How to Get Into MMA?

A question that is commonly asked on MMA Recruiter is, “How to get into MMA?”. This question continues to come up from aspiring fighters.

We decided to ask other industry professionals what their answer is to this question.

Our goal by contacting other industry professionals and creating this article, is to give aspiring fighters different perspectives on how to get their careers started in MMA.

Please feel free to join the conversation and post your thoughts on this thread about, “How to get into MMA?”.


Question:

How to get into MMA?

“There are many instances where I have been asked this question regarding either boxing or MMA. The first question I have for them is; Is this something you want to make a career out of or is this something for sport? The reason I ask this is twofold. If you intend to make this a career, you must dedicate the time, the allegiance, and have the heart to quest for this goal. Keeping in mind the fact that only 1 in 5,000 ever make it to the big leagues.

If your goal is for the shear sport, then you must produce the same attitude as above recognizing this is for short term and not a lifelong ambition.

Do your homework; Visit several local MMA accredited academies that are within10/15 miles of your residence. I say this distance because this will work in your favor when you “don’t feel like driving that far”.

Next meet the instructor. What sanctioning body or bodies is he accredited with? What is his experience in teaching? How long has he been teaching and how long at this current location?

Once you do find an instructor that you connect with, set up a permanent training schedule. Adhere to this schedule and do not waver.

Your instructor will tell you when it’s time for you to compete. NEVER step into a fight if you are not ready.

If your desire is to eventually turn Pro, my opinion and experience has been to have as many amateur fights as possible prior to turning to Pro.

It is not uncommon for an amateur boxer to have 150/200 amateur fights under their belt proceeding to turning Pro.

You won’t see this in MMA. What you will witness is a fighter with as little as 5 amateur fights turning Pro. They quickly comprehend the fact that if you want to become a true champion, it is imperative that you have as many amateur fights as possible before you evolve to the Pro status.”

Joseph Donofrio
Donofrio Entertainment
http://www.donofriomma.com


How to get into MMA?

“As a Professional MMA Promoter with over 10 years of doing Pro, Amateur and Pro/Am events in the State of California, an MMA Training facility owner and an MMA Fight Team Coach... I would have to say the FIRST steps in the process in pursuing your dream as a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter are:"

1.) REASEARCH YOUR LOCAL AREA...

Find a QUALIFIED, local Boxing or MMA gym. (Several BOXING gyms also offer classes and training in Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Grappling and Jiu Jitsu). (A lot of Fitness centers these days now offer "MMA Fitness" and "Cardio-based Kickboxing classes" (But they will not provide the training you will need to perfect your training in the Arts if you're serious about MMA.)

Find a qualified gym and ask to audit several classes and look for qualified instructors that actually FIGHT. Ask QUESTIONS... See if the gym has a fight "team" attached to it... If so, SIGN UP...start light and train with THOSE individuals. (Make sure they know that your interest is in FIGHTING COMPETITIVELY), and you're more likely to get the appropriate training you'll need to actually compete.

2.) DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

(Look into fighting promotions local to your area and find out what licenses are required to fight in those shows). Also, find out what bodies sanction those shows use and if there are any SUB-licenses you'll be required to carry to be considered for those cards.

3.) FIND A SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

Get with a good TEAM and find a good COACH... Train under that coach and count on THEM to tell you when you're actually ready to fight.

4.) PAY YOUR DUES

ALL fighters (When they're ready to compete) start out as AMATEURS. A good Coach will prepare you and tell you when you're actually READY to fight.

Once you start booking amateur shows, fight as many as you can (win or lose) and focus on getting not only your RECORD up...but your experience.

As a Promoter... When I'm booking a PRO card... One thing I see a lot is amateur fighters that have just recently made the transition to turn PRO that are asking me to book them for my Pro cards. (Sometimes with an amateur record of 3-1... Or 2-2...). What they DON'T realize is I have guys with ammy records of 7-1... Or 6-6 to pick from and as a Promoter, if I'm gonna book a Pro fighter and pay him a Pro Purse (even if he just went Pro)... I'm most likely to pick the 6-6 fighter because I know he has EXPERIENCE inside the cage and will be more likely to put on a good show.

What a lot of fighters don't realize is- "Once you take a Purse or payment for a fight...you have gone PRO". (You can NEVER go back)...You are now in a different "pool" of athletes competing to get on fight cards...(FOR PAY)... so in my opinion...it's best to spend a little more time competing in the Amateur circuit to get your record up and show what most of us Promoters are looking for...EXPERIENCE.

5.) MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN.

Find what MMA programs/websites, etc. are available in your State and create a fighter PROFILE in each site.

Be sure to include a photo and details about your height, weight, training, gym, fight camp affiliation, style, coach and fight record... (And be sure to update it regularly). www.mmarecruiter.com is an excellent example of such a site.

Sites like www.mmarecruiter.com bridge the gap between fighters looking to be booked and Promoters like myself and when we are putting together a fight card, it's one of the first places we post on and look for potential candidates to book for our shows, so you want to keep your Profile current and log in regularly to see what new fight opportunities might be out there for you.

Last, (but not least)...

6.). TRAIN HARD-FIGHT HARD-WIN!!!”

Anthony C. Meyer
Galaxy Boxing and MMA
California's Galaxy Fight Night
Anthony@galaxyboxing.com
(818) 370-9870
http://www.galaxyboxing.com


How to get into MMA?

“The first and most important thing is to find a quality gym to train at. Not some karate school, church, fight club in a garage, YMCA or a health club that teaches MMA on the side because it is the new trendy thing to do.

Get a solid foundation in grappling and striking, then talk to your trainers about when you should have your first MMA match. They are the experts that you are paying to learn from so listen to them. They know better then you.

Don't be in a hurry to have your first match. Let your trainers find a promotion to get you on. They know which shows will match you fairly.”

Ron Dayley
SSF Submission Academy
www.MMAclarksville.com


How to get into MMA?

“MMA has taken over the world by storm. Naturally more and more people are interested in getting started in MMA, some even want to fight for a living. The good thing is, anyone can get involved and start training in MMA.

That said, many will not make it to the next level as a Pro fighter. The opportunity is there, but there are several levels within, that will make you or break you. But unlike traditional sports like football, baseball and basketball where you need to have been on teams your whole life to get anywhere near professional status. In MMA anyone can get started at ANY time as it's within you, do you have the heart, the passion, the dedication???

Getting started is easy, some guys study hours and hours of youtube videos and drill techniques with friends in the living room. It's not my first choice on starting your fight career...lol, but you can get the basics. That can get you started at the very novice level, but you can learn a bit.

However if you're serious about training and/or fighting, you need to go to a reputable gym that offers all styles, BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, and Strength and Conditioning. In the very beginning when you step foot in the gym, a good owner or instructor will ask you what you want to get out of joining, if you want to be a fighter, thats what you tell them. They will watch over you and try to steer you in the right direction training wise.

The first test is there, can you hack it? The training is fun but demanding. You will find out quickly if you have the heart, the right attitude, the ability to get punched in the face, the ability to punch back, the drive to come back tomorrow. Some stop right there, some quit, some are happy with that alone- the awesome workout, and the great shape they will get in. Others go to the next step.

The next step is fighting as an amateur. I manage fighters on all levels, and some guys tell me when they think they're ready to fight. Haha. I do exactly that, laugh. Why? Your coach should be the one to tell you that you are ready to fight. Why? They get it, and can see when a guys ready to start.

Also, when you fight, you rep your gym. Do you think your coaches want you to walk out wearing their shirt, shorts, and repping them if you suck and aren't ready? No. How you fight is a reflection on your coach/gym/team. So slow down, and talk to your coach about it. Some guys are ready to fight in 6 months, some 2 years. But just remember, Jon Bones Jones only trained for 2 years before he got to the UFC, or roughly 3 years before he became the Champ!

Ok, you fought amateur and are doing well. You grew a lot as a fighter... Again, talk to your coach and tell them that you want to get started fighting as a Pro. Your coach again should make that decision.

There are usually requirements for each State. In Florida you need at least 5 ammy fights before you can turn pro. Again, it weeds out the weak. Also the rules are usually different. Most states ammys can't do certain things like elbows, knees to the face, punch to the head of a grounded opponent, you have to wear shin guards, wear bigger gloves, etc...

If you're ready, your coach and team backs you up, and you schedule your Pro Debut. This is the real deal, this counts. Ammy records mean NOTHING when you turn pro. So if you lost a lot, it doesn't matter other than you may lose a lot as a pro. If you won a lot, it's cool, and people will hype you up, but again it doesn't matter.

Every fight matters as a pro. A loss stays with you for life. So choose your team, and fights wisely, because you're now officially a fighter and one step closer to your dreams.”

Dave Zalewski aka ZEUS
CEO @ Title Shot Management
Co Owner @ 5th St Gym Miami Beach
http://www.TitleShotMgmt.com
Zeus@TitleShotMgmt.com


How to get into MMA?

“I've actually heard this question many times from prospective students when they first walk in our doors. The first thing I tell them, it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to train to get you to the
level you will need to be to fight MMA, even at the amateur level. If
they're still interested then we go to the next step.

Since the foundation of our gym is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, all interested fighters will need to train jiu-jitsu with the gi at least 2x a week. They need to train Jiu-Jitsu 3-5 days and a minimum of 2-3 days a week
in striking.

Our striking program consists of Boxing, Muay Thai and Kyokushin Karate. They need to build their foundation from the ground up in BJJ and striking. There will also be some wrestling takedows
integrated into the BJJ training sessions.

Depending on their talented athleticism, prospective fighters will need to train for at least
6 months for Pankration-style fights or a year for MMA.

I also encourage beginners to compete in Boxing, Muay Thai and BJJ competitions to get them used to competing and fighting in front of people. The more one competes the better prepared they will be to
fight MMA.

I won't represent or corner any fighter that hasn't put in the time. I did this once and the guy was totally unprepared. He was only training 2-3 days a week in our gym but he said he was running, doing other stuff outside the gym and he really wanted to fight.

He got the fight on his own. He didn't want to train in BJJ that much either. He wrestled in high school and I think he thought he wouldn't need any Jiu-Jitsu–that's the vibe I picked up from him anyway.

Well, not surprisingly the fight didn't go his way. He had the perfect opportunity to finish the fight with a triangle choke, but since he wasn't practicing Jiu-Jitsu he missed the opportunity to even attempt
the triangle.

Needless to say, he got his butt kicked pretty good and a broken nose in the first round.”

Mark Hopkins
Dojo Americana
www.dojoamericana.com


How to get into MMA?

“I'm of the opinion that the obvious place to start is at your local MMA gym. Some people train on their own and/or cannot find a gym. I would then encourage them to find a local, reputable promotion and test their skills in an amateur bout. “

Mike Camp
Matchmaker/Promoter
KOFC


"We usually recommend that someone first join a MMA gym or Martial Arts Gym that has a background in developing and nurturing students into fighters. It doesn't have to be a well known gym but one that carries a few fighters on their roster.

When the Instructors feel that a student is ready they will then schedule him for an amateur fight against an equal skilled opponent. The Instructor must be careful on choosing a promoter & opponent for his student so he doesn't get his student in over his head.

Some Students develop slower than others both mentally and physically so it just depends on the student. As a gym owner, I also recommend that students go to their local wrestling team and ask if they could practice with them a few days a week. This will help them develop that wrestling background/base. The biggest thing is a person should have some type of structured training with some skilled instructors & workout partners.

After building up an Amateur Resume/Record, the fighters should then consider going pro. They should check into different small promotions first before jumping in too deep. If a student becomes the best in the gym they should consider looking for new workout partners or crosstrain with other gyms so they don't become stagnate.

A person definitely needs a gym/instructors that take their best interests into account when preparing them to fight."

Jose Martinez
360 MMA & Toledo Grappling Academy


How to get into MMA?

“If a person is really interested in becoming an MMA fighter, the first thing they should do is research. With MMA becoming so popular, many karate gyms are slapping signs up offering MMA to unsuspecting customers, much like the kickboxing craze of the 80's and 90's.

The problem with that is the customer may not be getting what they pay for. Not saying all Karate schools are getting over, but the majority are relying on people being ignorant to the separate styles of martial arts.

My original background was in Kung Fu/Kick-Boxing. One of our fighters was, Felix Mitchell, who fought Ken Shamrock in UFC 2.

Like many people out there at the time, we had no clue what benefits ground fighting brought to the table. Traditionally, you had strikers (Boxers,Kick-Boxers & Muay Thai Fighters) and grapplers (Judo& Wrestling) we were ignorant to BJJ.

Back to the question at hand, "How to get into MMA?". Again, research all the gyms in your area.

- See if the coaches are qualified and what's their experience level.
- What events do they compete in?
- What have their students accomplished?

Some gyms put their fighters names and pictures on their website. Go to MMA.tv and look at their fighters records. Look at who their fighters have fought, were they cans or legit opponents.

Many people will set up fights for their guys using local "Tough Guys" just to get an easy win and pad records. Every coach knows, your first fight or two should be relatively easy. This is done to ease their fighters into the fighting scene, but as they progress the level of competition should increase. If it isn't you may be looking at a gym that only cares about bringing more students in, not progressing them to the next level.”

Second, you should go in and watch a few classes. Many gyms these days will allow you to take a week of classes for free. I suggest you take them up on the offer and get in there and see how you like them.

- How are the other students?
- Do they try and help you, or they just there to feed their own egos and crush the noobs?

A sign of a good program is not only good instruction, but gym comradery from all involved. Speak with the coaches and let them know your goals. Speak with other students and see if you can get a feel for how they like being there.

If it is feasible, go out and attend a local fight featuring said gyms fighters.

Lastly, and very important to many in this economy, check the pricing. The old saying,"You get what you pay for" rings true. I know at our gym, programs begin at $85 per month and increase slightly for multiple disciplines added. There is another gym that offers similar classes, but charges $280 per month.

Does that mean that they are a better gym than ours, because they charge more? Not at all. They may have a higher overhead, or they may be one of the first in the area and set the rates where they think people will pay.

It's up to you how much you want to spend and should invest in your chosen sport. Tuition to a gym is just like tuition to College. Amateur MMA is equivalent to your time in College, you have to learn everything before you graduate to Professional competition. You wouldn't skip College and go straight to being a doctor, no more than you should skip getting a well rounded amateur career featuring not only MMA, but Muay Thai , BJJ and Boxing as well.

The next generation of outstanding fighters will be the ones who have competed in each of these disciplines, to obtain experience needed to be the best the sport has to offer. Once you go Pro, you can't go back to compete as an Amateur and gain that valuable experience you should have gotten the first time around.

With so many fighters wanting to fight in the premier leagues, it pays to be the best. The way to insure you are one of the best around, is to get experience and compete often....”

Chris Beasley
SSF Submission Academy Clarksville TN
Boxing/Muay Thai Coach
www.mmaclarksville.com


How to get into MMA?

“The first thing is to join an MMA club. Watching videos and then rolling around with the guy next door has a high probability of resulting in injury and will not lead to the UFC.

How to find a club?

There is no universal database of MMA clubs and there is never likely to be one. MMA is a worldwide sport and it would be a full-time job just to update the database if ever it could be created in the first place.

However there is a very simple and a very effective way of finding MMA clubs.

Simply put into Google "MMA training Boston MA". Of course if you live in Moscow MMA clubs in Boston will be somewhat inconvenient so substitute "Moscow" for "Boston".

"So how do I know if the clubs produced by the search are any good?" I hear you ask.

There are several things you can do:

If the name of the coach is given on the club website Google his name and see what comes up but there is no substitute for eyeballing the place.

Go and have a look: remember the club will be keen to have you as a member so don't be afraid of asking questions.

Insist on seeing a training session. Has the gym got decent mats? Do the members look like they are having fun? Is the coach stressing safety procedures. Are individual members getting attention from the coach?

Above all can you see yourself getting involved?

Some clubs do fitness training as well as MMA technique training but you are going to have to do resistance training and cardiovascular training on your own initiative if you are really going to enjoy the sport and make progress. MMA is immensely demanding of fitness and resistance training is vital if you are going to avoid minor injuries to muscles and tendons.”

David
HKMMA
http://hkmma.com/indexOLD.html


How to get into MMA?

“Understand what you are asking when you ask, "How do I get started". How did you get started living? Did you bust out of the womb and move right into a high salaried managerial position at fortune 500 hundred company. What I'm saying is that you should be aware that you are begining a journey and it isn't a short one. Be leary of people saying they can get you in the cage in a month.

Look to spend a year training before you get to fight**...maybe more**. Personally speaking, you should be no less than a seasoned Blue Belt in BJJ before fighting as an amateur...seasoned purple to fight pro while that may only be one rank difference, any practitioner will tell you a lot more separates these ranks. You have to get your ranges and skills straight! Stand Up-striking and takedowns-offense and defense-hands, feet, shins, knees, and elbows, Clinch striking and takedowns-offense and defense, Grappling-submissions, positions, ground and pound, offense and defense. As you can see, there's a lot to be learned...and I didn't mention transitions, variations, or even incidental type things like oh I don't know, the need to run up the side of the cage and launch into a flying round kick...on second thought, skip that, that would never work. Wanting to fight and being ready to fight are two different ideas...you would do well to remember this.

Listen to feedback, losing on a practice mat does not mean you should not be fighting, many quit because of this...so if you ask how do I get started...Don't Quit. Apply that to everything you do inside and out of the gym and you'll be ready to fight soon enough.

Find a reputable gym...a gym's name and reputation alone can win you a fight...think about your opponent when he hears you train at GSP's gym vs you train at the ACME MMA GYM and TACOS STOP...one strikes fear in the heart of the opponent and the other strikes heartburn in me.

Lastly, but certainly not least...get in shape...get in real good shape....get in great shape...No, get in the best shape of your life. No, that still doesn't sound right...ah here we go, BE in the best shape of your life! At the lowest levels of competition, any single ingredient of the top four ingredients will lead you to success. These ingredients are Fitness, Toughness, Skill Set, Natural talents or abilities.

Do all your losing on the practice mats and in the amateur cage and by the time you turn pro you should be a force to be reckoned with.”

Adam Rivera
Team Kaos Coach(NH), Team Havok Coach(ME)
http://www.Theshopmma.com


How to get into MMA?

“Best thing to do is to try a few classes before you commit to a membership. Research online for local MMA gyms, visit the school, talk to their instructors, watch a few classes, and talk with their members. If you like what you see, then enroll in a trial program to try their classes.

Good luck!"

John Wai
American Top Team Davie/Weston
www.AttDavie.com


How to get into MMA?

“The first thing I ask a fighter is, "Do you think you have what it takes to train your heart out and sacrifice all it takes to be good?". When you don't feel like working out today and all your friends are going out, are you willing to dedicate the time to make it work.

The real question is, "Do you really want to be a fighter or just think you do?". That's the real question.

If the answer is, "Yes" then go find a good gym to train at. It doesn't have to be famous, it just has to be the right gym for you. Then get involved with a good sanctioning body to fight for and give it your best shot.

If you believe in yourself, it all is possible!”

Peter Rogers
Peter Rogers ASAP fight League
http://www.ASAPfightleague.com
Pete@asapfightleague.com


How to get into MMA?

"First you have to find the right gym for you. In looking for the right gym, I tell people to figure out what it is they want out of their training. Be sure to inform prospective gyms of these goals, until you find one that can meet your needs.

Regardless of your skill set, a good coach will know how to incorporate you into the program."

Michael Sullivan
FusBoxe MMA
http://www.FusBoxe.com


How to get into MMA?

"My advice to anyone wanting to become an MMA Fighter, would be to ask youself if you have the time and dedication to become a fighter.

If so, I would advise them to research MMA schools in their commuity, where they can setup a training schedule with coaches.

Stay active in the MMA community, so your passion stays strong for the sport. Don't just let fighting be something you do at the gym, but something you live for."

Darrell Romanos
Founder/CEO
HIDDEN TALENT MMA

We would like to thank all those who participated in creating this article.

Excellent post. Very good points are made

First and foremost have a desire to complete in Mixed Martial Arts, be ok with being punched in the face, and kicked in the head. Then the best thing to do is follow your heart's desire and find a good MMA gym and begin training at every opportunity.

Work hard, train harder, get rid of your girlfriend or boyfriend and any other distraction and dedicate yourself to becoming the best MMA fighter you can be.
Attend any local MMA event that you can, then contact a local promotion and request to be on a card, and train some more.

Michael Amos
Quest for Glory Championship
www.qfgc.us