And now, armed with three straight stoppage victories, a pair of successful title defenses, and a little bit of buzz, the Lethbridge-based titleholder is really starting to feel like he’s putting all the pieces together.
“I was literally just thinking that today, about all the stuff I’ve been through, thinking, ‘Maybe all the stuff I’ve been through I had to live through in order to achieve what I’ve achieved now,’” he said with a laugh when asked about the winding road that has carried him to the top of the Unified MMA featherweight division and another championship fight on Friday. “Now I’m on the right path, and it’s because of those things that my progression has come this far.
“I’m feeling great; I’ve never felt this good before,” he added. “I’ve been doing a lot of mental training, which is helping me develop in some areas where I wasn’t (focused on before). It’s really nice in that sense. Training lots, lots of great recovery — everything feels perfect; everything feels dialed in just right.
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“I’m doing a lot of meditation and a lot of visualizing and stuff like that,” Hammo responded when asked about the type of mental training he’s added to his daily routine. “I think it’s a big key in this game — seeing what you’re going for and then achieving that because it gives you that self-esteem boost every time you achieve it.
“You visualize it, you’re chasing it, and you get it just how you visualized it, and it pumps you up a lot.”
Right now, there are two things Hammo is visualizing most — one long-term and one short-term goal.
