The Rock FaceTimed with Ariel Helwani on his popular MMA Show to talk about his perspective on attending UFC 244 and his thoughts on the infamous stoppage between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal. The Rock also talks about his upcoming film project in which he will play UFC fighter Mark Kerr, but a moment that stood out to Helwani was the two’s discussion about handling pressure and anxiety when it arises for Dwayne. The Rock certainly has those moments and shared three main things he keeps in mind when going through such a natural occurrence.
“I think that when you’re in a position like mine and the optics of my life are always so forward-facing and it can be at times noisy and loud, just by virtue of my job and what I do and you know a lot of people, everyone for that matter, they see the upside to it. And again the optics of fame and the optics of fortune and I’m not complaining because I always say the alternative to that is go back to the days where nobody knew who I was.”
“I always try and remind myself of a few things. A few things I always try to keep in the forefront of my mind: number one – everything is going to be okay.”
Number two for The Rock? “You’re not alone..”
Number three is keeping the hard times in the forefront of his mind and doing that kind of eases the current situation that he is going through. The Rock also says that since he grew up an only child, he tends to internalize things and bottle them up.
“However when anxiety creeps up or any kind of insecurity creeps up, I always make sure that I’m talking to somebody, reaching out to my friends or family members. So I try to do things like that, but yeah, of course it happens to me. It happens to all of us, but I think it’s just a matter of how you deal with it, the kind of perspective that you have.”
“As you get a little older, you hopefully get a little wiser and you really start to I think for me, really take advantage of the moments that I’m in and try and really be present in these moments.”
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone)
You can watch the entire interview below:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joins Ariel Helwani to discuss what it was like to walk out in front of the crowd at Madison Square Garden for UFC 244: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz. (6:14) Johnson says he was surprised by the stoppage, but understands the doctor’s concerns over the cuts around Diaz’s eye. (8:40) Johnson also shares the advice he gave Masvidal and how impressed he is with Masvidal’s character and fighting style. (11:50) The Rock later discusses his upcoming film project, where he will play UFC fighter Mark Kerr, and explains how much the role means to him.
