In combat sports, competitors stand eye-to-eye with their rivals, refusing to give up an inch to their opponent by breaking the gaze.

How good is this, Bobby Stairdown, Rory Joe Rory was going nowhere.

But for many of them, and more than 50 million Americans, they often suffer in silence with an opponent that can't always be seen.

This man has incredible weight on his shoulders right now.

Sirius XM Fight Nation presents the Silent Fight, an in-depth discussion about dealing with and overcoming the silent challenges of mental health.

Here's your host, Dave LaGrecca.

This is Dave LaGrecca, and welcome to the Silent Fight.

Sirius XM Fight Nation's candid discussion about mental health in combat sports.

Pro-wrestling MMA and boxing are home to some of the toughest, most resilient athletes on the planet.

But that doesn't mean they're immune to the struggles of mental health.

Over the next hour, I'll have in-depth conversations with four of our hosts here on Fight Nation to see how each individual balances their own personal mental health battles with battles we see them in under the bright lights.

We won't waste another minute, so my first guest is UFC Light Heavyweight, Anthony Lionheart Smith, who over the last year has had to overcome injury struggles as well as the personal trauma of the tragic passing of his mother.

Anthony, how does mental health affect your performance and other fighters in a physically taxing sport like MMA?

In my career, we can all fight at this point in our careers.

When you start getting into the top 10, top five in the world, everybody can throw punches, everyone can kick, everyone can grapple.

So usually it's the most mentally stable person or mentally healthy person that seems to do better.

And I've been on both ends of that spectrum.

You know, we are humans and we're just regular people for the most part.

You know, I meet a lot of people and probably the number one thing I get all the time is, wow, you're just so normal.

Like, well, what do you guys expect?

I got regular problems.

I got regular things that I got going on.

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