Omaha native Jake Ellenberger returns to his hometown Wednesday for a UFC fight with Diego Sanchez. Get a behind-the-scenes look at his fight preparations on Omaha.com with trainer Riley Ross in the lead-up to the fight. Ross is the founder of Higher Tactics Treigning Systems, where he serves as a sports nutrition and performance specialist. He is also the Director of Personal Fitness Training at Vatterott College in Omaha.

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The media coverage that comes with fighting on the main card against a top-ten opponent is relentless. Phone calls, emails and text messages come from local, national and international media entities.

During the week of a fight, Jake Ellenberger typically does anywhere from 50 to 100 interviews. He answers every question, repeating himself often.

Turning off the switch — that is, being able to stay focused despite the media circus — is one of the key challenges during fight week. Which is one of the reasons Jake woke up Friday to find a text message from Omaha sports psychologist Jack Stark, who has served a portfolio of national athletes and coaches, from college football to NASCAR.

Jake relies on Stark to help improve his psychological performance. His methods are meant to help rein in any obsessive mental focus aimed at an upcoming competition — common among elite athletes — which can lead to intellectual wear and tear.

Stark suggested that Jake wear rubber bands on his wrists. Snapping the bands triggers a physical recall which helps Jake focus on the present. At times, Jake snaps his wrists constantly. I sometimes joke that he should ice his wrists the same way he does the rest of his body.

Jake spent a half-day Friday doing interviews and crafting meals to help maintain his weight. Then he met with jiu-jitsu coach Scott Morton, who has trained Jake since the beginning of his career.

They spent two and a half hours going over positioning, technique and transitions from takedowns to ground-and-pound. They also went over strategies and discussed how Jake’s upcoming opponent, Diego Sanchez, might attack.

The rubber bands still on his wrist, Jake reached for his phone as he left the gym, exhausted. A dozen text messages and voicemails to sift through.

Snap, snap, snap. Only five days to go until fight night.