Michael Jordan not only inspires basketball enthusiasts but all athletes who aspire for perfection. And a UFC fighter capable of beating opponent within 14 seconds finding inspiration in His Airness testifies this notion. Bryan Battle recently appeared on a podcast episode with Karyn Bryant. The 29-year-old UFC fighter revealed one of Jordan’s quotes that has brought him great confidence.

The podcast host assumed that the confidence for the upcoming fight for Bryan comes from his previous records. However, Battle believes that, though the performances helped for sure, its an ideology that weighs equally important. “One of my favourite Michael Jordan quotes…he was talking about being able to play with no fear…and he said that came from his preparation…he prepared so much he knew exactly what he could do…fear comes from the unknown.”

Bryan Battle believes that when you know exactly what you can do, it takes away a lot of unknowns and it gives you a lot of confidence because you know your options beforehand. “Know yourself, know your enemy, you shall be victorious,” he said. It is worth mentioning that in his last two fights, ‘The Butcher’ has won one by submission within first 5 minutes and one withing just 14 seconds through a knockout.

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These two experiences are more than enough to boost up anyone’s confidence for future bouts. Battle has his upcoming fight scheduled on March 16th against Ange Loosa at UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura. The 29-year-old fighter still drawing inspiration for his upcoming fight from Michael Jordan’s quote shows the impact the 6x NBA champion has had on professional athletes.

What is Michael Jordan’s exact quote and what does it signify?

“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder the next time,” the Chicago Bulls legend once said. The quote reflects his belief in sheer hard work. This spirit in Mike was alive ever since his UNC days where he had told the the UNC assistant coach Roy Williams that he wanted to be the best player in UNC’s history. As per ESPN, Jordan even told Williams that he’ll work as hard as any other player on his high school team.

However, Williams responded that he’d need much more if he wanted to be the best there ever has been. “‘I’m going to show you. Nobody will ever work as hard as I work,'” Roy Williams recalled hearing from Jordan. And MJ stood on his words even after landing in the NBA. From his high strength training routine to his diet plan, everything was a step towards further improvement. The hard work implemented back then still leaves a visible positive impact on this generation of athletes.

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