For evidence on how the big stage affects even the most talented of fighters, look at featherweight Diego Nunes' record: 11 consecutive finishes, then eight consecutive decisions.
Sure, Nunes has had far more ups than downs in his career under the Zuffa umbrella. But he's still missing a finish.
"It could be the quality of the opponents, but I think I need to relax more, worry less," he told
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "It's hard for me to loosen up."
Nunes (17-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) promises to loosen up when he meets Dennis Siver (19-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on the main card of UFC on FUEL TV 2, which takes place Saturday at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. Preliminary-card fights stream on Facebook.
Striking specialist Siver could help Nunes toward that goal. The German emigrant is a karate specialist by origin and loves to trade punches and kicks with opponents.
"It think it will be a good fight, a loose fight," Nunes said. "It will be free-flowing, at least as far as I'm concerned. This will be a different fight. I don't plan to wrestle or clinch. I won't have to stress about being taken down."
Nunes said finishes will come when he's no longer worried about being outwrestled. In the gym, he said his training partners know his talent. But putting that into practice under the lights hasn't been easy.
Nunes hasn't
hired a psychologist to address the issue, as did UFC middleweight Rousimar Palhares following a series of bizarre incidents in his professional career. But Nunes is working on his mindset.
"I've decided it's high time that I showed my true potential on the feet," he said. "I just need to go in and fight. I need to let my game go, and the knockouts will start happening again."
Should he get past Siver, Nunes is positioned for another top-five opponent in the featherweight division, and perhaps a fight or two from a title shot. But despite moving on from his longtime team at Rio de Janeiro's Nova Uniao, where current featherweight champ Jose Aldo currently trains, he said he would fight Aldo only under direct orders from the UFC. Or, he'd jump a weight class.
But for now, those concerns are secondary. Nunes wants to be the best fighter possible and devote himself to God after he quits.
"I won't fight forever," he said. "I know I'll be a preacher of the gospel of the Lord. That's my strength. It's Jesus. His example in winning, never quitting, suffering through so much, I apply that to my own life. I never quit, regardless of the size of my cross, regardless of any nails that are struck upon me. There's no giving up."
That means he'll keep pushing for the finish on Saturday night, whatever Siver throws at him.
