Cricket legend Brett Lee and MMA great Michael Bisping outline how pain and fear boost athlete performance

Michael Bisping recently spoke with Brett Lee in what was deemed by netizens a meeting of legends from two different sports, MMA and cricket, respectively. 

Among the topics addressed in their conversation, the duo shed light on the pain and fear athletes have to endure to perform consistently. Both Lee and Bisping underscored how negative elements, such as pain and fear, could be channeled into positive energy for optimal performance. 

Michael Bisping and Brett Lee's extraordinary MMA and cricket careers

Michael Bisping was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame a few years ago and is counted among the greats in mixed martial arts. Many fans of the Englishman particularly laud him for his advocacy against the use of banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)/steroids in MMA. 

The MMA and kickboxing veteran is also revered for his exceptional striking prowess and incredible cardio, factors that were regarded as significant in helping him become a UFC champion. He also notably won UFC gold after he lost vision in his right eye. 

Meanwhile, Brett Lee is hailed as one of the greatest to ever compete in cricket. The Aussie is considered to be one of the fastest bowlers on record in the sport's history. His fastest ball in international cricket was recorded to be 161.1 kmph (that is 100.1 mph), which came in a One Day International (ODI) match against New Zealand in 2005. 

Lee was also known for his contributions with the bat in the lower order of the Australian batting lineup, including his ability to clear the ropes with humongous sixes. "Binga" boasts a total of 718 wickets as a bowler in international cricket -- 310 in Test matches, 380 in ODIs, and 28 in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). 

Cricket icon Brett Lee and MMA legend Michael Bisping cite pain and fear as boosters of athletic performance

Speaking to Australian ex-international cricketer Brett Lee for Main Event, England's Michael Bisping heaped praise on UFC featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski. For context, Volkanovski is en route to headlining the upcoming UFC 333 event in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on October 24. 

Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion who transitioned to become a UFC color commentator, heaped praise on Volkanovski. "The Count" also seemed to suggest that while cricketers and other non-combat sport athletes get to compete multiple times a year, combat sports athletes like MMA fighters barely compete two to three times annually. As such, the margin for error is considerably lower in combat sports contests. 

They appeared to segue into how performance anxiety is coupled with pain and fear, which hurts athletes in their sports contests. Nevertheless, Lee opined that he used pain to help him. 

Lee stated, "That's where I found I could actually switch on, and you'd be the same with that mental strength. And you gotta turn that pain threshold completely off. You have to have that high pain threshold. I actually found that I played my better cricket when I was in a lot of pain." 

Days ahead of his 50th birthday, the legendary Lee indicated that in such cases, you're trying to teach yourself and somehow get through the tough situations. 

Bisping chimed in and explained, "Well, the adrenaline, that's what helps you. And that's your best friend." The 47-year-old continued, "And with the fear, or the pressure, comes the adrenaline. And that's what really switches you on." 

Watch Brett Lee and Michael Bisping discuss how fear provides an impetus to athlete performance below (*comments at the 9:18-minute mark of the video):