🧠 How UFC Fighters Build Mental Armor (And How You Can Too)

Brandon Epstein doesn’t sell hype—he builds habits. As the mental performance coach behind top UFC fighters, his job is to help athletes show up under pressure, on purpose.

Here’s what he actually does with his clients—and how you can do the same to level up your life, even if you’re not fighting in a cage. He explained all this on more on the Joe Rogan Experience #2364.

⏰ Start with a Simple Alarm

He makes clients set a daily alarm that says:

It’s not motivational—it’s tactical.
The alarm is timed to hit when you’re likely to slip into autopilot (Epstein uses 4 PM). It reminds you: every choice you make reinforces an identity. Are you aligning with the person you're trying to become—or betraying them?

Steal this: Set that alarm. Let it interrupt your excuses.

❓ Ask Better Questions

Brandon gives fighters a short list of questions to ask throughout the day. These aren’t woo-woo affirmations—they’re weapons. Tools to snap out of anxiety, fear, and distraction.

He has clients practice asking these. Like reps. Because under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion—you fall to the level of your training.

😤 Master Your State First, Then Act

Fighters don’t wait to feel confident. Brandon teaches them to shift their state on demand using breathwork, posture, and movement. It’s the opposite of waiting for motivation.

That’s a core principle. Whether it’s stepping into the octagon or into a hard conversation, your nervous system has to feel safe enough to act with clarity.

Try this:

• Physiological sigh (2 inhales, 1 long exhale) to calm down fast

• Movement trigger (stand tall, shake out tension, then step forward)

🧱 Build Identity Through Repetition

Epstein doesn’t try to fix people—he helps them practice becoming the version of themselves they already know they want to be. He calls it building an operating system.

That means choosing one or two identity-based habits and doing them daily until they become automatic.

🧪 Small Experiments > Big Overhauls

He’s not trying to change lives overnight.
He guides fighters to test one variable at a time. Shift a habit. Reframe a belief. Tweak the inner dialogue. Then track what happens.

The point is evolution, not revolution.

🦴 What Your Injuries Might Be Telling You

One of Brandon’s more unconventional (but insightful) tools: when a client gets injured, he asks them to consult an AI or resource to explore the spiritual or emotional meaning of that injury.

This doesn’t replace physical rehab—but it adds a layer of awareness. Are you carrying fear? Avoiding something hard? Are you off track from your purpose?

The injury might be feedback—not just physical, but energetic.

🧰 Tools of the Trade: How Epstein Rewires the Mind

Brandon brings in a wide range of modalities depending on the client’s needs. He isn’t dogmatic—he’s pragmatic. If it works, he’ll use it. Some tools he frequently draws from include:

• Hypnosis – to reprogram patterns buried in the subconscious

• Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) – to shift mental associations and inner dialogue

• Somatic processing – to release stored tension or trauma from the body

• Visualization – to rehearse successful outcomes in advance

• Breathwork – to regulate the nervous system and access different mental states

• AI tools and books – to find insight, reflection, or symbolic meaning, especially during setbacks or injuries

This toolbox isn’t about adding complexity—it’s about choosing the right lever at the right moment to move forward.

TL;DR

• Set an alarm: “Who are you becoming?”

• Ask identity-anchoring questions throughout your day

• Control your state before taking action

• Build your identity one behavior at a time

• Run small experiments. Watch what shifts.

• Reflect on injuries as potential messages—not just setbacks

• Explore hypnosis, NLP, breathwork, and other tools to support change

You don’t need more motivation. You need better reps.
Brandon Epstein gives fighters the mental operating system to win under pressure. Now you’ve got the blueprint from his book The Success Code.

📩 wellnessrollup.com/subscribe for more playbooks from the people coaching the best in the world.