MMA fighters playing poker, and how physical activities can help in the mind sport

The appeal of poker is such that even athletes from other sports find something to appreciate about the card game. More specifically, the cerebral challenges provided by the mind sport offer these athletes a nice respite from the more physically-oriented games they make their respective livings off of.

A number of mixed martial artists certainly count themselves among these poker enthusiasts. At the top of the list is perennial favorite Georges St-Pierre. Many consider the Canadian as pound-for-pound the best fighter in the MMA circuit today, accounting for his massive popularity even among casual fans of the sport. It’s a popularity that saw many business outfits seeking his star appeal to draw in crowds, poker operators included. As a result, he has already been invited by no less than the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to two back-to-back appearances: the 2012 and 2013 tournaments. Sadly, GSP’s proficiency in the octagon didn’t seem to carry over at the poker tables, having been eliminated on Day 1 events for both years. That said, his star power hasn’t faded one bit, so he might just get invited once again to play at this year’s card contest.

On the flipside is another Canadian, Terrence Chan, who’s a card shark first and a ring warrior second. In fact, apart from a couple of amateur brawls, he has had only one professional MMA fight so far. Still – including the first two – he does have a 100% win ratio, indicative of his drive to do his best at what he loves doing. He carries this same winning attitude to poker, where he has made quite a name for himself, especially in digital poker rooms.

It’s great to see someone like Chan who strives to seek a balance between two sports – a mental and a physical one – that allows him to get into both with the same level of dedication. It’s a sentiment that another poker pro, Sorel Mizzi, shares. In an interview with PartyPoker’s Lee Davy, Mizzi talked about his physical training has helped his poker game immensely. “Exercising before the tournament makes such a major difference to my mental clarity,” he said. “I am so much more focused on everything going on around me.”

It’s a statement that’s backed by scientific findings conducted by researchers from both the UCLA and the University of Georgia. They discovered that even less than an hour of continuous exercising can already boost the brain’s performance levels. Accordingly, the increased heart rate allows more blood to be pumped towards the brain, increasing its information processing capabilities as well as its memory retention.

In other words, the enhanced mental alacrity beneficial for poker-playing is made possible by vigorous physical activities; and what better form of a total-body workout than a few rounds in the octagon.