Becoming a MMA/UFC fighter is a really bad career choice. Here is why:

"...so that his place shall never be with those timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt. This is why one should never EVER surrender their dreams out of simple fear. Be grateful that you are alive, but be even more grateful that you have the time on this earth to work HARD, and that you have the vision of your dreams. Study! Look to the past to make a better future...
 
Depends on a lot of things. There aren't that many careers where you can basically pick something and jump all the way to the top in just a few years, and there are very very very few jobs you could do instead where you would be "set for life" in your early 30s. If they're making more than the national average working far fewer hours, that sounds like a pretty decent career choice. It's not like they were going to be a CEO at google, but decided to fight on UFC prelims instead. Being mediocre at any job isn't going to get anybody rich.

This is true they are only fighting three times a year and have the chance to get a bonus every fight. Also if they get a part time job or a side gig (most fighters did back in the day) they could earn them an extra $10-15k a year, a fighter can defiantly live comfortably. Plus most of them are sharing housing with a team and live in parts of NM, CO, FA, Northern CA and NV where the cost of living isn't high. I'm not sure but some fighters are probably working towards getting degrees or certifications on the side. Honestly $42k isn't bad if your not living in NYC, SF, LA or DC. A good amount of companies pay less for entry level with a degree. 42k starts to become terrible if you have a family. In the future if they don't have any skills after they retire and were always making 42k a year, they could be in trouble. School starts to get harder when you're in the late 30's or early 40's.
 
Gary goodridge is not a good example. He started out as an mma fighter in the dark ages and when he was old and worn out took whatever kickboxing fights he could find and predictably took alot of ko losses. Nowhere does it say being an mma fighter has to be a lifelong occupation,and the only job one has...and taking kickboxing fights when your not a kickboxer isn't so common,esp in your forties. Mma fighters should always look at using the money they make to invest in their futures,and many have done so successfully.
 
You've been on this forum since 2007 and you're just figuring this out now?
 
Other than the top tier guys, most people aren’t making shit
 
i thought all ufc fighters were filthy rich and banged Boise dimes
 
I fought for a while, and still keep up with the active fighters in my area. The vast majority of amateurs wash out, only a small handful ever make that pro debut. Fewer still experience any real success after making that leap. The regional guys, even ones with great records, are lucky to bag 2 grand. And that's with a win. Where they make real money is working for their gym. Nearly every fighter I know is teaching classes and booking private lessons.
 
Trade school, guys. College has become a haven for PC SJW nuts.
 
I can understand why fighters from the third world countries chose this career because it’s a ticket out of poverty but I will never understand why people from the developed Western countries chose to become fighters when they are already living in a decent living standard and could get a low end job that can give you at least an average of $40K.
 
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Good read.

When I was younger I contemplated either being a fighter or working a comfortable middle class office job.

I chose the latter and that it what I am doing now.

You can still be fighter and have a regular job but I think with sports, music, making Youtube videos, fighting etc it is only a tiny tiny fraction of the people who does it, who will be good enough to make a living from it.

Think of it this way. There are 7.4 billion people in the world ig you a 1 in million basketball player, you are 1 in 7,400 still probably not even good enough to be in the NBA.

Another less dramatic example would be football(Soccer) here in Australia there are say 300 professional football players(Im being generous here) and most of them are not really making a lot of money.

Our population is 25million, so to be professional you need to be in the top 0.012% of the population to make say AU$50k-$150k/year in which would put you in the middle class of Australian society.

Then if you get injured your career is over.

My final example whould be the USA and MMA. The US population is say 325 million, let's say 1,000 of these people are good enough to be professional MMA fighters for orgs like UFC, Bellator, WSOF, Invicta and whatnot.

To be one of those 1,000 people you need to be 1 in 325,000

TLDR Reason/Summary: Becoming a professional fighter, sportsperson, artist, musician, Social Media content creator is highly unlikeable.

So you if you like that stuff do it as a hobby and if you are good/smart enough quit your daily job and do what you love professionally.
 
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