Ask fighters about the difference between competing on the regional circuit and stepping into the UFC Octagon and most will hit you with something along the lines of “at the end of the day, it’s still just a fight.”
While that is true about the night they stride into the cage and trade blows in search of glory, the reality is that competing on the biggest stage in the sport is an entirely different animal than grinding out a career in smaller shows. And the process of figuring that out and finding your comfort zone can be long and arduous.