Lamp Touré

What does a typical training day look like for you?

“A training day for me is, um, in the morning, I have my first session, so it is, like, a more technical session, and then, in the afternoon, I have a physical training conditioning session. So, yeah in the day of an athlete, you have to rest also in the middle of the day. Yeah this is important. Maybe one hour of sleep every day, between the sessions.”

How do you prepare before big fights?

“There is a long training camp, maybe four or five weeks. So there is a lot of conditioning, there are a lot of technical things to do, and I have to work on my cardio. This is very important, and I also have to cut the weight, also, so I have to lose, maybe 10 kilos before a fight. Yeah, about 10, so I’m on a diet for a few weeks, and then I can lose the weight and be ready to fight. I’m fighting in the featherweight category, which is, under 66 division.”

What is your biggest strength as a competitor?

“My mentality. My confidence, because I am a very confident person in life, so in MMA, it works for me being confident in no doubt, I will be able to bring a big performance on the day. I don’t have a fear of my opponent or anything else. I just focus on myself and that’s it. So maybe it;s my biggest strength in MMA. And that’s what makes the difference between me and the others, I think so.”

How do recover mentally and physically after a bad performance?

“After a bad performance, I have to take time with my family. That’s the most important thing I think. And rest, maybe go on holidays for one week, and then go back to training after taking care of myself.”

What is something that contributes to your success but is often overlooked by young athletes?

“Something I need to succeed is maybe the visualization, the mental aspect is very important in my sport, in my life, you know. So I have to visualise everything I do, like fighting, and, uh, yeah, the, mental conditioning is very important I think so. That’s why I succeeded this way in MMA.”