Former Ultimate Fighter standout Uriah Hall is still trying to live up to his potential as a UFC middleweight contender.
While the 33-year-old has lost three out of his last four Octagon appearances, he’ll have a big opportunity to climb the 185-pound ladder later tonight (Sat., July 7, 2018) at UFC 226 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he takes on undefeated Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa.
As one of the most physically gifted fighters in the middleweight division, Hall’s past issues have mostly been mental. The New York native has been his own worst enemy inside and outside of the cage, especially when it comes to caring what other people think.
After suffering a serious weight cut failure back at UFC St. Louis, a healthy Hall is looking write a new chapter in his career and finally block out the haters.
“Fans are the worst,” Hall told Sporting News earlier this week. “MMA fans are just as bad as soccer fans because they don’t realize it’s a game. To them, it’s more than a game, and that becomes a problem.”
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are some of the most passionate fans in the world. Silencing them would be more difficult than running through the UFC’s middleweight division unscathed. The only thing “Prime Time” can do is to take the advice of other fighters, such as former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, and bring a stronger mindset into this wild game of combat sports.
“(Fan comments) used to affect me a lot and it really messed with me,” Hall said. “One of the best things Ronda Rousey told me was that her mom used to grab her before every fight and tell her, ‘Nobody has the right to beat you.’ It took me a while to understand it, but now I carry that mindset.”
If Hall is able to deflect the negativity and perform like he’s capable of there’s a really good chance he makes a push towards the top of the 185-pound class. Of course, Hall will have to successfully display his new found outlook on fighting against Costa this weekend at UFC 226 to get there.
“There’s so much noise, but you have to get a white canvas and paint like an artist,” Hall said. “I stopped looking back to ask people what I should paint and decided to paint how I want to paint. Why am I going to live someone else’s life and fight the way they want instead of my how I want to?”
UFC 226 will be headlined by a heavyweight superfight between current champion Stipe Miocic and UFC light heavyweight king Daniel Cormier.