Eryk Anders, reflecting on his MMA career and personal life, has embraced sobriety, gained custody of his son, and is preparing for a pivotal UFC fight at Madison Square Garden with a renewed perspective and clarity.
Eryk Anders feels he had more to give throughout his MMA career and, honestly, the last two decades of his life. The UFC middleweight is set for his 18th octagon appearance this Saturday at UFC 309 against former champ Chris Weidman. On September 1, Anders—a 2009 national champion college football player for Alabama—shared that he’d been drug-free for over a year. This change helped him gain custody of his son and grow both personally and professionally.
“It wasn’t like I was living under a bridge shooting heroin or anything,” Anders told MMA Fighting. “I was just out partying, doing God knows what at all hours, with whoever.” He reminisced about high school days when as long as he made it to workouts and performed well, he thought it was okay. “How much better could I have been?” he wonders now.
Especially in college, chasing women and staying up all night seemed normal because he never slept anyway. But with a court date looming for custody of his kids, something clicked. After months of sobriety, he realized how great it felt not being hungover.
For the 37-year-old, changing his life was an easy decision once clarity hit. “I’m not a therapist or anything,” Anders said, “but it’s an easy choice for me.” Now he’s looking for places to open a gym—something he wouldn’t have considered a year ago.
After winning his first eight pro fights, Anders joined the UFC and knocked out Rafael Natal in his debut in July 2017. He later faced Lyoto Machida in Brazil but lost by decision. Fourteen UFC fights later, he’s preparing to fight at Madison Square Garden with a clear mind.
“It was just smoking, coke, pills—you name it,” Anders explained. “Anything other than crack or heroin.” Reflecting on college days where his antics were almost glorified, he admits it wasn’t cool because it hindered his performance.
“You lie to yourself thinking it’s cool,” he said. “But I could have been better.” Close losses haunt him; perhaps without substances clouding his training, those outcomes might’ve been different. He’s determined to show the best version of himself on November 16.
Being interesting means people want to hang out with you, but Anders realized they were drawn to the UFC fighter persona. With custody of his son now secured, he’s distanced himself from those distractions.
At 37, with newfound clarity as a father and fighter, Anders faces reality: three fights left on his contract might be the last of his career. But in MMA’s unpredictable world, who knows? “Everything has a price,” Anders muses.
“If I win my next three fights and get offered a new contract… money talks,” he admits. He loves the lifestyle fighting affords—traveling with his kid between bouts—but knows he can’t fight forever.
With 14 months clean and positive changes evident, Anders felt blessed when offered a fight at Madison Square Garden. The opponent didn’t matter; fighting there was always a dream. Facing a former champion adds excitement—how could he refuse?
“It’s Madison Square Garden,” Anders said. “One of the most prestigious arenas worldwide.” Fighting there was on his bucket list; the opponent is just icing on the cake.