(ARCHIVES) Hall: Ronda Rousey Helped Me Deal With Fan Criticism

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 7, 2018, 1:07 PM]

Uriah Hall started out his UFC career with a ton of potential as a future middleweight contender, which is all still there, but he has struggled greatly inside the Octagon in his past several fights.

“Prime Time” has dropped three of his last four Octagon appearances. Physically and stylistically Hall has all the tools to beat anybody who stands across from him inside the cage. It’s the mental aspect of the fight game that has been troubling him.

Recently speaking to Sporting News, Hall discussed how fan comments used to get to him and really affect him mentally. It wasn’t until some advice from UFC Hall Of Famer Ronda Rousey that Hall was able to jump over that hurdle:

“Fans are the worst,” Hall said. “MMA fans are just as bad as soccer fans because they don’t realize it’s a game. To them, it’s more than a game, and that becomes a problem.

“(Fan comments) used to affect me a lot and it really messed with me. One of the best things Ronda Rousey told me was that her mom used to grab her before every fight and tell her, ‘Nobody has the right to beat you.’ It took me a while to understand it, but now I carry that mindset.”

Tonight (Sat. July 7, 2018) Hall will return to the cage when he takes on rising undefeated middleweight star Paulo Costa at UFC 226. Should he be able to thwart the rise of a new face at 185 pounds, Hall may find himself in the middleweight title picture in no time at all.

Of course, he’ll have to prove that he has truly overcome the mental hurdle that has haunted his career for the past several years when he steps into the cage against Costa tonight:

“There’s so much noise, but you have to get a white canvas and paint like an artist,” Hall said. “I stopped looking back to ask people what I should paint and decided to paint how I want to paint. Why am I going to live someone else’s life and fight the way they want instead of my how I want to?”

What are your thoughts on Hall’s comments regarding how Rousey helped him deal with fan criticism? Let us know in the comments!