Can we finally put an end to the notion that top level UFC fighters can only fight...

[DizzyYeahYeah]

I agree.

Add Robbie Lawler, he fought 4 times in 2014 and he has a family.

Special mentions: Woodley and Gastelum.

Both fought 3 times against solid competition.

 

[Pangi]

Can we finally put an end to the notion that top level UFC fighters can only fight at most 3 times a year? That they all need at least 4 months to recover, train, gameplan and promote a fight.

Just let that stupid idea/excuse die already.

Sure, most fighters cannot be a true warrior like Donald Cerrone, but I'm pretty sure most fighter strive to be about a half or a third of the warrior that Cerrone is (signing up to fight again in less than three weeks against another top 10 opponent). Fighers can definitely be able to prepare to fight within 2 months of any fight barring injury. Yeah, I said it, every two months. It's possible. Not always feasible, but it's easily possible.

But go and and hyperventilate and come up with a million excuses why it's absolutely physically impossible for a top level fighter (your favorite fighter) to fight more than twice a year. Go ahead. You'll just be wrong.

Most "fighters" seem to not fight if they chip a nail these days . The ufc need to start implementing penalties for withdrawing too much say if they withdraw 2 times in a town there show/win money get scale back a level . Cerrone and a few others are true definition of a fighter Mark Hunt, Ryan Bader, Chael Sonnen , Josh Burkman , Robbie Lawler just to name a few show up no matter what except for if the have a broken arm or something. I expect Cerrone to fight 6 or more times this year he is a true Fighter.

 

[j18lee]

Why don't you try it, TS?

LOL, of course I would. And as a amateur, I fought three times in 6 months and would have taken more if there were more opportunities.

And that was for free. I'd fight 10 times a year if I was getting paid.

 

[wearetheromans]

Lol @ people saying Kos or Struve (or Cowboy).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Fulton

travis fulton by far

 

[ShreddinMMA]

How long is the average training camp? 8 weeks? More? Even at 12 weeks, you can have three fights a year with a good long off-season.

That's assuming there are no injuries to heal, no medical suspensions involved, etc. And injuries are a pretty common thing in a fight, even if they go unspoken.

A big part of the reason Cerrone took this fight so soon was because he took no damage in the Jury fight.

 

[j18lee]

Well, let me speak slowly here because I am not sure if you will get it. EVERY time you get knocked out, you receive brain damage. Every time you get a hard strike to the head you receive brain damage. The more fights you do, the more brain damage you suffer, and the more likely the quality of life you have will suffer. SOOO... If you think it is manly to walk around drooling from the mouth when you are 40, I have no argument. But if you would still like to be able to communicate with your grand kids when you are 60, then I am sorry to say TS, most fighters are not going to do it for you.

It's all about the types of fight and amount of damage you take in a fight, not just the number of fights.

BTW, the amount of damage you take in sparring cumulatively in a long training cmap is more damage than most people take in an actual fight. When you fight more often, you don't need to spar as much so there's a balancing effect there.

 

[j18lee]

Again, Cerrone's 2 week turnaround is an extreme example. As is LOL, Travis Fulton by far.

Realistically, I'm only asking them be half the warrior that these guys are and fight 4 times a year, just like Lawler, Cerrone, Jon Jones have done in the past.

Or just admit that they make enough money at two fights a year and have no desire to fight unless absolutely necessary.

Like "hey, I'm a millionaire now that I have the belt, so I'm not interested in fighting four times a year like I use to. I enjoy taking 4 month vacations twice a year and I'll only fight when I absolutely have no other option. It's just a job to me and one that I don't like at all."

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

That's assuming there are no injuries to heal, no medical suspensions involved, etc. And injuries are a pretty common thing in a fight, even if they go unspoken.

A big part of the reason Cerrone took this fight so soon was because he took no damage in the Jury fight.

No doubt. An injured fighter or a guy with a lot of wear and tear that adds up would be smart to take time off.

But a lot of the slow pace of fighter's careers is due to a lackadaisical schedule.

 

[Madchains]

It all depends on the person's last fight. Firstly, you have medical suspensions that can put guys out for months, and second you might have lingering injuries from the fight that last longer than the suspension.

Also, it's worth considering that not all guys are like Jon Jones where they only train before a fight, rather they train all year round which can cause a build up of injuries.

It is possible for someone to fight every few weeks, I've noticed a lot of Japanese fighters seem to have 40+ fights under their belts, but in reality it is out of touch for most people unless they're incredibly good at masking steroid use.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

travis fulton by far

I wonder what his average purse was and what his total earnings were over the years?

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

It's definitely possible. I just had my third fight since august, on New Year's Eve, and have another one scheduled a month from now. It really depends on how much damage you take in fights tho. Also, like someone else said, fighters have families and when you have a fight, you're training non stop.

Thanks for sharing. Can you clarify what you mean by training non-stop?

Like are you training twice a day or three times a day? What time do you leave your house and what time do you get home?

 

[eternaldarkness]

kidney's?

 

[heavyarms21]

I agree.

Add Robbie Lawler, he fought 4 times in 2014 and he has a family.

Special mentions: Woodley and Gastelum.

Both fought 3 times against solid competition.

Neil Magny fought and won 5 , may not been the toughest guys but earned a shot to face better because of it me thinks

 

[Tank1906]

Cerrone fights often because he likes getting paid, period. He's also going to burn himself out eventually. The fights themselves aren't as laborious as the training required to be in top condition. The non-juiced athlete needs recovery time. Also, maintaining fight weight year round is also hard on a body as are frequent weight cuts. It's just not conducive for longevity. You can't say you want MMA to be a real respected sport and then expect fighters to fight every two weeks.

 

[Ken Fresno]

It feels like any top 15 guy who doesn't have kids should be doing this. And the ones with kids should consider it. If you could just fight 5 times a year for the money cerrone's making, you pull in about a million a year. They could do that for 3 years, probably making as much from bonuses and sponsors as they get in salary. And that's probably more than guys are going to make in 8 years of 2 fights a year.

And do guys really need time to recover, and fall out shape then get back in shape. I dont think it burns guys out to stay in shape year round. I think its worse to go in and out of shape. We'll see who ages better between Bernard Hopkins and Johnny Hendricks.

 

[Uatu TheWatcher]

One of the reasons I don't like Jones is that he pussed out of fighting Sonnen when he had a full camp and was ready to fight ...

And to make it worse, he had tweeted not long ago that he would fight anyone anytime .... Ha! Fuck you Jones!

 

[j18lee]

Neil Magny fought and won 5 , may not been the toughest guys but earned a shot to face better because of it me thinks

Exactly, Magny, Lawler, Jon Jones, Cerrone, Koscheck and numerous others have fought 4 times in a year in the UFC. I'm not even going to bother with the smaller orgs where 4 times a year is the norm.

Again, I'm not saying everyone has to do it every year. It depends on injury sustained and desire. But it's far from physically impossible that many fighters and fans try to make it out to be.

 

[j18lee]

Cerrone fights often because he likes getting paid, period. He's also going to burn himself out eventually. The fights themselves aren't as laborious as the training required to be in top condition. The non-juiced athlete needs recovery time. Also, maintaining fight weight year round is also hard on a body as are frequent weight cuts. It's just not conducive for longevity. You can't say you want MMA to be a real respected sport and then expect fighters to fight every two weeks.

Not every two weeks.

Every 3 months. Four times a year. That's all I'm asking for.

That make it a real respected sport. Fighting once or twice and year make it seem like a hobby for lazy rich athletes.

 

[j18lee]

My suggestion would be this:

1. Stay in reasonable shape all year around. No more than 25 pounds above your fighting weight.

2. Plan to fight 5 times a year, but knowing that realistically it will drop to 4 or 3 times a year due to injuries, other life events. As opposed to what most fighters do, shoot for 3 times a year and end up fighting once or twice due to injuries.

3. Reduce damaged sustained in training camp by sparring less because you stay sharp when you're fighting 4 or 5 times a year.

 

[cade187]

Each fighter trains differently, but a lot of these guys chose this career path for a reason, and it wasn't to bust their ass in the gym 365 days a year. Most of these guys want their vacation after every fight. More respect to a guy like Cerrone that wants to get back in the cage as much as possible.