Athletes
Life Experience Is Eryk Anders' Secret
Veteran Middleweight Eryk Anders Reflects On His Journey As An Athlete Ahead Of UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev.
The end of Eryk Anders’ mixed martial arts fighting career is nearing, but “Ya Boi” isn’t getting misty about having only three training camps left.
“No, I'm pretty solid with where I stand on things,” Anders said. “I’m not satisfied yet because I'm not done, but I'm good. I'll figure out the other stuff.”
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The “other stuff” is finding something to replace the feeling of stepping into the Octagon to get into a fist fight or getting on the football field for a national championship game.
“I’d like to be a gym owner so I can teach and cultivate the next generation of fighters coming out of the state of Alabama,” he said. “MMA is a passion of mine, and I can only compete and fight so long. I could always do jiu jitsu and grappling matches, I can coach and teach, and I just recently got my black belt, so I think that gives me a little status of validation as a jiu jitsu practitioner and coach. So I’ve got options.”
No, no, no. Not something to do every day, something to make him feel the way he does when all eyes are on him and everything is on the line.
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“I'm sure I'll have my ups and downs after fighting's over,” Anders said. “Nothing can really replace me actually going out there and fighting. But I think coaching fighters and watching them be successful will help. All good things come to an end, and I can always go win world championships in jiu jitsu and things like that. It’s not quite like football and MMA, but it’s still something to pursue and train for.”
It's not what you expect to hear from someone who is soon walking away from the competition that put him on the map. But the 36-year-old never followed the script of a high-level collegiate and pro athlete. So when he revealed before his June 2023 bout with Marc-Andre Barriault that he had five fights left and was out, few blinked. It’s his way. He’s a grown-up. So what’s the secret?
“I don't know, I’ve just kind of been through it.”
That’s not a secret. He laughs.
“Life experience is the secret. I've been through this, I've done it once with football, and I'll find something else that'll keep me out of trouble. I'm a little bit older now, it's my second go-round, so the pill's a little bit easier to swallow. Everybody's got to walk their own path and I think, honestly, playing football and having that rug pulled out from underneath me helped prepare me for this. You understand that you can only be an athlete for so long before it's time to give it up. With football, it's not even you giving it up, it's that you've reached the limit, like, okay, you're not going to play professional ball; what are you going to do next to figure it out? With fighting, you are always a fight or two from getting cut anyway, so I just never wanted to put all my eggs in this basket. It's been awesome, it's been a great ride, I loved it and had a great time and enjoyed it every step of the way, don't get me wrong, but I already know that at any second it could be over with anyway. So I just always had my mindset on what's next and what can I do forever.”
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Well, the most important forever job is being a father, and after relocating his camp for this Saturday’s bout against Jamie Pickett from Arizona back home to Alabama, his two sons are loving having dad back in the house full-time.
“I think they're enjoying it,” Anders said. “We get to go out, do stuff, and I'm not missing anything. I go watch track practice, I go watch wrestling matches and basketball games, so I think they're enjoying it just as much as I am.”
Anders sounds happy, and he sounds free, if that’s the right term for it. So when I ask if he’s backing down from his five (now four) and out plan, his response is instant.
“I'm not, not yet anyways,” he laughs.
So if he beats Pickett his weekend and three more in a row, what happens then for the middleweight veteran?
“We'll talk.”
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 2, 2024. See the final Prelims and Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
