Ammy to pro

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judoplata

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Hey there, I am an amateur martial artist. I have aspirations of a fighting professionally, to test myself and gather experience before moving into coaching/gym ownership.
I am 25, which I know is a bit old for combat sports. I have been training off and on in various martial arts, since the age of 15. I have had 3-4 sanctioned Muay Thai fights, 2 kickboxing matches, and 1 mma fight. I also have a bluebelt in bjj. How do I go about making a real run at fighting professionally? Do I seek out a renowned mma gym? I feel as if I have to make up for lost time by not going for this earlier. I live and train in a small town in Eastern WA. Thank you for your time!
 
I think that's up to you and how seriously you want to take it, as well as what your financial situation is. I know a lot of guys and gals who gave up everything to live and train at Jackson-Wink in pursuit of the same dream. It's a tough life, that's for damn sure.

It helps to train at a great gym, of course, but it more comes down to your effort. Any one can go pro. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you want and what you're willing to sacrifice. Personally, I don't think 25 is old at all, especially if you're putting in the work and the effort.

Good luck to you man.
 
To clarify, I mean fighting professionally in mma. I have no wrestling base other than what I have learned through jiu jitsu and mma training.
 
Yes, I've seen what happens when someone goes pro too early or does not take it seriously. I suppose it boils down to actually making sure to live the grinding lifestyle and finding and staying with a good mma coach. I have jumped around gyms quite a bit from age 15 to now.
 
judoplata said:
Yes, I've seen what happens when someone goes pro too early or does not take it seriously. I suppose it boils down to actually making sure to live the grinding lifestyle and finding and staying with a good mma coach. I have jumped around gyms quite a bit from age 15 to now.
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I would say then find a gym you like and get consistency in your training. It will help you develop a rapport with a coach/coaches and help you develop.
 
Go to the best gym you can get to. The one with the strongest ammy and pro team. Tell your coach you want to fight when they think you’re ready and then grind, grind, grind.
 
judoplata said:
Hey there, I am an amateur martial artist. I have aspirations of a fighting professionally, to test myself and gather experience before moving into coaching/gym ownership.
I am 25, which I know is a bit old for combat sports. I have been training off and on in various martial arts, since the age of 15. I have had 3-4 sanctioned Muay Thai fights, 2 kickboxing matches, and 1 mma fight. I also have a bluebelt in bjj. How do I go about making a real run at fighting professionally? Do I seek out a renowned mma gym? I feel as if I have to make up for lost time by not going for this earlier. I live and train in a small town in Eastern WA. Thank you for your time!
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as many have already said, just continue to train and fight and gain experience. You will eventually gather enough amateur experience to make the jump to what I call "low level" pro. Such as competing on "pro" local shows for example. To get to world class UFC champion of the world level, it will require you training with a coach that can and is willing to take you there, as well as a team of guys to work with on the same level as you. I dont know much about MMA but what I just said could be applied to any combat sport. So for MMA, eventually you would need to be at a "team alpha male" gym, or if it was boxing, fighting for wild card gym for example. But like most have said, just compete and build experience as much as possible.
 
shincheckin said:
as many have already said, just continue to train and fight and gain experience. You will eventually gather enough amateur experience to make the jump to what I call "low level" pro. Such as competing on "pro" local shows for example. To get to world class UFC champion of the world level, it will require you training with a coach that can and is willing to take you there, as well as a team of guys to work with on the same level as you. I dont know much about MMA but what I just said could be applied to any combat sport. So for MMA, eventually you would need to be at a "team alpha male" gym, or if it was boxing, fighting for wild card gym for example. But like most have said, just compete and build experience as much as possible.
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Getting picked up by the UFC is pretty formulaic- you need to get 8-10 pro fights. You need to win them all (losing 1 is alright but lose 2-3 and you’re going to struggle) and you need finishes. Pair this with a decent social media following, say 15-20k combined followers on Twitter, IG and FB and uncle Dana will give you an opportunity of a lifetime.

The formula is there, but executing it isn’t easy
 
DoctorTaco said:
Getting picked up by the UFC is pretty formulaic- you need to get 8-10 pro fights. You need to win them all (losing 1 is alright but lose 2-3 and you’re going to struggle) and you need finishes. Pair this with a decent social media following, say 15-20k combined followers on Twitter, IG and FB and uncle Dana will give you an opportunity of a lifetime.

The formula is there, but executing it isn’t easy
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yeah going pro in MMA isnt too difficult as alot of guys rush into gladiator challenge after have like 2 ammy mma fights. Before guys get into the UFC they need to generally fight on shows like Bellator or RFA, however bellator can be viewed as competition. My understanding is RFA is where the UFC is pulling most their new guys from. When I used to fight for Millennia I used to train regularly with alot of these UFC guys like lorenz larkin and alot of other guys that fight or cross train there. Its funny because even for a muay thai fighter, to get good work, you end up training with alot of MMA guys.
 
shincheckin said:
yeah going pro in MMA isnt too difficult as alot of guys rush into gladiator challenge after have like 2 ammy mma fights. Before guys get into the UFC they need to generally fight on shows like Bellator or RFA, however bellator can be viewed as competition. My understanding is RFA is where the UFC is pulling most their new guys from. When I used to fight for Millennia I used to train regularly with alot of these UFC guys like lorenz larkin and alot of other guys that fight or cross train there. Its funny because even for a muay thai fighter, to get good work, you end up training with alot of MMA guys.
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RFA is a great feeder league because there are some seriously talented guys there. They put on a great show, always fun cards to watch too.
 
DoctorTaco said:
RFA is a great feeder league because there are some seriously talented guys there. They put on a great show, always fun cards to watch too.
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yeah when guys make it to RFA they make it a big deal. However the UFC seems to have gone downhill. I have heard of "low level" pros fighting in UFC and not being paid very much at all.
 
MadSquabbles500 said:
What is RFA?
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its a MMA fight promotion. I fought on "RFA" is like saying I fought for "bellator" or something along those lines. RFA is where UFC pulls their new fighters from, much like how the NFL pulls players from college.
 
If you want to stay in washington go to matt hume's gym. Matt hume is one of the best mma trainer in the world.
 
shincheckin said:
its a MMA fight promotion. I fought on "RFA" is like saying I fought for "bellator" or something along those lines. RFA is where UFC pulls their new fighters from, much like how the NFL pulls players from college.
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I understand, I mean what does it stand for?
 
shincheckin said:
Its funny because even for a muay thai fighter, to get good work, you end up training with alot of MMA guys.
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I relate to that. Sad part is always hearing about how you don't move enough and not really dealing with what you'll get in a muay thai fight
 
You need to keep your day job and stay amateur as long as you can, build up experience fighting all kinds of different styles and types of guys in the ammy's, build up a reputation and a following that way when you do turn pro it's a big deal AND you are ready.
 
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