​Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Brings MMA Training To The Court: ‘I Have That Little Fighter Mentality’ originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Everyone knows Joe Mazzulla is one of the most intense coaches in the NBA today. His sharp demeanor has made for great soundbites. However, it’s also provided positive results for the Celtics.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMazzulla has a different mentality than other coaches. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, he credits consistent MMA training as the key to his success.Speaking with Yahoo Sports’ Ariel Helwani, Mazzulla discussed going to MMA gyms across almost every city the Celtics travel to during the season. It keep him sharp and helps his approach in leading a team.”It’s the fighter’s mind. I think I have a lot of respect for the fighter, and when we’re in other cities, it’s us against the city. It’s us against not just that team, but the arena, that city,” Mazzulla said via Bleacher Report.”I think it just keeps you fresh, mentally and physically, so that when I’m helping the team, I have that little fighter mentality. It just helps grow a little bit of an edge, and every little bit helps. And it’s fun, I enjoy it.”Last year, Mazzulla spoke to the UFC and drew direct analogies from what he’s learned from fighting, mentioning (via MMA Junkie), “It’s small risk assessments that you’re constantly having to make.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMazzulla has trained with coach Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture. Under Nicksick’s guidance, Sean Strickland, Aljamain Sterling, and Francis Ngannou became champions. He also worked with Miesha Tate before her title fight against Holly Holm at UFC 196, which she won.Mazzulla respects Nicksick’s approach and believes he can bring what he learned from the cage to the court.“The thing that’s interesting in the in-fight communication,” Mazzulla said via Sherdog. “I think communication can be distracting. I ask Eric a lot about what his communication is during the round. What’s my communication during the game?“There’s a timeout component in communication, but also in-game communication. I think one of the hardest things in coaching is to relay, in a simple way, what you see to the players so that they can see it simply and execute. I think Eric does a great job of that.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLatest Celtics newsTD Garden fan guide: What to know before you goComplete history of Celtics championships