Humbled after stocking groceries, briefly living in car, Geane Herrera ready to shine at UFC Fight Night 101

Geane Herrera revealed earlier this year that he had to put his MMA career on hold because he was unable to stay financially afloat competing in the sport. Herrera’s situation is slightly better now, he admits, which means he’s prepared to resume UFC competition.

Herrera (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who fights Ben Nguyen (14-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 101 next month, has been forced to endure some tough times in recent months. It even got to the point where Herrera worked a job stocking shelves at a grocery store and lived out of his car just to get by.

The situation was hardly comfortable, Herrera told MMAjunkie Radio, so he opted to give fighting one last chance.

“I don’t think anybody in the UFC knew until I basically reached out and told them, ‘Hey, guys. I’m basically living out of my car, I could really use a fight,'” Herrera said. “They took care of me, man. They gave me a couple extra weeks to prepare, and here I am, counting down the weeks ready to go Down Under.”

UFC Fight Night 101 takes place Nov. 26 (Nov. 27 in Australia) at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The event airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasn’t been finalized.

For MMA fighters, a career in the sport isn’t as simple as rolling off the couch and stepping in the octagon. Preparing for a fight at the highest level can be a financial burden, with expenses spanning from paying coaches and training partners to maintaining a healthy diet and much more.

Despite three UFC fights to his credit, Herrera was simply unable to afford those expenses along with everything else in life that needs to be paid for, so he stepped away from fighting so he could earn money that would allow him to go through an actual training camp.

Once Herrera was able to do that, he quit the grocery store job and turned his focus back to training.

“It was a job just in a little grocery store, put things on the shelf,” Herrera said. “It was very humbling to be in there and I thank God every day I did have that job because it was covering food, it was covering gas, but at the end of the day I just feel I belong in the gym 24/7 training.”

Although Herrera was out of the gym for longer than he wanted to be while resolving all his issues, he said it didn’t take long to get back in the groove of things once he got back to full-time training. In fact, Herrera thinks he’s now better than ever, mainly because the difficult times taught him to learn more about himself and appreciate his circumstances.

For that reason, Herrera expects one of his best performances yet at UFC Fight Night 101.

“I feel like a better Geane today,” Herrera said. “I feel like I’m maturing more into the fighter I want to be. I still have a lot to learn, a lot to grow from, but I’m happy with my skillset, with the way my mind is right now. A lot of this is all mental and I think the struggle just helped me mature a little more and appreciate my time in the gym that much more.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 101, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.