Put the UFC and poker side by side and you’ll probably see two world’s miles apart from each other. One an aggressive, physical battle between two men at the very peak of fitness, and the other a battle of the minds, where the only physical element is a fist pump if you’ve won a big pot. They’re polar opposites, with the only similarity between them being they both take place at the MGM Grand at regular intervals.

MMA: The Right Mentality Will Stop You Getting Caught Flush

But are they really that different? Are they as far apart as we think?

When both touch down in Vegas, one at fighting hotspot the MGM Garden Arena, the other at the Rio for the prestigious World Series of Poker, is what’s running through the pros heads really that different?

Both want to attack, both need to be vigilant as to not take a hit, and most of all both are fully committed to winning.
The truth is, MMA is just as mentally demanding as poker, and both require the same key skills to be a runaway success.

Whilst the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Jon Jones may physically look completely different – you won’t catch Negreanu with abs like that no matter how hard he tries – mentally, they’re not far from being in the same frame of mind.

It’s the reason so many UFC and MMA stars do actually play poker in their spare time. In fact, Lex Veldhuis, a Dutch man who is no stranger to MMA tournaments, has made the switch permanent, winning over $650,000 on the poker tables.

Of course, it doesn’t quite work the other way around, but it shows just how close the mind has to be to be able to succeed in both.
And thinking about it, it’s no real surprise. With the vast array of styles and disciplines in the sport, mentally you have to prepare for your opponent to strike any way and keep concentration at every moment.

Rich Franklin, the former UFC Middleweight Champion and Vice President of ONE Championship, said, “Training for a fight is about 90% physical and 10% mental, yet when you enter the octagon it becomes about 90% mental and 10% physical because all of the physical preparation is done.”

And the same transcends into poker. Poker is a game in which the cards are often irrelevant and it’s all about playing the man sat opposite.

Tito Ortiz, a man who is no stranger to both the fight game and poker tables having been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012, and playing in the recent PCA tournament in the Bahamas, said, “Reading people is a huge part of this and I noticed this from when I first started.

“My fight game is the same. If I try to attack someone without having a good defence up, or thinking what’s going to come next, I’ll make a mistake and you can lose.”

It’s why knowing your opponent is essential. If an opponent has a favourite hand or signature strike, you’ll be able to predict it and counteract. According to PokerStars’ Train Your Brain, an infographic which gets inside the mind of a poker pro, understanding why your opposite number might have made a certain move will hold you in good stead, and eating the right foods and doing the right exercises can in fact help.

The infographic details a lot of attributes which can relate to both industries.

Perhaps the most important is the value of patience. William J. Florence, the legendary US actor and playwright is cited in the piece, but with that he also said, “There is no sympathy in poker. Always keep cool. If you lose your head you will lose all your chips.”

The same applies to MMA, but perhaps change the chips for teeth.

Maurice Smith most notably taught us that during his UFC heavyweight bout with champion Mark Coleman, a fight he was far from favourite for. Despite being a huge underdog, he became the first striker to win a championship in a sport which was then dominated by wrestlers and submission fighters, but with a clear strategy, defence, and the patience to strike at the right moment, he created history.

But most of all, both require is discipline. Like anyone at the height of their game, they’ve done it through showing discipline and determination. MMA fighters follow a gruelling schedule. Ortiz’s schedule when he was at the pinnacle of his powers spent eight hours a day at the gym before going for a run in the evening when preparing for a fight, a regime which he did for three months, six days a week.

Similarly, on Negreanu’s rise to stardom, he spend hours watching videos of top pros and opponents every week, as well as speaking to players he respected. And that’s on top of long sessions at weekends in a bid to get into the top 15. Obviously he ended up achieving that comfortably, becoming the All-Time Money leader on the circuit, and a six-time WSOP bracelet winner.

It’s these traits which have made champions, whether it be a belt or a bracelet, and really does show that MMA isn’t exactly a world away from a game of Texas Hold’Em.

UFC arrives in Las Vegas on May 23 and sees Jon Jones take on Anthony Johnson at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which is guaranteed to be an affair in which cards are held closely to their chest. It’s expected to be one of the fights of the year on which the undercard will be filled with mentally tough match-ups too.

And one thing is for sure, you can bet some of the stars will be taking in the tables and using their skills to try and win a prize pot as well.