So, you want to be a fighter?

Becoming an athlete, let alone an elite athlete, takes a commitment that many are not able to do. Narrow that focus down to fighting, a very specific niche, and you will find yourself in a more competitive and much smaller pool of athletes who are all gunning for the same things: wins in the octagon and a coveted contract with the UFC.

A pro MMA fighter requires much more than simply free time, a good diet, and some natural fighting skill. Many of the athletes that you see on TV (and many who are not) are committing 50% or more of their week towards their dream of being the next great fighter while balancing a career. It is not reasonable to assume that you can focus all your time on training while still sustaining bills and responsibilities, especially before a contract with the UFC.

Speak to any pro MMA athlete in Ontario and you will find the same thing: Most will train at least twice a day, then balance the remainder of the day with their careers. Then place self-promotion on top of that, and you find that the week no longer has enough days. Many of the fighters at BTC Fight work as trainers, businessmen and women, AND professional athletes.

Like any sport, you start with an interest. Many MMA fighters enter their careers with a background in a specific martial art. However, MMA is a dynamic sport that involves groundwork and striking prowess, so you will have to be open to becoming multi-disciplinary. It is important to have balance between your ground and foot work because weaknesses are easily exploited in the octagon.

Find and utilize the best trainers and coaches in the business

After establishing your baseline strengths and weaknesses, you then search for the best trainers and coaches you can get your hands on. None of this is cheap and requires more than just an emotional and physical investment. To be the best, you need to be trained and maintained by the best. This includes everything from coaches to medical practitioners. Body care is imperative. Not to mention nutrition. A lot of fighters have nutritional consultants who guide them towards their goals with specific meal plans that vary depending on training and fights.

Appealing to the fans

Alongside winning (often), you must become a fan favourite and draw the eyes of scouts from leagues like the UFC. To become a fan favourite, you need to be able to draw attention in the cage. This can be done by having exciting fights on a skill level, or by being a unique character in the cage. However, it can simply be the result of excellent self-promotion. Many pro MMA fighters in Ontario are responsible for their own promotion and ticket sales – so the bigger you are, the better your ticket sales will be.

Sometimes it can simply come down to being in the right place, at the right time. Which brings up commitment. You must be committed in success and failure as both bring about unique learning and growth opportunities. Look at all the big names in the UFC. When an upsetting loss happens to a fan favourite, they can take it one of two ways: First, they can choose to be humbled and hungry or they can choose to be angry and spiteful. Both fuel a drive towards success, however one might make you last longer as a professional UFC fighter, than the other.

This quote from Dana White, President of the UFC, says it best. “Take four corners anywhere in the world. On one corner they’re playing soccer, on another they’re playing basketball, third corner they’re playing street hockey, on the fourth corner a fight breaks out. Where does the crowd go? They go to watch the fight.” Combat arts draw a large, exciting crowd that enjoys attaching themselves to one fighter, as opposed to a team. Fan followings are massive in the UFC.

Take UFC fighter Conor McGregor, former featherweight and lightweight champion, who has a social media following of 36.7 million followers on Instagram. According to Fanside.com, “McGregor’s five headlining pay-per-view fights have already established him as the biggest draw in UFC history. The numbers dwarf those of Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre.” This massive fan base is staggering for a combat sport, however compared to his next in line competition, Khabib Nurmagomedov with 21.2 million followers, this fandom trend is only going up. With such easy access to fighters, the fans cannot be discounted as a paramount and imperative part of being a successful MMA fighter.

The last part of becoming a fighter lays in timing. Nothing happens over night especially when it comes to being a pro athlete. Being patient with the process is important as there are just as many encouraging and exciting moments as there are discouraging. Being undefeated is most certainly a display of expertise, but some of the best fighters have learned the most from big losses. If being an MMA fighter is something that you want to get involved in, the team at BTCworkout.com would love to chat. You can get in touch with them by email here or by calling 905-637-0531.