Pre-bout tension: I remember once talking to the great Mike Tyson during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter TV show. He was impressed by the fact that our locker room pre fight was very relaxed with jokes and laughter between each warm up. He told us this was in stark contrast to his fights, where he said the atmosphere was like a funeral. I think every athlete has their own ideal mental state pre-bout (and that can change per opponent). two of the most interesting are Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon, who seemingly run a full scale comedy routine prior to a match that always makes preparation fun. Here is Garry Tonon in mid story telling form about escapades from the night before as Gordon Ryan (out of picture) goes through solo drills. Photo by Luciana Marcos @to_fight_
