How do low level fighters survive?

Sometimes people decide that internet sex sites, x-boxes and eating out is overrated, and instead decide that their 16 hours awake will be spent working towards their dreams. I know it's crazy for you to understand how someone can squeeze a full time job and training into 16 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, but just think about it for a while.

wow, condescending douchebag alert
 
They are full time regular joe workers and part time fighters. That's what I always get from these threads. That's the takeway I guess. So.....Broner was right? They step off the 9-5 and right into the Superbowl of MMA in big arenas.
 
That's the thing. I don't think you do. By the way you write I see major indications that you've never felt passion for anything.

lol this guy is definitely trying to become a fighter or actor or something and is using this vehement defense of following your dreams at all costs to convince himself he's doing the right thing. That's why he argues using rhetoric instead of logic.
 
It's not exactly the best situation for a PROFESSIONAL athlete who's made it to the biggest stage in his sport to have to hold a second job to make ends meet. If the UFC really believes that they have the best fighters in the world, they should be getting paid enough to live off of. Gabe making 8k for a fight would mean that if he fought 3 times in the year, he'd make less than I do at Trader Joe's.

how the fuck do you make that leap?

sounds like gabe should work at Trader Joe's then. Though he probably won't have to with opportunities to coach, lead seminars, train others, give private lessons, etc, being more available to him as a (former?) ufc fighter.
 
For the argument about pursuing passion versus profit, I think that is a personal choice. There are people making the wrong choice on either side. I have plenty of friends pursuing dreams whose chance of success is .001% and believing that they are going to make it with out ever preparing for the very likely alternative. Equally sad is a person who has a dream but never sees what their chances are.

I think the low level guys that are still young and improving have every reason to see how far they can take it even if it means struggling financially. Once you start to reach the age where caring for your family becomes a priority over following your dream, money has to matter. Providing for a family costs money, there is no way around it.

ding ding ding. Rhetoric aside, everyone in that situation needs to make the decision for themselves because they're the ones that are going to have to live with it (or with their wife or w/e if they have a family). And the correct decision for one person may not be correct for someone else.
 
so I ask this...why would a fighter wanna burn his hard earned cash on trying to fight? seems illogical to me. To make 3k per month busting your ass and spending half of it on everything to become a fighter to make 1500 every few months in a fight just seems financially counter productive. I dont see how any wife could stand and watch it...I know my woman wouldnt.

People don't become fighters for the money!.....and the people who compete in the feeder sports for mma (wrestling, jj, karate, etc.) definitely weren't competing for the $$$.
 
Some people dont care about money and are okay just getting by somehow because they are motivated by other forces.

There's this movie from the mid 2000's called Sin City and the Bruce Willis character makes an observation about Marv, saying "Most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield swinging an axe into somebody's face. Or in a Roman arena, taking his sword to other gladiators like him."

I know quite a few people like that. Some might call them dead enders, losers or whatever, but they aren't cut out to be investment bankers or whatever.

Look at someone like Condit. The guy's dad is/was a big shot politician out here in New Mexico and has all sorts of connections. Carlos could have gotten any type of education he wanted, been a lawyer, or doctor, or have gone into politics himself.

Instead he found his calling as a fighter and he had lean times too, there was an article I read about he and Diego traveling to Mexico to compete in unsanctioned fights down there.

I bet he doesn't regret a thing.
 
ding ding ding. Rhetoric aside, everyone in that situation needs to make the decision for themselves because they're the ones that are going to have to live with it (or with their wife or w/e if they have a family). And the correct decision for one person may not be correct for someone else.

I think everyone agrees with you. No one thinks anyone should be forced to fight MMA. The point that is being made is that if you want to be a fighter, you are going to have to make sacrifices, especially if you have a family.

Also, your constant dismissal of your opponent's argument as rhetoric is ironically quite rhetorical. That's OK though, because rhetoric is a great thing.
 
Some people have passion, fire and drive to make their dreams come true.

Other people calculate how much it would cost and let their girlfriend dictate their life.

Not that simple. It's folly to give up your 10 years of your life where you're supposed to be studying in college, rising in your career, to chase after a pipe dream that you may have no chance at.
That's another viewpoint.

Some people want to provide an upper middle class (or better) life for their wife/kids.
Some people want to train every day, fight for peanuts in small shows and get their and get their ass kicked, and live a dead-end life.

Different priorities.
Different viewpoints.
 
Some people have passion, fire and drive to make their dreams come true.

Other people calculate how much it would cost and let their girlfriend dictate their life.

Making statements like that, you better be one of the former
 
I think everyone agrees with you. No one thinks anyone should be forced to fight MMA. The point that is being made is that if you want to be a fighter, you are going to have to make sacrifices, especially if you have a family.

Also, your constant dismissal of your opponent's argument as rhetoric is ironically quite rhetorical. That's OK though, because rhetoric is a great thing.

Yes of course sacrifices would have to be made. But when you start making statements which imply continuing to fight is the more noble or impressive decision that's where I call bullshit; that's when it starts to seem like ur simply trying to convince yourself because you have a vested interest in the concept (IMO), and that's why I dismissed those arguments as mere rhetoric as opposed to reasoned argument.
 
Now I was just looking at some stuff on some fighters who werent the most successful yet were famous ie: Gabe Ruediger, and what I found was the guy was making practically nothing all the way to the end, even in the UFC. Last UFC fight was UFC 126 in 2011, the guy got paid 8k. So assuming he pays for training, coaches, manager and taxes he is left with a whopping 4k or something. Now I cant believe this guy is living off of fighting unless he never left his parent's basement.

so what do these low level guys do to make ends?

Gee.. Another fighter pay thread...
 
Work.

I know a lot of great fighters in my area but with their talent they still couldn't fight for money. Shane del Rosario used to be a great fighter but I can't see him stepping into the Octagon again. He now works in sales.
 
Yes of course sacrifices would have to be made. But when you start making statements which imply continuing to fight is the more noble or impressive decision that's where I call bullshit; that's when it starts to seem like ur simply trying to convince yourself because you have a vested interest in the concept (IMO), and that's why I dismissed those arguments as mere rhetoric as opposed to reasoned argument.
1. I hope you are just using you and ur rhetorically, because I've never claimed anything like you would otherwise be ascribing to me. Also, I think I missed the comments in which others were making such claims, maybe you could direct me to one of them.

2. "Well reasoned argument" in a written format is inherently rhetorical. Lol.
 
Back
Top