With help of sports psychiatrist, UFC 173's Jake Ellenberger embracing fear

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

Since Jake Ellenberger signed with the UFC, his career has gone like this: He wins and wins, right up until something wonderful seems about to happen.

Then it all falls apart.

It happened to Ellenberger (29-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in 2012, when he had a six-fight winning streak ended by a come-from-behind effort from Martin Kampmann. It happened in July, when he followed his first-round knockout of former title contender Nate Marquardt with a disappointing decision loss to Rory MacDonald.

With his welterweight showdown vs. Robbie Lawler (22-10 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at UFC 173 on Saturday (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET) approaching, Ellenberger’s challenge has been to figure out why that is — and what he can do about it.

That’s one of the reasons he has been working with a sports psychiatrist four to five days a week, he says. Physically, all the tools seem to be there. It’s the mental hump he has to get over.

“The nature of our sport, there’s so many variables,” Ellenberger tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie. “The better man doesn’t always win. The more prepared man doesn’t always win. There are all these variables that people don’t see. Especially when you have a division where everyone is separated by such a slim margin, discipline makes all the difference.”

Discipline is something Ellenberger talks about a lot, and if you look at his UFC history, it’s easy to see why. Against Kampmann, he seemed to be in control, coming within a punch or two of finishing it in the first round before getting floored by knee strikes as he started to fade in the second.

Against MacDonald, he never got his offense going, and now he thinks the culprit might have been a lack of fear. Contrary to what people might expect, Ellenberger insists, that can be a liability for a professional fighter.

“When I fight a guy like Nate Marquardt, who is big and scary and can really hurt you, I feel like that brings the best out of me,” Ellenberger says. “When I fight a guy like Rory, I might have been too relaxed in my mind-set because, hey, it’s not like he’s really going to hurt me. I think the best comes out in me when I have more fear, more to worry about.”

There’s plenty of reasons to fear Lawler. The knockout artist is known for his one-punch power, and in his most recent fight, he came heartbreakingly close to claiming the UFC welterweight title in a hard-fought battle with current champ Johny Hendricks. Against a fighter who’s always a threat to put his opponents to sleep, there’s no room for error.

“That’s why it’s about who’s going to be more disciplined in the fight,” Ellenberger says. “When you fight a guy like him, you’ve got to plan for a long, tough fight, a gritty, grinding fight. I have to be aware and disciplined, especially in the later rounds.”

If he is, and if it translates to a win, who knows where it will put him in the UFC’s fiercely competitive welterweight division. With so many accomplished fighters vying for the top contender spot, there are no easy fights on the horizon at 170 pounds.

“In my mind, this is my world title fight,” Ellenberger says. “This is my title fight, because everyone in the top eight of this division, they’re fantastic.

“This division is so solid and packed with talent, and I have to find a way to win on Saturday to be considered for that title.”

For the latest on UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.