--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a great physical athlete is…" description: "\"Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare accordingly. But the closer it comes time to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg" --- # Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need… ![“Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare accordingly. But the closer it comes time to perform, the ratio switches. When you're in camp, it's 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental. But as you get to fight night, it's the opposite.” quote by Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg) > “Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare accordingly. But the closer it comes time to perform, the ratio switches. When you're in camp, it's 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental. But as you get to fight night, it's the opposite.” [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical training dominates preparation, but mental strength becomes crucial during actual competition. **In simple terms:** Training is physical, fighting is mental. Key Takeaway Balance mental and physical preparation. Themes training competition mental toughness Mood determined intense Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - pre‑season training - fight night - high‑stakes events Key Concepts psychology of performance sports science Questions to Reflect On - How can athletes train mental resilience? - What mental skills matter most in competition? A Different Perspective Mental focus can falter under pressure despite physical readiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Mental Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-fight-300653/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Percent Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-mental-618201/) [Percent Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-physical-1264720/) [Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical/) [Physical Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-athlete-1264719/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [They always say baseball is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical, whatever that saying is. I don't even think I know it. But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-rendon/they-always-say-baseball-is-90-percent-mental-10-percent-physical/) [Anthony Rendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-rendon/) > [When you reach that elite level, 90 percent is mental and 10 percent is physical. You are competing against yourself. Not against the other athlete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-fosbury/when-you-reach-that-elite-level-90-percent-is-mental-and-10-percent/) [Dick Fosbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-fosbury/) > [Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-is-ninety-percent-mental-the-other-half-is-physical/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. It is our business to puncture gas bags and discover seeds of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/mental-fight-means-thinking-against-the-current-not-with-it-it-is-our/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/i-will-not-cease-from-mental-fight-nor-shall-my-sword-sleep-in-my-hand/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“The constant mental fight made him irritable. He had never had a temper before. Some days, he felt as if his entire body were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-alger/the-constant-mental-fight-made-him-irritable-he-had-never-had-a/) [Cristina Alger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-alger/) > [Half this game is 90 percent mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ozark/half-this-game-is-90-percent-mental/) [Danny Ozark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ozark/) > [“Over ninety percent of your mental life is subconscious. If you fail to make use of this marvelous power, you condemn yourself to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/over-ninety-percent-of-your-mental-life-is-subconscious-if-you-fail/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Fighting is 90-percent mental. It's a lot of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/fighting-is-90-percent-mental-it-s-a-lot-of-emotion/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [Running is 80 percent mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-benoit/running-is-80-percent-mental/) [Joan Benoit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-benoit/) > [Half this game is ninety percent mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ozark/half-this-game-is-ninety-percent-mental/) [Danny Ozark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ozark/) > [I think you spend 50 percent of your mental energy trying to defeat ad systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/i-think-you-spend-50-percent-of-your-mental-energy-trying-to-defeat/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [A good 80 percent of the vault is still physical and another percentage of it, 20, 25 percent is mental. Mental is always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-karolyi/a-good-80-percent-of-the-vault-is-still-physical-and-another/) [Bela Karolyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-karolyi/) > [Most football players are temperamental. That's 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-plank/most-football-players-are-temperamental-that-s-90-percent-temper-and/) [Doug Plank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-plank/) > [Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-is-ninety-percent-mental-and-the-other-half-is-physical/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) ## More by Kamaru Usman > [My thing is, if you're going to talk online, if you're going to come at me with a certain energy, when you see me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/my-thing-is-if-you-re-going-to-talk-online-if-you-re-going-to-come-at/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [At the end of the day, I'm a professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-m-a-professional/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [You can't say I don't have the confidence, because I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/you-can-t-say-i-don-t-have-the-confidence-because-i-have-that/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [I'd like to think I'm a hybrid to where, if you had to pick, where would you say I'm weak? I can outwrestle guys;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-d-like-to-think-i-m-a-hybrid-to-where-if-you-had-to-pick-where/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [When you go to hotels, who are the maids who work at most of those hotels? A lot of them are immigrants. We take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/when-you-go-to-hotels-who-are-the-maids-who-work-at-most-of-those/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [I believe, if I beat Demian Maia, it's going to be very hard for the other top guys to go around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-believe-if-i-beat-demian-maia-it-s-going-to-be-very-hard-for-the/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [You can't out-wrestle me. You can't out-strike me. You don't have more power than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/you-can-t-out-wrestle-me-you-can-t-out-strike-me-you-don-t-have-more/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [I ask for the fights. Sometimes I get them. Sometimes I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-ask-for-the-fights-sometimes-i-get-them-sometimes-i-don-t/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [In other countries, being from somewhere else is celebrated. But not in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/in-other-countries-being-from-somewhere-else-is-celebrated-but-not-in/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [There was a time when guys just had a specialty, like boxer or wrestler or jiujitsu guy. Then came guys who could blend taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/there-was-a-time-when-guys-just-had-a-specialty-like-boxer-or/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [I fractured my left foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-fractured-my-left-foot/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [There comes a time in our careers that you get that one guy. That guy that just makes your blood boil. That really pulls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/there-comes-a-time-in-our-careers-that-you-get-that-one-guy-that-guy/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [You can't say that I don't have the skills. You can't say that. I have the skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/you-can-t-say-that-i-don-t-have-the-skills-you-can-t-say-that-i-have/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [When you're doing something like wrestling - wrestling is one of the toughest and hardest martial arts to learn - but it's still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/when-you-re-doing-something-like-wrestling-wrestling-is-one-of-the/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [I want Dong Hyun Kim. He's a grappler, he's a strong stand-up fighter, and I think that would be a great fight. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-want-dong-hyun-kim-he-s-a-grappler-he-s-a-strong-stand-up-fighter/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) [Explore all 97 Kamaru Usman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) ## More Fight quotes > [“I wanted a fight. I needed a fight. I was sick and tired of playing nice. I AM NOT NICE. - Caleb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/i-wanted-a-fight-i-needed-a-fight-i-was-sick-and-tired-of-playing/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [You have to fight gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-wine/you-have-to-fight-gravity/) [Sherwin Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-wine/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I am a fighter and I am in that fight and I have to make sure that I share the responsibility with my players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ten-hag/i-am-a-fighter-and-i-am-in-that-fight-and-i-have-to-make-sure-that-i/) [Erik ten Hag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ten-hag/) > [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I want to fight the fights that fans want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-want-to-fight-the-fights-that-fans-want-to-see/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-shall-fight-against-them-throw-them-in-prisons-and-destroy-them/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I really believe if GSP and Silva fight, Georges will have his hand raised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/i-really-believe-if-gsp-and-silva-fight-georges-will-have-his-hand/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) > [We fight to defend our democratic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-fight-to-defend-our-democratic-ideals/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [Therefore, our fight must primarily be a political mass struggle with revolutionary goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-slovo/therefore-our-fight-must-primarily-be-a-political-mass-struggle-with/) [Joe Slovo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-slovo/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) [Browse all 9,748 Fight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare accordingly. But the closer it comes time to perform, the ratio switches. When you're in camp, it's 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental. But as you get to fight night, it's the opposite.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kamaru Usman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonderful-and-you-need-it-at-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fight" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonderful-and-you-need-it-at-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/kamaru-usman-6792_fight_being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonder_1712965.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare…” — Kamaru Usman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kamaru Usman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a great physical athlete is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonderful-and-you-need-it-at-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/being-a-great-physical-athlete-is-wonderful-and-you-need-it-at-this/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```