Forty-two-year-old MMA legend Don Frye (19-7-1) has a newfound focus on training and is ready for another shot at MMA prominence.
"I quit drinking a month ago because I was doing too much of it," Frye admitted. "It lost its fun for me, but I was still doing it. Now I'm clean and sober."
Frye said the change has made an immediate impact in his lifestyle.
"I get up at 6 o'clock in the morning," Frye said. "I used to stumble out of bed at about 10 o'clock."
Frye certainly wouldn't be the oldest competitor in elite-level MMA. UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture has single-handedly rewritten the books on what can be accomplished by a fighter that most would deem over the hill.
Frye also wouldn't be the first legend to wander into relative obscurity before making a return to the sport's highest level. With UFC 93's recent addition of 43-year-old Mark Coleman's , the door has been opened for other pioneers of the sport to return.
But don't expect Frye to follow precisely in Coleman's footsteps.
"For some reason (UFC President) Dana White doesn't like me, and I don't care enough to find out why," Frye said. "So he can go pound sand up his ass as far as I'm concerned."
Instead Frye, a veteran of the UFC, PRIDE, K-1, DEEP and King of the Cage, will focus on alternate paths to the MMA forefront as he plays out the remainder of his 12-year career.
"I've got about two years left," Frye said. "Eventually I'll get my head out of my ass and make another run at it."
And never one for self-censoring, Frye said he won't limit his options -- with one notable exception.
"I'm a whore," Frye admitted. "It's all about the money. I'll fight for anybody but the UFC."
