While every UFC fighter must face an opponent in the Octagon, one thing Anderson was facing outside of the Octagon was some personal issues.
“I’m very hard on myself,” Anderson told MMA Junkie. “I’ve always been open about that and about mental health issues and that kind of stuff. So I am my own worst critic and have kind of doubted my skills for a long time. I feel like I had a lot of issues from my childhood that I’ve never dealt with, and I’ve always been open about being bullied, and I’ve had some – a lot with my home life. My dad was an alcoholic. I think it’s been like six years now, so I’m so proud of him he’s been sober, and that’s amazing.”
Anderson may be in need of a big win in the UFC, as she has won just one of three thus far under the UFC banner.
One thing Anderson readily admits is that the fighter is finding peace with her personal issues.
“I’ve kind of come at peace with that now and I realize that I can’t control what I can’t control and I just need to do me and be myself and happy,” says Anderson.
UFC 243 takes place tonight from the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia with Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
