5 current UFC fighters who are avid gamers
![Conor McGregor makes an appearance in a game [Image Credits: gamingcentral.in]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/06/0ad28-16243037468897-800.jpg?w=500)
Many fighters in the UFC have often cited gaming for their success. The Joe Rogan once said:
"Just get good at something, get a feel for something and use that proficiency as a compass for other things you will learn and develop. Have your understandings work as a catalyst to each other because everything is connected."
Several MMA fighters have used gaming to improve their success in combat sports. Gaming has been known to not only inspire fighters but also help them have unflinching focus, razor-sharp reflexes, and the ability to make lightning-fast strategic decisions.
Past UFC fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Georges St.Pierre, Michael Bisping, Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey talked about their love for gaming. 'Mighty Mouse' and Ronda Rousey took their love for gaming to the next level by having active gaming-related live streaming channels on YouTube and Twitch.
Many UFC stars have appeared on DJ streams on several occasions. That includes some fighters on the current UFC roster, who also happen to be avid gamers.
A YouTube channel called Celebrity GamerZ has videos of interviews with several UFC fighters who share a common love for gaming.
Apart from honorable mentions of Stipe Miocic, Curtis Blaydes, Chris Weidman, Leon Edwards, Francis Ngannou, Justin Gaethje and Robert Whittaker for being gamers, here are five current UFC fighters who are avid gamers:
#5 Sean O'Malley
'Suga' Sean O'Malley, a UFC fighter who has a live streaming channel as well, shows viewers his gaming setup in the above video. He also went on to describe his gaming history, saying:
"I've been gaming since I can remember, I've been playing Zelda, all the Mario games, Donkey Kong. I've been gaming since I was 3-4 years old since I can remember. But right now, I've been playing a bunch of Call of Duty."
His favorite games are Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, and he is part of the PC master race even though he has his own consoles.
O'Malley has also appeared on one of DJ's streams.
#4 Stephen Thompson
'Wonderboy' Stephen Thompson has also been an avid gamer since his childhood. The UFC welterweight says that Mortal Kombat games have had the most impact on him, observing:
"It (Mortal Kombat) gave me a vibe of anime; it inspires me to train harder, the way anime does me now, like it inspires me to train harder. When I was in high school, Dragonball Z or watching them (DBZ characters) push themselves to get to that next level kind of instilled that in me to push myself in training to get to that next level as a fighter, and Mortal Kombat kind of did the same thing for me, you know, the cool characters and how they looked, their trainin;, I remember watching all the movies."
'Wonderboy' has been seen in live streaming games on several occasions along with former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and his brother-in-law, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Thompson has also appeared on 'Might Mouse' streams and his brother-in-law and former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.
#3 UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya
'The Stylebender' Israel Adesanya is known to be a prolific striker. While the UFC middleweight champion is known for using anime as the inspiration behind his striking style, he also uses gaming for the same purpose.
Adesanya also prefers PCs over consoles, like Sean O'Malley. 'Stylebender' likes gaming because:
"It teaches you how to stay composed; it teaches you how to handle losses; it teaches you how to, I guess, re-adapt to new situations, and it also helps with my hand-eye co-ordination," says Adesanya.
Adesanya has used the game DJ hero to improve his hand-eye coordination. He had this to say about the game:
"I realized that I was on steroids with my hand-eye co-ordination (while playing the game)."
#2 Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor has appeared in Call of Duty: Infinite Wars as one of the villains.
In an interview conducted by UFC on FOX, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion said:
"My management rang me and said that I had an opportunity to come in and be a part of the game, and I have played the game for many years and I was addicted to it. I wouldn't stay away for a while, and I wasn't training so much as I was playing the game, so to actually get an opportunity to take part in the game, I dived in. There was a stage where I'd be up all night, like literally all night. Let's say I'd wake up, I'd go training, I do maybe 2-3 hours training. I'd come home nice and early. I'd sit down, and I'd play Black Ops 2, and I'd play it the whole night through, and my girlfriend would be sitting in our apartment, and she'd eventually go to bed, and I'm just hooked on it, like bad hooked on it. And then she'd wake up at 8 am and in the morning to get going for work and then I'd say okay now its time for me to sleep."
McGregor also appeared in a game called Dystopia: Contest of Heroes, where he is the main character.
#1 Max Holloway
Regarded as one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history, Max Holloway has been known to win some of his fights without doing any training in the gym but by playing video games for long durations.
He appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan asked Holloway how he trained for his fights with Jose Aldo when he did not have a striking coach then. Holloway said in this regard:
"You know the UFC game? I'll use Renan Barao, and I'll use Jose Aldo, and I'll do stuff with them, like holy hell, this works in the game so my friend at the time Dustin Kimura, he would kinda hold mitts for me, and I'd be like look, I tried this in the game, and it was working, let's try it. We did it. I figured out from the first ever UFC game."
He went on to say:
"I would play the video game and be like, oh look at this, I tried a combination, and I'd be like this kinda works, so let's try it."
'Blessed' also has channels on Twitch and YouTube where he's seen gaming himself and sometimes does so with his gaming buddies from the UFC.