Why UFC's James Krause OK with hearing that he's a better coach than fighter

Hearing you’re a better coach than fighter isn’t the type of feedback that would sit well with just anyone who’s still got an active UFC career going.

Lightweight James Krause, however, is OK with it.

Krause, who just recently coached Tim Elliott (15-8-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) to a UFC 219 win over Mark Delarosa (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) while preparing for his own upcoming UFC Fight Night 124 booking, said he’s received this feedback from “pretty much every fighter” he has. And while his three straight UFC wins – with a solid run on “The Ultimate Fighter 25” in between – show he’s also pretty good at the fighting thing, Krause takes it in stride.

“To me, it’s a compliment,” Krause told MMAjunkie Radio. “I enjoy competing still, so I’m going to see that through. But whenever I’m done, I’m going to coach full time. I get a lot of fulfillment. I watch guys like Tim winning and not just win, but succeed. I get fulfillment out of that, probably more so than I get from winning myself.”

If everything goes as planned, though, Krause (24-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will have both in basically a two-week span. He meets Alex White (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) Jan. 14 at UFC Fight Night 124, which takes place n St. Louis, in what will mark Krause’s return to the 155-pound division after a “TUF 25” welterweight stint in which he made it all the way to the semifinals.

Krause gets to enter the bout not only on the heels of his TUF 25 Finale unanimous-decision win over Tom Gallicchio, but also off a particularly hard-earned victory by Elliott (15-8-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC).

As Elliott said throughout the week, the leadup to his UFC 219 meeting with De La Rosa was no easy ride. First, on Dec. 15, the vocally unhappy flyweight had a UFC on FOX 26 bout scratched due to his opponent’s failure to weigh in. That alone, Krause said, was an issue: After all, fighters train to be at peak condition on a certain day, and re-bookings do mess with the planning.

But more importantly, Elliott had to deal with the emotional aftermath of coach Robert Follis’ suicide.

In order to make sure the flyweight was in the right mindset when he walked into the octagon in Las Vegas, Krause explained, they made sure to get Elliott a few test walkouts – entrance music and all. When the time came to for the real thing, Krause’s advice was quite simple.

“Doing what we would normally do is the best way to honor Robert,” Krause said. “Doing what we normally do, having fun, sticking to your gameplan, getting a win – these are all things that Robert would want to do. Rob was a very black-and-white person. It was business as usual. It was like let’s try to win, and that’s it. That’s all that matters in life. Anything outside of that was a distraction in my opinion.”

As shown by the second-round submission that earned Elliot a “Performance of the Night” bonus, the efforts weren’t in vain.

“(Elliot) looked amazing in his fight,“ Krause said. “And he’s one of those guys that – he’s a psychopath, man. He can flip the switch whenever he wants. And that’s what makes Tim Elliott so unique.”

Of course, there’s bound to be a bit of a balancing act as you split your coaching responsibilities with your own fight camp. But the way Krause sees it, his dedication to helping others thrive in the octagon ends up benefiting his own.

“I lose sleep over this game,” Krause said. “Not in a bad sense, but – it’s my life. Not even for me, but I obsess over evolution, over improvement. I try to bring it to the table with these other guys, which in turn makes me a better fighter. I usually am studying and trying to get better for other people, and in turn it makes me better.”

To hear from Krause, check out the video above

And for more on UFC Fight Night 124, 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 is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.