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

It's not all about money. Some people love the challenge of the sport. And if you can make a decent living off of it too, then why not?
 
Its not good on paper certainly, but if you are smart and believe in your ability to be a top guy, then why not? You don't HAVE to fight into your 40s and get brain trauma. Its definitely not a permanent career though.
 
Thread is definitely correct about lower level guys making nothing like they should for stepping into a cage & fighting. Some guyz just love to bang & don't give a sh*t about brain damage. They might be disfunctional at anything else... let em bang. Give em the info for sure but let them make their own decision.

there are a lot more (or were a lot more under the Fertitta's) people making outstanding pay than just a handful of top guyz. Here'z an interview I dug up that I remembered when I read this thread title. (time stamped at 39 millionaires by 2012... & "we plan on making a lot more" ... & they did.)



I'm not trying to justify the extent of the damage fighters go through... but the thread was basically about the money vs. the risk... & in the end, if you think you got it... and you actually do... it's a possibility. People are dropping off left & right around you at the lower levels when they get a taste for the reality of fighting. Once you get into the shark tank you can sink or swim & you know what you're being exposed to.

Again... I believe they should have proper information... but it's their decision.

p.s. Gary Goodrich was not one of the best. Mid tier his whole career... but much respect.
 
Kneeuinthenutz said:
The league minimum in MLB is 535K.....

NFL $465K

NBA $1,312,611

NHL 650K
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Missed the part about the talent pools being huge as fuck? Minimum pay in those league sports is much more than basic MMA/Boxing, and i think they go up once they have more years in it, but, not many make it that far.
 
20falarVerdades said:
It is just not worse than getting a liberal arts degree for $200 k in America, LMAO
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You're only paying $200k for a liberal arts degree if you go somewhere ridiculously expensive, like Ivy league or one of the really small, private colleges.

Did you even go to college?

Back to TS' point. MMA is a really lousy career choice unless you have no education and no job prospects. I mean, what is Nate Diaz or Mike Perry going to do with their life if they're not a fighter? Most of these guys aren't exactly aeronautical engineers...
 
Combat sports are horrible professions, At least in the NFL even if you are the lowest earner you still make more than the average ufc fighter. And if your an average NFL player at least your family is set.
 
Kneeuinthenutz said:
Dude....Stop speaking on this subject now and save yourself. You have no idea what you're talking about.
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I wasn't talking to you in the first place. Would you like to give similar advice to more people you don't know based on sweeping averages for careers you have nothing to with?
 
BForrester said:
You're only paying $200k for a liberal arts degree if you go somewhere ridiculously expensive, like Ivy league or one of the really small, private colleges.

Did you even go to college?

Back to TS' point. MMA is a really lousy career choice unless you have no education and no job prospects. I mean, what is Nate Diaz or Mike Perry going to do with their life if they're not a fighter? Most of these guys aren't exactly aeronautical engineers...
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Irrelevant, paying anything for a liberal arts degree is a poor career choice, and there is plenty of data to support that
 
Who cares lol. The love of being a fighter and stepping into the cage or in the ring with another human being as thousands/millions watch on runs far deeper than just the monetary value...At least for most it does.

I wish I had become a fan of combat sports earlier, I probably would have thought about becoming a fighter. But I turn 30 next month and time for me is quickly running out...
 
nostradumbass said:
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.
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You can jump to the top in a few years if you are really, really good.
You can be set for life in many other jobs if you put the work in to be great.
A fight is only 15 or 25 minutes time, but they train a shit load leading up to the fight. They are spending money on training to get to that fight. They work as much or more.
Being mediocre at a normal job can make you more money than being mediocre in MMA. You may not even make it to the big stage if you are mediocre.

It does depend on a lot of things...education and heart/will being very important in achieving the best you can be, whether it be MMA or a career outside of MMA.
 
You're presuming the chances for success are completely unknown. People don't just decide to fight professionally at high levels. They train. They spar. They have ammy. They have lower level. Yoel Romero didn't choose mma with no idea if he'd be good.
 
Great fighters have usually come out of neighborhoods that face class discrimination, poverty, poor upbringings, systematic disadvantages and limited opportunities. If the choice is to take your shot at fighting for fame and fortune or to take that job at the poultry processing plant when you drop out of high school, you take the fighting route.
 
LockardTheGOAT said:
Who cares lol. The love of being a fighter and stepping into the cage or in the ring with another human being as thousands/millions watch on runs far deeper than just the monetary value...At least for most it does.

I wish I had become a fan of combat sports earlier, I probably would have thought about becoming a fighter. But I turn 30 next month and time for me is quickly running out...
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I started training after 30.

Again you don't just become a fighter. You have to put in the work. And then see if you have the aptitude and the desire and the time and the resources. You can still start the process. It's worth it regardless of where it leads you. I know guys having their first ammy fights in their 40s. Guys do it for free.
 
Grijswaarde said:
A lot of young kids want to be Conor McGregor, and yes, as far as finances go he is set for life. Same goes for a handful of other MMA fighters, but apart from them becoming a MMA fighter really is one of the worst career choices you can make. Let's just look at the numbers:

Chances of becoming a UFC fighter
According to multiple internet sources there are currently about 5000 active professional MMA fighters. UFC currently has 650 fighters under contract. That means about 13% of all MMA fighters fight for the UFC. That means 1 out of every 7.6 fighters gets to sign a UFC contract. And yes i know there is money to be made in other orgs, but still UFC is obviously the most important org around.

What does the average UFC fighter make?
Of the 18 UFC events held in 2016 for which fighter payouts were publicly disclosed, the median fighter's annual salary was $42,000, according to a Bleacher Report analysis. This includes $50,000 post-fight bonuses but excludes all the Reebok money.

$42,000 really is not a lot of money, especially since fighters have to pay for a lot of expenses like coaches, nutrition etc. The median income in the US is $31,099.

ruiz23k-1-web.jpg


But what about the fighters who become millionairs?
There are without a doubt a lot of fighters that made over a million. But then again, once you earn that $42.000 dollar a year, working 40 year will make you almost 1.7 million. A lot of us if not most of us will make over a million in their lifetime. And even if, let's say 40 MMA fighters got super rich, that is still less than 1% of all MMA fighters.

The worst thing about being a MMA fighter
Brain damage. Physical mileage. Permanent injuries. Constant stress on the body. Constant stress about the next fight. Having only 2 to 3 opportunities a year to climb the ranking. A short career span of about 4 to 8 years. Having to deal with judges and weird decisions. Dealing with the chance of a lucky shot of your opponent.

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Gary Goodridge was one of the best MMA fighers of his era. Now he is not rich at all and suffers from severe brain trauma.

Yes it sucks to be a MMA fighter. There is only a very very very small chance of you becoming a rich superstar. Apart from that you will just have an average income, no other career opportunities besides opening a gym and a lot of physical mileage and possible brain damage.
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You make a great baby boomer. I guess everyone should go out and get a nice unionized job, keep their heads down and work until 65 (now 72) and retire slightly less broke than they were at 16.
At the end of the day there is a low percentage of millionaires to everyone else and there are only a handful of people make it to the top of any field. If you got a dream follow it. No matter how far you get, you will enjoy your life more and you won't have to keep asking yourself "what If I did...". I would rather be bad at something I love than great at something that makes me want to die every time I think of doing it.
 
There are far worse career choices one could make, for example an academic career.
 
Grijswaarde said:
What does the average UFC fighter make?
Of the 18 UFC events held in 2016 for which fighter payouts were publicly disclosed, the median fighter's annual salary was $42,000, according to a Bleacher Report analysis. This includes $50,000 post-fight bonuses but excludes all the Reebok money.

$42,000 really is not a lot of money, especially since fighters have to pay for a lot of expenses like coaches, nutrition etc. The median income in the US is $31,099.
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I agree with your premise
You don't go into MMA to be a millionaire, you do it bc you love it with hopes of becoming one

But that BR analysis is off.
1. AC reports are not the full amount fighters get from UFC, plus fighters can earn outside of UFC & many do very well (sponsors, seminars, etc.), so that gets added into being an "MMA/UFC fighter"
2. They are not taking into account that the bottom tier contracts have a 3 fight guarantee at $10/12k+. So if a fighters fights twice & wins once, they make $40-48k plus $5k Reebok & additional MMA related income.
So The "median" in that report is actually the low end & far from "median".

In 2015 UFC paid $80m to fighters.
That was 13% of revenue & can certainly be higher, but it shows that analysis is nowhere near the truth, just on UFC earnings alone.
 
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