Why am ı getting over stressed when fighting in a low level local tournament but not in Worlds?

[Katsuda]

So ı'm posting this to ask to martial artists with competetion experiences. The thing is ı fought more than 30 times in different arts. Wushu, Boxing, BJJ, Kickboxing and of course my main sport MMA

in 2025 ı couldn't fight in MMA due to license problems because ı changed teams, and the time ı couldn't ı improved a lot because my old coach didn't have anything more to improve me.

And when ı fought in 2025 august ı stressed so much even though ı know my opponents, ı know they are not even close the guys that ı'm sparring. I won my first fight in like 40 seconds with RNC, but in second fight ı just freezed. My opponent hitting,ı'm just standing and blocking trying to take him down but with worse takedown attempts of my life. at the third round ı opened and started hitting started feeling better pushed him against cage hit a dobule leg carried him to the center of the octagon. I didn't won that fight (ı think ı won even though it was one of my worst performances but thats not the case.) the main problem is that ı couldn't finish that guy in the first round easily, he was not good it was his first fight and ı know that the guys ı spar and beat is way above than him.

After that loss, my country choose me to go UWW Pankration & AMMA Worlds ı won a silver medal there.

Yesterday there was a mma competition which ı couldn't attend because ı teared my ACL but when ı was there ı felt tense when ı was watching my division's fights even though they were not good at all.

At the way back home ı felt really tense and had a feeling " what ıf ı lose what ıf ı can't beat these guys " even though ı know that these guys level is way below than me.

I'm not saying these with ego, in my country mma is just becoming a thing and ı'm doing this for over 5 years, there is no other teams that has a black belt in jiu-jitsu in their coach line or even a purple belt. We have 6 black belts.

I spar with pro ONE FC fighters both K1 & MMA, ı do well against national boxers in boxing spars, even in worlds i didn't felt this stessed and tense, but when it comes to local mma tournaments ı feel really tense and stressed.

Why is this happening? and how ı can overcome this? if any experienced martial artist sees this, please give me your opinion ıt will really help me.

BTW ı just turned 16. A little inexperienced but trying to improve.

 

[Gyakuto115 124]

Anxiety, stress, self-doubt etc are all normal phenomenon, provided they aren’t ‘crippling’ which, by the sounds of your description, they are not. Young people are under the misapprehension that feeling anxious, stressed and doubting oneself are abnormal feelings. They are not!

Try positive thinking, try 4-7-8 breathing and get the situation into perspective by remembering you’re doing this for fun, you’re not in a life threatening situation. You will not always be successful and failing provides unique and useful learning experiences.

 

[Simfers115 22]

I think your brain is reasoning thus:

1. You go up against world-class competition, you might lose, but that's against the elite. It would be acceptable to lose to them.

2. You go up against local competition, you might lose against THESE bums?!?!?! Oh god, no, panic panic panic, I'm so much better than them, it cannot be!

What you can do to get through: Just remember that everybody loses. Every dog has his day. Remember, Matt Hughes could never beat Dennis Hallman, despite being the far more decorated fighter. Georges St.-Pierre lost to Matt Serra. Sometimes stuff just... Happens.

Relax. Don't tie yourself up in knots over wins and losses. They mean very little.

 

[HighKick]

So ı'm posting this to ask to martial artists with competetion experiences. The thing is ı fought more than 30 times in different arts. Wushu, Boxing, BJJ, Kickboxing and of course my main sport MMA

in 2025 ı couldn't fight in MMA due to license problems because ı changed teams, and the time ı couldn't ı improved a lot because my old coach didn't have anything more to improve me.

And when ı fought in 2025 august ı stressed so much even though ı know my opponents, ı know they are not even close the guys that ı'm sparring. I won my first fight in like 40 seconds with RNC, but in second fight ı just freezed. My opponent hitting,ı'm just standing and blocking trying to take him down but with worse takedown attempts of my life. at the third round ı opened and started hitting started feeling better pushed him against cage hit a dobule leg carried him to the center of the octagon. I didn't won that fight (ı think ı won even though it was one of my worst performances but thats not the case.) the main problem is that ı couldn't finish that guy in the first round easily, he was not good it was his first fight and ı know that the guys ı spar and beat is way above than him.

After that loss, my country choose me to go UWW Pankration & AMMA Worlds ı won a silver medal there.

Yesterday there was a mma competition which ı couldn't attend because ı teared my ACL but when ı was there ı felt tense when ı was watching my division's fights even though they were not good at all.

At the way back home ı felt really tense and had a feeling " what ıf ı lose what ıf ı can't beat these guys " even though ı know that these guys level is way below than me.

I'm not saying these with ego, in my country mma is just becoming a thing and ı'm doing this for over 5 years, there is no other teams that has a black belt in jiu-jitsu in their coach line or even a purple belt. We have 6 black belts.

I spar with pro ONE FC fighters both K1 & MMA, ı do well against national boxers in boxing spars, even in worlds i didn't felt this stessed and tense, but when it comes to local mma tournaments ı feel really tense and stressed.

Why is this happening? and how ı can overcome this? if any experienced martial artist sees this, please give me your opinion ıt will really help me.

BTW ı just turned 16. A little inexperienced but trying to improve.

A couple of possibilities.
1.) Imposter syndrome. We all get it from time to time. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.
2.) You say MMA is fairly new to your country. Possibly the competition around you is learning, getting better, and catching up. The wakeup call is unsettling you. So, what do you do? Get acclimated. Find better sparring partners and training.
It is a Quality more than a Quantity thing.

 

[isshinryuronin4 4]

Relax. Don't tie yourself up in knots over wins and losses. They mean very little.

OP is still a baby at 16 and will obsess over the here and now rather than the long run (amazing how one's age distorts our perception of time). No insult to him intended - it's natural. We were all young once (I think). Chuck Norris lost occasionally when he started competing but never let it discourage him.

The thing is ı fought more than 30 times in different arts. Wushu, Boxing, BJJ, Kickboxing and of course my main sport MMA.......BTW ı just turned 16.

AND competed on the international stage? This just doesn't sound right.

 

[Simfers115 22]

Yeah, I missed the part about them being 16. That does look... Odd.

 

[Gyakuto115 124]

Yeah, I missed the part about them being 16. That does look... Odd.

We’re assuming ‘earth years’

 

[Gyakuto115 124]

OP is still a baby at 16

He’ll love that being phrased in that way!

 

[Stuarto76 17]

He’ll love that being phrased in that way!

I really love how blunt he is about everything

 

[Fungus104 2]

A possible natural logic: Stress can be perceived as a challenge or threat. It is naturaly to perform better during challenge that during threat. Both your cardivascular performance as well as your cogntive capacity will be better.

So trying to focus on the opportunity, rather than the threats will make a difference, although thats not so easy to just decide, it happens automatically.

Maybe when you competed in the big leage, you are more of an underdog and have everything to win and not expectations to break; that simple makes you sharper and better, makes less mistakes.

When you complete in the smaller context, you perhaps feel pressure on yourself that if you loose you embarrass yourself, ie the threat of loosing takes priority over the energizing opportuinty that you can win.

 

[HighKick]

Yeah, I missed the part about them being 16. That does look... Odd.

I suspect it is more about tournament 'branding'. I cannot count the tournaments I went to that used the title 'international' or 'world' in the name. Most were little more than local tournaments.

 

[isshinryuronin4 4]

My sensei put on the "Pan Am Karate Championships" but I don't think it drew anyone outside of Western US. But it was in the Los Angeles area, so a good crowd (a lot of top guys there) still showed up. Bruce Lee (from his Green Hornet days) and Joe Lewis (Ed Parker's International's Grand Champion) were special guests and put on a demo - Lee showed his "one-inch punch" and Lewis showed how powerful his side kick was. Interesting to see the contrasts of two kinds of power generation. The guy who played Robin on the Batman TV series was there too. It was my first tournament and quite exciting meeting those guys, sparring and enjoying the vibe and energy.

 

[Gyakuto115 124]

OP = Bot

 

[O'Malley102 13]

OP is still a baby at 16 and will obsess over the here and now rather than the long run (amazing how one's age distorts our perception of time). No insult to him intended - it's natural. We were all young once (I think). Chuck Norris lost occasionally when he started competing but never let it discourage him.



AND competed on the international stage? This just doesn't sound right.

There are lots of smaller competitions that are technically international (you just need at least two countries), and it's not uncommon for young people to participate. Especially when the sport is still in development in a country and the pool of practitioners is small you can rise up the ranks quite quickly compared to very popular sports. See Eric Moussambani:

 

[Tez3]

Martial arts saying "you win or you learn". You never actually lose. Talk to your opponents after the fight most are happy to chat and swap ideas etc. ''wow how did you do that move/escape" will get you some new techniques.

 

[HighKick]

My sensei put on the "Pan Am Karate Championships" but I don't think it drew anyone outside of Western US. But it was in the Los Angeles area, so a good crowd (a lot of top guys there) still showed up. Bruce Lee (from his Green Hornet days) and Joe Lewis (Ed Parker's International's Grand Champion) were special guests and put on a demo - Lee showed his "one-inch punch" and Lewis showed how powerful his side kick was. Interesting to see the contrasts of two kinds of power generation. The guy who played Robin on the Batman TV series was there too. It was my first tournament and quite exciting meeting those guys, sparring and enjoying the vibe and energy.

I am not familiar with the Pan Am Karate championship. I am Very familiar with the Pam Am MDKTKD elite championship (PAMEC for short). It was and still is the main tournament in the MDK circuit, covering the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central, and upper South America. It is an invitational, so points have to be accrued via other key tournaments to compete (parallel to Olympic events). The top brass is always there and they always have some cool events for spectators and non-competitors & and a red carpet dinner the night before the week of the event. It is essentially a week-long seminar.
But I would never describe it as the 'dog & pony show' you describe. There have been more than a few celebrities who train and competed over the years, but to be very sure it is about the tournament and competition, not the photo op's off the mat.
I was part of MDKTKD government for 6-years in various roles.
Good times.

 

[isshinryuronin4 4]

But I would never describe it as the 'dog & pony show' you describe. There have been more than a few celebrities who train and competed over the years, but to be very sure it is about the tournament and competition, not the photo op's off the mat.

I didn't think I described the tournament (1968) as anything like a "dog & pony show." It was all TMA business, no photo ops. Just want to set the record straight.

 

[Katsuda]

OP is still a baby at 16 and will obsess over the here and now rather than the long run (amazing how one's age distorts our perception of time). No insult to him intended - it's natural. We were all young once (I think). Chuck Norris lost occasionally when he started competing but never let it discourage him.



AND competed on the international stage? This just doesn't sound right.

I don't think ı'm really obsessing but ı'm trying to solve a problem ı have by taking experiences of people wiser than me but you're right thinking about the long run is more healty. And thanks for your opinion.

I didn't really understand why competing on the international stage is not sounding right to be honest. And why ı'm being 16 sounds odd but again thanks for your opinions

 

[Tez3]

I don't think ı'm really obsessing but ı'm trying to solve a problem ı have by taking experiences of people wiser than me but you're right thinking about the long run is more healty. And thanks for your opinion.

I didn't really understand why competing on the international stage is not sounding right to be honest. And why ı'm being 16 sounds odd but again thanks for your opinions

We have junior teams competing in international comps in all sports not just martial arts, there's a big under 17 international football scene, they play as often as the senior teams. Athletics has international comps for juniors as well, Wales has a very good junior MMA squad that competes internationally.