start fighting at 40?

[Rockapotomuss]

So I'm turning 39. I did karate as a little kid for a year or two. I ran a lot in highschool and did boxing classes, a lot of heavy bag, sparred a bit. My jab is decent. I did fencing for a few years and got good linear footwork. I've watched most UFCs so I know the moves, and have rolled a few times.

So I'm thinking of training hard for a year to get in shape, and then fighting when I'm 40. Has this been done before?

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Just once, bro

 

[thehighking]

Ya it's definitely been done. I know it's quite common in boxing and muay thai clubs to have an older guy or two wanting to get into fighting. It's a cool hobby, if you want to fight then do.

 

[GreenGorilla]

As long you don't expect to make a living out of it or become some miracle sensation at 40 why not.
Just know you going to be in there with guys in their physical prime and might get hurt concussed etc. but if it is just for personal experience or whatever why not.

 

[Deleted member 580830]

You can make some amateur fight, maybe 5 to 10 for fun. But make sure your health is your main priority.

 

[savemgs]

Just once, bro

You a fun?

 

[ChoKuRei]

as long as you have "watched UFC" and "know the moves" you should do great at professional cagefighting! as they say in combat sports the older you get started the better you become!

 

[jx820]

Why? To what possible end would you put yourself thought that.

 

[MeanStreets]

What do you hope to gain? IMO you have much more to lose. You're never going to be a Champion or make a significant amount of money. Your chances of getting injured are increased, and recovery is much more difficult. Is it worth the potential for chronic pain? Headaches, back, shoulders, etc...Dont take this lightly, as anyone with chronic pain can attest.

Im assuming you work, and possibly have kids. These injuries will affect both. Can you afford to take time off work to recover from injury? Is it worth the neurological damage you may receive? Do you have to the time to put into what it takes to be competing against others that are "all in" and in their prime? You're already at a huge deficit being 40 and not being focused on fighting during your adult life.

If you want to keep in shape, work on your skills, and like to fight. Maybe do some sparring with headgear and light head contact. Are you concerned about being 70 and thinking, "I regret not having pursued a fighting career" ...You will be able to check that off the bucket list, but not without consequence. Possibly severe. There is much more to consider.

 

[awesomelad]

go for it lad

 

[Cclick]

Just do it. Why not

 

[HHJ]

So I'm turning 39. I did karate as a little kid for a year or two. I ran a lot in highschool and did boxing classes, a lot of heavy bag, sparred a bit. My jab is decent. I did fencing for a few years and got good linear footwork. I've watched most UFCs so I know the moves, and have rolled a few times.

So I'm thinking of training hard for a year to get in shape, and then fighting when I'm 40. Has this been done before?

Its not a good idea. Maybe enter a grappling tournament against guys your age if you want to compete. Fighting is a whole diff kettle of fish. The permanent damage you will probably get from a hard fight isnt worth it at 40. This is not the time to start.

 

[deucesarewild]

So I'm turning 39. I did karate as a little kid for a year or two. I ran a lot in highschool and did boxing classes, a lot of heavy bag, sparred a bit. My jab is decent. I did fencing for a few years and got good linear footwork. I've watched most UFCs so I know the moves, and have rolled a few times.

So I'm thinking of training hard for a year to get in shape, and then fighting when I'm 40. Has this been done before?

My unsolicited advice: don't put a time stamp on it and say "before 40" be in the right "spot" with your training and state of mind. Don't blast into training 100% either. You may pick up an injury that will really get in the way.

Respect the process. Find a good gym, and trust your coaches. Everything will come together on its own. You'd be surprised, actually, at how well things come together. The less you rush things the better your progress. I say this as the guy who shadowboxed around my house and taped my living room floor to work on footwork, steps, pivots, etc. while watching t.v. Shadow boxing can be a great way to work so much with low chance of injury (just don't overextend when punching).

I didn't train till 31 and get my bout at 32 and while I would change some things, overall, I pulled out a win with a knockdown in the first round in an amateur match. Sparring hundreds of rounds varying between light, moderate, and hard.

Work on your fundamentals, footwork, and jab and they will get you VERY far.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Why not? obviously you're highly unlikely to make it to the big leagues but you can certainly have some ammy fights and lower level pro fights as long as you take it 100% seriously. You'll be in good shape, meet new people, know how to kick ass and be able to say you were an MMA fighter.

 

[battlehard]

I've done it. If you have money, you can simply pay coaches and drill.
However, there is a need to find an amateur nice tournament where you live.
If it's not the case and you need to travel long distances, it can become too expensive.
So you'd be bound to training only.

There are amateur events out there, with divisions by age. Another alternative
is to simply do BJJ. They are much better at organizing tournaments, it's fun and
you can see the progress as you move along. You will also make some of the
best friends in your life.

For MMA....gotta live near a major capital to actually put your skills to test.

Good luck.

 

[battlehard]

Its not a good idea. Maybe enter a grappling tournament against guys your age if you want to compete. Fighting is a whole diff kettle of fish. The permanent damage you will probably get from a hard fight isnt worth it at 40. This is not the time to start.

Amateur tournaments designed for people in their 40s are quite safe. The rounds are short
and only a handful of bad actors will put competitors under risk.

I do agree: the best course of action is to simply train for grappling, especially BJJ.
They have this figured out and the gyms will put the student through tournaments
anyways.

 

[RedFoxNdisBihhh]

why not just be as helpful as you can in your local gym ?

just go in there do your best and enjoy that !!

the results of training , and gym work will likely feed your ego enough


good luck either way !!

 

[Zanderlini]

So I'm turning 39. I did karate as a little kid for a year or two. I ran a lot in highschool and did boxing classes, a lot of heavy bag, sparred a bit. My jab is decent. I did fencing for a few years and got good linear footwork. I've watched most UFCs so I know the moves, and have rolled a few times.

So I'm thinking of training hard for a year to get in shape, and then fighting when I'm 40. Has this been done before?

How about you start training first and see where it goes. If you are any good your coach will ask you to compete. Do you have something to prove to yourself? At 40 train to get in shape and learn new things not be a "fighter".

 

[cmw43]

So I'm turning 39. I did karate as a little kid for a year or two. I ran a lot in highschool and did boxing classes, a lot of heavy bag, sparred a bit. My jab is decent. I did fencing for a few years and got good linear footwork. I've watched most UFCs so I know the moves, and have rolled a few times.

So I'm thinking of training hard for a year to get in shape, and then fighting when I'm 40. Has this been done before?

I started BJJ at 23, I'd been watching UFC for about 5 years at the time, I had Ultimate Submissions on DVD and Eddie Bravo's BJJ book, I figured I'd be a natural...

Got my ass handed to me every session the first few months. Turns out training BJJ twice a week wasn't enough to beat the guys who were living and breathing BJJ training every day.

I wouldn't even think of competing at an amateur level especially at your age unless you're completely dedicated.

Just start training and see how you get on and how much you enjoy it.

I used to go watch a lot of Amateur MMA, you'd see a lot of mismatches where McDojo's were giving guys 3 months of training then putting them into fights against guys also debuting but with years of BJJ or Kickboxing experience.

One of my friends had been kickboxing about 5 years with a couple of amateur fights and done about 2 years BJJ and he trained 6 days a week, for his second amateur MMA fight he got put against a guy who'd had about 3 or 4 months of "MMA classes".

 

[genecop]