John Makdessi chuckles when asked why he didn’t pick a warmer climate when he left Montreal to train in Milwaukee in 2017.
“There’s something about the cold, man,” he said. “It makes you tough.”
The 33-year-old knows all about tough. There’s no other option after training in martial arts since the age of six. But tough isn’t always enough in the fight game, and Makdessi found that out the hard way during a cold streak in 2015-16 when he managed just one win in four bouts.
As a member of the UFC roster since 2010, Makdessi didn’t appear to be in jeopardy of losing his spot in the promotion’s lightweight division despite this skid, but nothing is ever set in stone.