Minimum Responsible Qualities and Accomplishments for Amateur MMA

[SummerStriker]

I meet a lot of people who are excited to take an MMA fight, largely because they are fans of the sport and think it is the mostly manly to engage in.

To me, taking an MMA fight means you should be an expert in multiple disciplines. That's what makes you a mixed martial artist.

These are the requirements I'd give someone for taking their first MMA fight:

Strong enough to enter Class IV Powerlifting Competition: https://www.lift.net/2013/05/09/classification-standards-for-raw-elite-uspa/

First place in expert NAGA no gi competition

Three amateur kickboxing matches and wins

The ability to walk into any amateur MMA gym in the area and spar with everyone.

As someone who has been to a lot of local and regional MMA events, many of the fights are shit shows and many losses are due to the straight lack of physique or knowledge of the individual fighting. Sometimes this results in preventable injury.

I hate seeing people treat MMA like late 80's backyard cage fighting. The time for that has gone.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I would like a amateur or recreational/grassroots, informal outlet and a time machine for me to go back in time.

And no you dont need multiple disciplines because MMA is a its own discipline.

MMA needs backyard cage fighting for people to learn, and develop. Kids play all sorts of sports in the backyard first before moving onto to an AAU or junior team.

 

[lechien]

It is mostly due to irresponsible coach that are just desperate to get fighters.

But I have to disagree with your standards.

An average mma fighter could defeat an expert grappler as mma is sport of its own.

 

[SummerStriker]

@lechien Most places, you can get a purple belt and threaten to win the expert no gi division in 4-5 years. That's long enough to no longer need shin pads for full contact kick boxing or Muay Thai, and both CAN be accomplished at the same time.

 

[lechien]

@lechien Most places, you can get a purple belt and threaten to win the expert no gi division in 4-5 years. That's long enough to no longer need shin pads for full contact kick boxing or Muay Thai, and both CAN be accomplished at the same time.

Are you suggesting that someone needs to have 4 years of experience in grappling and striking to meet your standard to fight mma amateur?

I admired your standards but the reality is that someone will not train 4 years of MMA without a single fight.

It is just a different sport of its own.

Not much in my country because people would compete in grappling or striking before competing in mma mist of the time.

But in the USA where mma is massive, I would expect to see fighters that only ever train mma.

 

[SummerStriker]

I know that's what people want, but how do you get good enough to defend all the different strikes? How do you train your shins to calcify to the point you can check kicks without a shin guard in less than 4-6 years?

It's sad to see people unable to kick in a fight because they split their shin, duck their own face into a punch because they can't slip, and get choked out shooting head outside singles cause they panic. Losing fights for no real reason isn't good for people's health or long term confidence in themselves or their coaches.

I know people want to fight but man, they would just be so much better off if they wait.

 

[lechien]

I agree but in reality it does not really matter.

I mean the same applies to any fight sports.

Guys are taking kick boxing matches after 6 months of training which is not that great either.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Are you suggesting that someone needs to have 4 years of experience in grappling and striking to meet your standard to fight mma amateur?

I admired your standards but the reality is that someone will not train 4 years of MMA without a single fight.

It is just a different sport of its own.

Not much in my country because people would compete in grappling or striking before competing in mma mist of the time.

But in the USA where mma is massive, I would expect to see fighters that only ever train mma.

I wouldnt say MMA is "massive" in the USA. In fact, most people here just do muay thai, boxing, BJJ, and wrestled growing up before going into mma.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I know that's what people want, but how do you get good enough to defend all the different strikes? How do you train your shins to calcify to the point you can check kicks without a shin guard in less than 4-6 years?

It's sad to see people unable to kick in a fight because they split their shin, duck their own face into a punch because they can't slip, and get choked out shooting head outside singles cause they panic. Losing fights for no real reason isn't good for people's health or long term confidence in themselves or their coaches.

I know people want to fight but man, they would just be so much better off if they wait.

By drilling and doing situational sparring. Basically, you practice doing it.

 

[flikerstance]

winning naga no gi advanced nowadays is a decent deat your at least purple belt level and ufc has guys who are purple belt level if u are a purple your pretty damn solid for a mma fight then having a striking background as well yeah those standards are very high that should be a pro standard if anything

 

[FatherSauce]

I would rather see a lower level MMA competition available. Like something below what is currently considered amateur. Something with shin pads, gloves, and head gear. I would like to do something like this with no interest in being pro or a high level amateur.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I meet a lot of people who are excited to take an MMA fight, largely because they are fans of the sport and think it is the mostly manly to engage in.

To me, taking an MMA fight means you should be an expert in multiple disciplines. That's what makes you a mixed martial artist.

These are the requirements I'd give someone for taking their first MMA fight:

Strong enough to enter Class IV Powerlifting Competition: https://www.lift.net/2013/05/09/classification-standards-for-raw-elite-uspa/

First place in expert NAGA no gi competition

Three amateur kickboxing matches and wins

The ability to walk into any amateur MMA gym in the area and spar with everyone.

As someone who has been to a lot of local and regional MMA events, many of the fights are shit shows and many losses are due to the straight lack of physique or knowledge of the individual fighting. Sometimes this results in preventable injury.

I hate seeing people treat MMA like late 80's backyard cage fighting. The time for that has gone.

Meh. I think you need to know enough not to get seriously hurt. Physicality doesn't really play into that, though of course it matters a great deal if you actually want to win. And powerlifting is a really bad measure of the physicality you need for MMA. I'd much rather someone be able to do 50 pushups, 15 pullups, 100 BW squats, all without stopping, and be able to run 3 miles in under 20 minutes than have a great squat.

In terms of what you ability level should be, like I said not getting hurt is the main thing. So you should have some BJJ training and some striking training just because those are the essential defensive disciplines in MMA, but I don't know that you have to be an expert at either. I will not be a striking expert when I take my first fight (though I hope to have had several ammy Muay Thai matches before I do), but I think I will know enough to not get seriously injured right off the bat. In general I'd hope that anyone fighting MMA would have really strong skills in at least one discipline, but I don't think it should be a requirement. Lots of people just train MMA solely for fighting MMA, so they're not going to have accomplishments in the individual disciplines, and that's fine.

Finally, I'd say that if you're looking to fight you have to accept the possibility of getting seriously hurt. It's a combat sport. No matter how well prepared you are, injury is possible if not likely. People should definitely go into it with their eyes open not deceiving themselves about what can happen, but trying to set some standards to avoid injury in a sport whose goal is hurting your opponent so badly that he gives up or the ref steps in is a somewhat quixotic goal.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I would rather see a lower level MMA competition available. Like something below what is currently considered amateur. Something with shin pads, gloves, and head gear. I would like to do something like this with no interest in being pro or a high level amateur.

I'd like to see this. I've personally wondered about the viability of having actual amateur MMA tournaments with bigger gloves, shin guards, headgear, more strikes off limits (probably no knees to the head and no elbows like ammy MT), and no ground striking (just submission wrestling). Something you could do every few weeks rather than a few times a year like current amateur MMA.

 

[NateTx4112]

A buddy of mine had a fight lined up (ammy) and the guy pulled out because he googled and found out "Dude you are a blue belt, I won't fight you".

Seriously your standards for Ammy MMA are a little too high. There are some Pro fighters that wouldn't measure up to that.

 

[Uchi Mata]

A buddy of mine had a fight lined up (ammy) and the guy pulled out because he googled and found out "Dude you are a blue belt, I won't fight you".

Seriously your standards for Ammy MMA are a little too high. There are some Pro fighters that wouldn't measure up to that.

I actually worry about that with getting fights. Because if you googled my name some of the first things that come up are my F2W pro matches, and if you keep digging you can find some of my Judo championships. Even though I personally don't think I'm that great, on paper I don't know that I'd want to fight me if I was just some guy who had trained MMA for a few years.

 

[TheFakeMacoy]

I'd like to see this. I've personally wondered about the viability of having actual amateur MMA tournaments with bigger gloves, shin guards, headgear, more strikes off limits (probably no knees to the head and no elbows like ammy MT), and no ground striking (just submission wrestling). Something you could do every few weeks rather than a few times a year like current amateur MMA.

It sounds like you want something like the Shooto amateur system. They do very much the same thing, requiring you to win enough to rank up to higher divisions.

 

[NateTx4112]

I actually worry about that with getting fights. Because if you googled my name some of the first things that come up are my F2W pro matches, and if you keep digging you can find some of my Judo championships. Even though I personally don't think I'm that great, on paper I don't know that I'd want to fight me if I was just some guy who had trained MMA for a few years.

Bro - stand and bang...don't do that pussy ground shit. I just want to stand in the pocket and see who the real man is! = You not getting much of a shot at ammy MMA unless the dude is 14-2 from Russia who's last 3 fights = a polar bear, badger, and Fedor's cousin

 

[Uchi Mata]

Bro - stand and bang...don't do that pussy ground shit. I just want to stand in the pocket and see who the real man is! = You not getting much of a shot at ammy MMA unless the dude is 14-2 from Russia who's last 3 fights = a polar bear, badger, and Fedor's cousin

My hope is that being a 35 year old with no record will be enough for someone to take a fight without asking any other questions.

And if by 'stand and bang' you mean 'clinch up and throw knees to the body until my opponent collapses in a heap of pain and regret', that's actually my strategy. I'm not a very good wrestler is the problem.

 

[Gabicho]

In the future i assume there will be different amateur circuits with different rulesets and requierements.
Even here in Mexico there are already amateur MMA tournaments organized by the MMA Federation (or affiliated clubs or associations) for beginners, intermediates and advanced practitioners.
They use some general standards of time training other combat sports, BJJ/Judo belts, wrestling credentials, etc. People who are champions in their categories need to move up to the next skill level, and so on. There is no "moving down" on skill divisions.
If people train for 20 years and they still suck, they will have to enter their experience division no matter what. Because, well, if they suck, they suck. Amateur sports and competitions are that, competitions, not ego boosts and free "win" tickets.
This system works good on paper, but still needs some fine tuning and actual databases and records. I guess it will be there in some years, when the MMA base grows enough for state associations and federations actually act like they are supposed to, because biggest problem of these associations and federations, worldwide, is that most of them do not have any intent to run as associations and federations that promote amateur sports... but as companies who run solely for profit.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I'd like to see this. I've personally wondered about the viability of having actual amateur MMA tournaments with bigger gloves, shin guards, headgear, more strikes off limits (probably no knees to the head and no elbows like ammy MT), and no ground striking (just submission wrestling). Something you could do every few weeks rather than a few times a year like current amateur MMA.

Jason Delucia was/is trying something like that with a TMA flavor to it.