of no one. I'm happy with that. Anything more is a bonus.

Respecting your opponent is the key to winning any bout. Hold your enemy in contempt and you may miss the strategy behind his moves

Marines have a cynical approach to war. They believe in three things; liberty, payday and that when two Marines are together in a fight, one is being wasted. Being a minority group militarily, they are proud and sensitive in their dealings with other military organizations. A Marine's concept of a perfect battle is to have other Marines on the right and left flanks, Marine aircraft overhead and Marine artillery and naval gunfire backing them up.

Let go of me, Celt, or I’ll rip your arm off. And you know what? I don’t care if I lose both of mine in the process. That’s the difference between us. Pain is my friend and ally. You fear it. (Zarek)

See yourself reacting to threats, not by running away or evading them, but by meeting them, dealing with them, grappling with them in an aggressive intelligent manner.

Shooting at a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man's muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves.

I am a fighter who walks, talks and thinks fighting but I try not to look like it

It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does the same, it is a even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny.

Aggression means emotions. Emotions means you’re gonna get off your plan and that means you’ll lose the fight.

There were moments where I was being kicked in the stomach, and even though I had this brace on to protect me, I still had to prepare myself for it . You can't be relaxed when that's happening. You have to brace your muscles. I can remember thinking as it was about to happen "Wasn't that how Houdini died?" I think it was.

For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero.

You can't be too comfortable. I have to keep pushing myself to be a better fighter every step of the way.

The commanders and fighters of the entire Chinese People's Liberation Army absolutely must not relax in the least their will to fight; any thinking that relaxes the will to fight and belittles the enemy is wrong.

In the build-up to a fight, I am scared, and I do worry about myself. But once I step into that arena, that worry has gone. A switch gets flicked, and I want to do damage. All I care about is doing damage as fast as possible.

I don't pick and choose. I've never really had an qualms about who I fight next.

I've been in Iraq, and it never occurred to me to go, 'Hey, this war is bogus,' to some guy who's 24 hours a day trying not to get shot at or blown up.

You don't want to be going into any fight thinking you've got to get a knockout, or force a stoppage, because it takes you out of your gameplan.

For me, MMA is like speed chess. It's like I'm herding a person into a certain position. Say my endgame is an arm bar. I'm not gonna actually take you and put you there. What I'm going to do is convince you that it's a good idea to move in the direction I want you to go.

I've got music in my head when I fight. I've got a certain rhythm, a certain way of fighting, a certain relaxation where I can let myself go.