[autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] is still fighting 15 years after his MMA debut. When Saunders returns against Matt Brown on Saturday at UFC 245, it will be his 36th pro fight and 19th with the promotion.
So why does he still compete, especially after all these years? It boils down to two major factors: Simply put, Saunders loves it – and it’s all he’s ever known.
“I stand alone, man,” Saunders told MMA Junkie. “I’m a very strange individual, but there’s nobody in the world like me. Can you name anybody that you’ve ever talked to or interviewed that saw the first pay-per-view of UFC live at 10 years old and dedicated their life to it? I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I was 10. But there was no blue print.”
When Saunders started out, he made a commitment. It was unpopular, but he swam against the tide of practicality. Saunders’ family was against the idea of mixed martial artist as a career avenue. So to escape criticism, Saunders traveled to Orlando, Fla., to train with UFC veteran Din Thomas.
How did he manage the move? He lied and told his parents he was going to college.
“I dedicated my life to this,” Saunders said. “I had everything going against me. At one point, my car broke down, so I lost my job. I was going to get evicted, and everybody in my family was kind of against me like, ‘What are you doing, man? What is this fight thing you’re even talking about?’ I had to just take them out of my head.”
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Reflecting on his journey, Saunders is in awe of how far both he and the sport have come. While he’s competed at the highest levels on some of the biggest stages, Saunders still stays grounded in his 19-year-old mindset. He attributes his longevity to that mentality.
“I thought my career was going to basically be like you just love being a martial artist. You’re going to travel to Japan and Brazil to fight overseas to just gain experience and be the best martial artist you possibly can,” Saunders said. “Then live a mediocre lifestyle of running your own gym.
“Now the sport has blown up to where it is now. Dude, I can do this for a living and actually compete at the highest level. To be able to do it in the UFC is a dream come true. I have no regrets. I’m living my dreams.”
Saunders hasn’t been a UFC champion – nor has he competed for the title. But Saunders has stuck around, which is more than a lot of fighters can say. Champions have come and gone. The roster turnover has been massive. Yet, Saunders is still here.
How has he managed such longevity? Treating his body like a temple, said Saunders. Despite having been finished in 10 of his 12 losses, Saunders says damage hasn’t extended past that. He keeps a strict diet, doesn’t drink alcohol, and trains safely.
“This is all I do. And most of the hobbies and things I like to do outside of the fight game and martial arts is things that should be low impact Or things that should be my downtime or relaxation,” Saunders said.
He continued, “You might see some damage that has happened in or throughout my carer, but that’s the extent of the damage that I’ve had. I’m not taking these crazy damage wars in the gym.”
Retirement will come at some point. But Saunders indicated he doesn’t plan on that happening anytime soon. He’s taking it one step at a time, and the next step is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
“I have the same mentality I was when I was 18,” Saunders said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what the future holds. Yeah, the older I get, you’ve got to be aware that stage could occur. But I’m not there yet. I’ve been so good with understanding what I want to do and what it takes to maintain health and vitality and longevity in this game.”
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