Jake Ellenberger may be riding a three-fight losing streak in the UFC, but the once top ranked welterweight is certain the issue has nothing to do with his physical abilities or a potential lack of competitive edge.
During the height of his UFC run, Ellenberger compiled a six-fight win streak that included victories over Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. However, once he suffered a somewhat surprising TKO loss to Martin Kampmann, he simply has not been the same fighter.
While the welterweight is certain the issue has nothing to do with his skill set, he believes the root of his problem lies in his mental approach to the fight game.
“I have a few new things that I’ve been doing,” Ellenberger said. “I’ve changed a lot as far as how I approach the way I think. It is kind of like resetting to a new default. It is not really a skill thing; it is all more in the way I think and my self-confidence. It is a little bit of a new perspective mentally.”
Having placed himself in stressful fight-situations throughout his most recent training camp, Ellenberger believes he may have rooted out the issue that has impaired his recent octagon outings, and believes his match-up against Josh Koscheck will be one of the best of his UFC career.
“It was a compilation of some things; even when I come up short (in fights), it is not a skill thing, it is just myself. There are some things I need to work on and dissect. It has been hell. These last few weeks have been hell. I have no doubt in my mind – not even a question – that this fight is going to be one of the best yet.”
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