I take to meditation to stay calm: UFC's Cory Sandhagen

Trained in mixed martial arts from a young age, Cory James Sandhagen competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Cory says that it is not easy to compete in this sport. It takes a calm mind and a strong physique to be able to handle both the stress and excitement that comes with this particular sport. Cory is set to take on Frankie Edgar in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night on Feb. 7 live on Sony Ten 2 at 6.30 am. In an interview with Metrolife, Cory talks about what got him interested in the sport and more.

Talk about your growing up years? What was your childhood like?

I am from just right outside Denver in Colorado. I grew up like any other normal child. Growing up, I was really competitive in basketball, which was the sport that I was playing when I was growing up. I was getting more burnt out with that as the years wore on and that’s when I signed up at a mixed martial arts gym. I later attended the University of Colorado. Got a degree in psychology and was training in mixed martial arts through college.

How competitive is mixed martial arts in the international scene?

It’s definitely very competitive. Maybe not everywhere, but in the US, Europe and Russia, it is very competitive. There are a lot of shows in the US that are really high-level shows. Everybody who has signed up for mixed martial arts is good. Fighting is such a sport where you can win or lose very quickly - that’s the name of the game. It is a tough sport and a highly competitive one.

Do you have to keep reinventing yourself?

Yes. The sport moves quickly, and I think a lot of that has to do with how technological everything is now, where there are new techniques in jiu-jitsu online almost every other day. Now, we have access to watch so many fights. There's YouTube where anyone can put anything and share their knowledge and information that they know. The sport is evolving and if you’re not in the gym training every day, then you’re falling behind because the sport is moving pretty quickly.

Do you have days when you don’t want to go to the gym, or you want to eat more than you’re allowed to, and you have your cheat days?

Yes, that’s almost every day. This is a passion for me. It’s not something that I am just good, but it is something that I am passionate about and really appreciate. I really like to learn and I enjoy that process, and I enjoy being able to do things, learning them, working hard on them, and then doing them is a rewarding experience for me. It keeps me

motivated.

Are combat sports popular in movies? Have you had a chance to be a part of it?

I have not been in any movies. I would argue, yes, martial arts have been in every kids’ show while I was growing up. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Power Rangers -- it’s always good guys fighting the bad guys. It’s usually in some kind of hand-to-hand combat. It’s a huge part of the culture.

How do you cope with stress and stay positive?

I have been doing a lot of meditation. Every time I start to feel myself sinking, I focus on meditation. The sport comes with a lot of stress. In my life, there isn’t any bigger stress than knowing that I have a huge competition coming up in the future, and it’s a fistfight, and it’s going to be in front of a lot of people. Fighting is just scary. So, I do a lot of meditation, a lot of breathing exercises, a lot of just checking in with myself to make sure that I am getting everything that I need, even if that means that I need to take a rest and spend some time away from everyone. There are days when I get away to the mountains in Colorado, spend a day there and go hiking with my dogs. This really helps me get a grip on myself.

How do you deal with fear? Have there been moments that you’ve been afraid?

Everyone looks at fighters in a way like we are fearless animals and fear doesn’t exist for us. But that’s not true. I think we just do a really good job at not letting fear take us over because ultimately fear doesn’t really have any control over anything that you do unless you give it that power.

What kind of books do you read? Any Indian authors who figure in it?

I have read a few books of Gandhi. And I am a really big fan of Krishnamurthy. Their works have left an impact on me.