By Martial Arts Mindset for FloCombat

You are your biggest opponent, and you are likely holding yourself back in some ways. 

The person we are most likely to lie to is ourselves, and in doing so, we become trapped in the jail of our own mind. 

The saying goes: "Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever has.” Why? The reason is that we are always making excuses or focusing on our problems versus finding solutions for ourselves—especially when times get tough.  

Here are some of the common excuses we say ourselves or we hear fighters saying about their fights with some actionable advice on how to fix them.

1. "I Got Caught" 

Rutgers wrestling coach Scott Goodale once told one of his wrestlers: “You didn't get caught, you got packed!" 

He doesn't want his wrestlers to make excuses, and neither should you on the mats or in the cage. This is MMA; things do happen. You're bound to end up getting rocked or put in bad positions at some point, so fight like hell when you are there. Don't be soft and quit on yourself. 

I've seen many fights where someone gets rocked or put in a terrible position to come back and win. Think of the first round of Daniel Cormier against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. You can always reset yourself and bounce back—outside of a clean knockout, of course—so you have no excuse. 

After the fight, work on your positioning at the point where the action started. Get better.

Related: How To Overcome Pressure Situations Inside The Cage

2. "My Opponent Was Too Big" 

Get better technically and get stronger. It's funny how this will usually come from fighters who compete with heavier partners in practice, only to change their attitude in a fight. 

Think about times you horse around with and beat up on your non-fighter friends who are much bigger than you. It's easy to beat them. Why? Because you know much more technique and positioning. Get better, and this excuse will fade. 

3. "The Ref Made Bad Calls" 

How many bad calls does a ref make in a fight? One? Two? Three, tops? What about the other 13 to 23 minutes you had in the fight? 

Until you begin to execute consistently perfect fights yourself, don't expect referees to be perfect. We're all human and can’t control other people, so don't rely on calls. Improve yourself, and the referee will matter less. 

“The difference between winning and losing is the Mind” -@yiannidiako_LGR on point. Congrats buddy #MentalEdge pic.twitter.com/9I62VKxlIg

— Wrestling Mindset (@WrestlingMindse) March 18, 2018

4. "My Coaches Gave Me The Wrong Game Plan/Advice" 

The coach didn't make you do anything. He made suggestions, and you chose to do them (or not). 

Remember: It's up to you to make the final call, and that's the beauty of fighting. On the mat, everything is your choice and in your control. I'm a firm believer that the fighter should listen to their coaches during rounds because they have a spectator's view the competitor can’t see. But ultimately, they make the call they are most confident with because you are the one fighting.

If something changes, you just improvise, adapt, and overcome or you will learn a painful lesson from someone who has. Work on your positions and honing your game, then execute on fight night. 

5. "The Conditions Around The Fight Weren't Ideal"

Get over it. Your opponent has to abide by the same constraints as you. Your attribute should always be this: Whatever conditions I'm in right now are my favorite to fight. Time, rules, mat size, how you feel, the temperature of the gym, etc.—none of that matters. Forget about the conditions. 

6. “I Had A Bad Weight Cut" 

Your weight cut is in your control! Outside of a menstrual cycle, no one has an excuse for why they can’t get the weight off. Change your process until you perfect it. 

In the event the weight isn’t coming off, you ultimately have two choices: You can find a way to make weight or you can give up. 

You chose your weight class, so figure it out and suck it up. If the weight cut was hard on your body, you can only focus on getting yourself as close to 100 percent again as possible.

Whatever percent you’re at, you have to fight at the maximum to that capacity. That’s the best we can do. Don’t complain—get tougher.

Mike Moor is the director for Martial Arts Mindset, a systematic mindset training program used by many professional fighters in the UFC, Bellator, Invicta FC, and other major promotions. For more information on the program or the concepts presented, sign up for a free trial session at www.martialartsmindset.com.