2019-10-01 Australian Men\'s Fitness

58 MEN’S FITNESS OCTOBER 2019

training and implements a lot of stuff he feels

can help me towards a certain component.

I try to leave the fighting at work. When

I’m at the session, I give it 100 percent, but

when I’m home I try not to think about it –

I go home and play with my kids and chill

out with some video games. You have to

learn to switch it on and off.

MF: If things get dire in a fight, are there certain
things you tell yourself to get through it?

RW: Fights happen so fast, there’s not a lot

of time. I believe that if you’re going to have

a mental monologue with yourself within the

fight, then [laughs] it’s either over or it hasn’t

begun yet. I’ve been in dire situations in

fights and I don’t remember having a mental

monologue. I believe instinct and muscle

memory is a big part of fighting.

MF: Any favourite quotes that inspire you?

RW: I really like the Musashi quote, “How

you do anything is how you do everything.”

I think it’s a solid thing to live by.

MF: What about motivational books?

RW: I’ve read a lot of books on philosophy

and I don’t mind listening to audio books.

I haven’t seen any motivational speakers.

I’m blessed with the fact that fighting is pretty

straightforward; I don’t need much pep talk

to do that. I hit the sessions and at the end of

the day it’s just me and him, and I don’t need

motivation to beat him 'cause I’m locked in

there with him. It’s pretty straightforward.

MF: Do you think that’s because you’ve had
such a successful career? If you think about
a fighter who has gone through two or three

GRABS ON 243

Why do it?

“Everything I do is

for the success of

my family. I’m not

one of those people

who’s driven by

fame. Everything

I need, I have. It’s

about me fighting

to keep what I have

and to make what

I have better – that

will make my family

prosperous. It’s

this that drives me.”

How will it go?

“I’m at my best.

I’m healthier and

stronger than I have

ever been. We’ve

been working

every day and

I’m really looking

forward to it.”

What does it

mean to you?

“The way the last

fight went left a

bitter taste in my

mouth. To go back

to Melbourne on a

larger scale means

the world to me.

One of my career

goals is to defend

the belt at home,

and I still haven’t got

there yet, but we

are heading there

in October and I’m

hungry for the fight.”

losses, he would be different. He’d be looking

for something he thought was missing. But

because you’ve been so successful, perhaps

it’s not something you’ve felt you needed to find?

RW: No, I’ve definitely needed to find myself

before. I’ve had two losses back-to-back, and

at that point I needed to find out who I was.

I think people try to find themselves their

entire lives. I believe it’s just a process you

have to go through – you have your ups and

your downs and you lose yourself a bit, then

you’ve got to find yourself. That’s life. The

thing with fighting is you can not find yourself

and still win, but follow the wrong path.

That’s the trap of the game.

MF: With the two losses, did you change

anything in your training? Was it a mindset thing,

or did you introduce something, read something

that helped you get back on a winning streak?

RW: It was a process. At the time, I was away

overseas a lot, spending a lot of time away

from my wife and my family and everything

that made me “me”. I had to really sit down

and have a look at who I was as a person and

where I wanted to go and how I wanted to get

there. How you are outside of the Octagon

directly affects how you perform inside the

Octagon. So I had to make sure I had my

foundations under me so that I could excel. n

“I REALLYLIKETHE

MUSASHIQUOTE,‘HOW

YOUDOANYTHINGISHOW

YOUDOEVERYTHING.’

I THINKIT’SA SOLID

THINGTOLIVEBY.”

TOPPICKS

Whittaker'stopsupps

Musashi

Pre-Workout

n A unique formulation

that contains a blend

of citrulline, beta-

alanine, caffeine,

creatine and amino

acids to help you take

it to the next level.

Musashi 100%

Whey Protein

n An ultimate protein

source to meet the

needs of athletes

and bodybuilders

looking to maximise

lean muscle and

optimise recovery.

Musashi ZMA+

n ZMA+ can help to

replace key minerals

that can be lost during

vigorous exercise,

supports healthy

hormones and assists

protein synthesis

in the body.

Musashi

Intra-Workout

n This advanced

formulation is

designed to meet

the needs of athletes,

whether competing

on the field or working

out on the gym floor.