​Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla never played in the NBA, so he hasn’t experienced the physical toll of an 82-game regular season. However, in order to better understand his players, the reigning Coach of the Year tries to simulate the daily grind of the NBA within the Octagon.Mazzulla is a huge martial arts fan and has attended multiple UFC fights while coaching the C’s. His passion goes beyond fandom, though. The New England native told Ariel Helwani — one of the leading journalists covering professional fighting — in an exclusive interview that he’s practiced mixed martial arts for the last 4 to 5 years. That training doesn’t stop during the middle of the busy NBA regular season either, as Mazzulla believes it’s a way for him to connect to the fatigue his players might be feeling.Apr 5, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla speaks with Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) at a break during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images”I have a lot of respect for our team and the guys in the NBA,” he began. “And they push themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally all year long…I can go through the whole season and not have any physical, taxing moments…So, the more I can kind of meet them where they’re at and put yourself in that position, I think it helps have empathy for them and understand what they go through.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMazzulla hasn’t just been figuratively meeting players where they’re at. He’s literally done it over the course of his four seasons as head coach, especially this summer. He traveled to Portugal to visit Celtics center Neemias Queta, he went to Spain to watch Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez play, and he made trips within the United States to see Celtics wings Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh in their home states of Nebraska and Texas, respectively.The former West Virginia basketball captain has a unique ability to level the playing field with others that even goes beyond his players. During the 2025-26 campaign, Mazzulla lowered his press conference podium so that he could be closer to where members of the media sit rather than tower over them. And prior to the season, he helped organize a basketball scrimmage between Celtics coaches and reporters that made national headlines.His willingness to embrace others, no matter how important they are to the Celtics organization, has been a super power. It’s certainly brought his players closer together and perhaps explains, to a degree, why the C’s were able to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference last season despite missing star forward Jayson Tatum for more than 60 games.Mazzulla will need to apply his magic touch to the locker room again during the upcoming regular season. The Celtics no longer roster star guard Jaylen Brown after trading him to the rival Philadelphia 76ers and would love a steadying force amid another season o