But as fight night approaches and Coach Ogden gets ready to battle Motta in an attempt to even up his UFC record at 2-2 in his first bout since a decision loss to Ignacio Bahamondes in April, the practical next question for the newly-minted 34-year-old is, how does he get enough time for himself when giving so much of it to others?
“What I’m doing might be a little crazy, but the answer is, nothing changes,” he said. “I still am doing one-on-ones with all the pros that are in camp. I’m still coaching my full coaching schedule, which is three classes a day, sometimes four. I still run the gym from an administrative standpoint. I am running the business full-time and I’m still teaching regular jiu jitsu classes, too. So I hope I perform to my peak potential. I know I can handle this workload and I know that I can do it and still fight at a very high level. So I hope that I do because I feel like, at this point, because I keep getting asked this questions so much that if I go out there and lose that everyone’s going to say, ‘Oh look, I told him he couldn’t do this much,’ and I truly believe I can.”
This Saturday’s Fight By Fight Preview
That stubbornness is part of what got Ogden to the UFC in the first place in April of 2022, and while there have been roadblocks along the way, his approach to the sport has kept him motivated and moving forward. In other words, this isn’t a job for him, it isn’t an excuse to punch someone in the face and not get arrested. Martial arts is his life, and fighting is just a part of it. A part he loves, but a part, nonetheless.
“Old wisdom would say that I should go to a different camp or that everything should change to center around me,” Ogden said. “But see, I’m not an athlete. I’m a martial artist and a warrior. And so an athlete might feel that way. ‘Oh, everything’s got to be about me right now because I have a fight going on.’ But, to me, as a martial artist and a warrior, you’re supposed to be ready to go anytime, anyplace, anywhere. This is a full lifestyle. I’m a martial artist first before I am a coach and before I am a competitor.”
