Consistency Is King For Court McGee

For some fighters, time away from the grind of training can sometimes be a blessing. But McGee knows what got him to the dance, and he knows that he has to keep things moving in order to maximize his career time and keep up with the world’s best inside the Octagon.

“I've heard stories about people who stop training in between camps, but I’m not the person that can do that,” he admitted.

“So I put in between six and eight practices a week, even when I'm not training for a fight. I stay really consistent, just because everybody's getting so good.

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"And I knew what it took to get into the UFC. I had 4,000 hours of training, and I had 12 fights, I had professional and amateur boxing matches, and a ton of competition jiu-jitsu. I was just crazed trying to make it in. And, once I got there, it was kind of like, 'It's all on me now. So what do you do?'

“I just didn't let the fame get to me, I stayed consistent, and financially, I budget and I make sure to stay well within my means, so that I can stay active and still train and practice almost daily, and it's served me pretty well. So, consistency was king.”

That consistency has certainly shown on McGee’s record. Saturday will be his 22nd fight in the UFC. It’s rarified air in a sport where the constant evolution of the opposition means that if you stand still for a moment, you’re in danger of becoming extinct as a competitive fighter on the world stage.

McGee’s desire to train is to keep him on the big stage, but he competes for more than just himself. He fights to inspire others, and is proud to bare his own personal scars in order to help prevent others from sustaining scars of their own.

“For me, I get an opportunity to compete against the best guys in the world. And so I take advantage of that opportunity, because not everybody gets this chance, right? “ he said.

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"I’ve worked and I've prepared and, for me, there's something elusive like when you get rid of the cameras, get rid of the fans, get rid of everything inside, what do you do it for? My why is to carry the message to people that struggle, that there's a way out, and there's a way to succeed. Mine might be fighting at the highest level in the world and fighting in the UFC, but yours might just be staying out of trouble or staying sober today. And so, for me, that was my why and I didn't find that until probably five or six years into my career.”

McGee now runs his own gym, Agema Jiu Jitsu and MMA, in Provo, Utah, and seems to be enjoying the process of training and preparing, while also helping the fledgling careers of some of his young students in the gym. Together, they’re raising each other’s games, and, at the weekend, it’s McGee’s turn to step into the competitive arena.

His next challenge comes at UFC Vegas 90, where he’ll take on fellow Octagon veteran Alex Morono at the UFC APEX. In a sport where heated rivalries and trash talk can dominate the news cycle, McGee vs. Morono offers something of a palate cleanser. There’s no bad blood here. Quite the opposite, in fact. But don’t let that detract from the fact that they have both made their names by bringing the heat in the cage. It’s why they have combined for more than 40 UFC fights in their respective careers.

“I think he's a great opponent. I don't know if we fought on the same card, but I've seen him fight a couple of times," said McGee.

"When the matchmaker said, 'What about this guy?' It’s like, 'Yeah. That’s great!' I’ve always said that. Whether it was Sean Brady, or Sean Strickland, or Robert Whittaker, it's like, 'OK, great!'

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"Instead of picking and choosing, I have taken every opportunity and tried to fight up. So he's one of those guys, man. He brings it, he’s crafty, he's good. He's pretty good everywhere. And so, for me, it's an exciting fight.

“And also, a fellow true martial artist, you know? That's who I've worked so hard to compete against – a guy like Alex Morono. So, for me, it's going out there and giving him my best, trying to find a way to beat him, and then beating him, is the most important thing. That’s what I can offer him, is my best.”

For a fighter who has spent almost a decade and a half of his career fighting in the UFC, there have been plenty of opportunities to collect some memorable moments during fights with a host of notable names.

However, McGee said that the moment that means the most to him didn’t take place during a fight. Instead, it was what he did immediately after a fight that has left a lasting memory.

“My proudest moment, probably, is when I dedicated my fight to all those who were struggling, on the night that I won the (TUF) Finale,” he said.

“I think there's a lot of confliction being a former drug addict – not highlighting your past, not looking at the downfalls. Being really open with my story of how I had lost everything because I couldn't find a way to stop using and drinking, and then finding that way, finding a passion, following a passion, staying consistent and then becoming The Ultimate Fighter, and dedicating my fight to all those who are struggling. I think that's probably my proudest moment.”

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McGee is hoping to add another proud moment to his career on Saturday. For “The Crusher”, each fight is a chance to demonstrate to himself that he can solve a different puzzle with his skills.

"The captive motivation is, a minute or so into the fight, now it's, 'I have a chance to figure out how to beat you. And I've prepared, I've done this.' And so that's the elusive part. That's what I do it for,” he explained.

"And then on top of that, the byproduct is that I get paid, I can support my wife and my three sons. I can run my gym, I can encourage people who are struggling with addiction all over the world that there's a way out, that it's possible to attain sobriety, long term sobriety.