My dream is to get into UFC...

Discussion in 'MMA' started by laruz114, Nov 20, 2004.

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  1. laruz114

    laruz114 New Member

    Don't laugh. :D I'm 16, have no job, don't go to school, am willing to train every day as if it were a full time job and just have a few questions...
    How long do people usually train before they are good enough to get in?
    Do they just invite people they think would be good, do you have to apply, are there requirements, etc.?
    Out of curiosity, who would you consider the best fighter in the UFC?
     
  2. getgoin

    getgoin Idiot Savant

    Train with a MMA team, they can help you get fights to get noticed. You will need to will and be a good show for UFC. Train hard as possible as much as possible. Best of luck.
     
  3. laruz114

    laruz114 New Member

    After I excel at MT I'm gonna train with Gokor Chivichyan.:)
     
  4. YODA

    YODA The Woofing Admin Supporter

    How are yuou going to support yourself financially? How are you going to pay for the training you'll need - probably about 10 years of it?

    Who are you going to sponge off? Your parents? The state?

    Go to school.

    Get a job.

    Become a valued contributing member of society - AND a UFC fighter :D
     
  5. Ikken Hisatsu

    Ikken Hisatsu New Member

    yeah you are going to need a job to support it. expect to get up at 4 am, go to bed at 10pm, and if you are serious about this you can forget your social life. expectto live in a crappy dive and if you have a gf, expect her to leave you. not trying to dissuade you or anything but these are the cold hard facts if you want to get to that level, especially these days.
     
  6. laruz114

    laruz114 New Member

    Money is no problem, and 10 years -------? There are peoply in UFC that are like 20. Didn't Bob Sapp train for like a couple of years before he started? And I know it takes more time than a full time job, but how can you not have a social life? I'm pretty sure I've read many places that overtraining to that level in one day is not good for a person. It doesn't matter though. If I can get 1 hour a day free I'm happy.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 20, 2004
  7. Ikken Hisatsu

    Ikken Hisatsu New Member

    most people in the ufc/pride have been training since they could walk and come from very martial arts focused families. wandy silva started his muay thai training at about 10 years old.
     
  8. YODA

    YODA The Woofing Admin Supporter

    Watch your language please. Using an abreviation is the same as typing it out in full.

    Why is money not a problem?

    Bob Sapp was a professional level athlete BEFORE he trained specifically for MMA. And if he hadn't been a CELEBRITY he would never have got a place anyway.
     
  9. Ikken Hisatsu

    Ikken Hisatsu New Member

    heh i was about to say... using bob sapp as an example isnt the greatest idea. unless you plan on taking roids so you are twice the size of everyone else :D
     
  10. laruz114

    laruz114 New Member

    Well then I guess 10 years it is.
    Sorry about that.
    Money for that isn't a problem, I'd need about 2 bills a month for that, that isn't much. Don't get the idea that my folks are rich or anything, I live in a small ass 2 bedroom apartment and don't get much spending money but I'm happy but I also know how to get money when I need it. But on another note, what's wrong with parents paying if a guy doesn't have time to work? If I were gonna go to college and spend every minute I had on that my parents would be paying for that, there isn't a difference.
    Ya, you're right about Sapp. Like I said though, I'm willing.
     
  11. Hybrid_Killer

    Hybrid_Killer New Member

    Go for it. But you need to plan carefully. Plan everything esp financial side of it. What MA experience do you have atm?
     
  12. YODA

    YODA The Woofing Admin Supporter

    Here's a thought for you...

    Let's say you devote your life to this UFC dream. No more schooling, no job, no career. Then in 10 years time someone heel hooks you and destroys your knee. No more UFC dream.

    What then?
     
  13. alex_000

    alex_000 You talking to me?

    It's normal to think like that when you're 16 especially if you had no "competition" training yet. Start training in an MMA gym and ask the teacher to train you as he trains people who fight. While you do that get your life back together and find something you would like to learn/do besides MA just a backup plan if things go wrong. See if you still have that dream after 2 years of hard training , it would be wiser to decide then. You don't need to train 8 hours a day on the first 2 years of training that'll happen some time after, so use the spare time to your advantage for the backup plan.

    16 is a very good age to start training maybe not for the UFC but for a pro fighter it's fine.
     
  14. Yukimushu

    Yukimushu MMA addict

    Like everyone else has stated. First of all, get a job :) Secondly, join up to a MMA club and train! They're always good places to start.

    When you feel comfortable and confident with your skills, then try amature MMA events to see how you do. Once your prepared to make the next step, move to something like Semi pro rules, or possibly to pro. Depending on your amature records of course.

    Once you get into the pro curcit and you've a good fight record under your belt, head over to the ufc website and take alook at the "How do i get into the UFC?" question on the Frequently asked questions page.

    You are required to send a video of some of your fights, along with alittle bit about you.


    Too be honest, it isn't as glamouras as the UFC make it out to be. It's alot of hard training, no social life. I'm only training 4 days a week and have no social life at all, so i can't imagine how tough it must be for the pro's.

    Don't rush into it, take your time, enjoy your training. Don't set your aims to high to begin with, take it a step at a time.

    But first... Go back to school, get an education, and get a job.
     
  15. Mrs Owt

    Mrs Owt New Member

    The one guy that I know who fought in the UFC works 12 hour days on a concrete crew then trains for a few hours a night. He need that money not only to pay for his rent, but you have to pay your trainers as well. Training isn't a charity. You are asking people to share their knowledge, time and equipment - that need to be compensated.

    So do what they other guys said, go to school, get a job AND train. You are only 16, you have plenty of time.
     
  16. Shadow_of_Evil

    Shadow_of_Evil wants to go climbing...

    Yoda has a VERY valid point...something that is common amongst alot of sports.
    We are not trying to crush your dreams bro...not AT ALL. But just be realistic and set yourself up financialy and have a backup career waiting for you incase the worst happens. Let's say 15 years down the track you do bust your knee and can never fight again...what on earth are you going to do.
    No work experience...
    No career prospects...
    You wont be able to claim compesnation for the injury...well I doubt a insurance company is going to support someone who's in the UFC, seams a liability. Correct me please, if I'm wrong.
    but look here's what i'm trying to say. GO FOR IT. Seriosuly, if you want it that bad then trian your ass off and make some hookups in MMA doing smaller comps tog et a name out...but keep thinking a few decades down the track and what's more important, not only for you, but a future family aswell.
     
  17. Sever

    Sever Valued Member

    Again, I must reiterate what everyone else has said about education and job experience - the UFC really doesn't pay that much so even if you do make it there, you'll need to work. Only the top level Pride and K-1 guys are what you'd call well-off, most UFC fighters have a job to make ends meet between fights and work their training around that, and you'll need something to fall back on because it's not a long career. Good luck with the training though, I really hope you make it
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2004
  18. Apotheosis

    Apotheosis Valued Member

    Go to highschool, cant get anywhere without a highschool degree, if I was serious about it I would go to school so that I can get a job that could tie in with being a fighter that I could do to support myself while training and that I could fall back on in case of a career-ending injury. Something like a sports trainer,physical therapist etc.. They bring in pretty good money, and could help you in your training.
     
  19. Sambo Master

    Sambo Master Banned Banned

    my advice is to train hard like everyone said. i have just fought my first mma fight and it was hard let alone the ufc aim closer to home first beat a load of guys in that then the bigger shows and belts come along. you have got to want to do it though.
     
  20. veer

    veer New Member

    mko818-

    Defiantly continue to pursue a higher level of education while continuing your mma training. Trust me, I can relate to what Yoda is saying. I started riding motorcycles at the age of 5 and began racing at age 7. It wasn't long before I had the dream of being a pro motocross racer. I never really took my studies too serious until my senior year of high school which, thankfully, I decided to pursue a degree. I broke many bones over the years while racing, but in my second year of racing Pro/Am, I blew my ACL and suffered tremendous bone scaring. (Note: Typically bones heal just fine, however, joint injures are known to negatively alter an athletes future.) My sponsors didn't even wait for me to rehabilitate. They took back the race bikes, motor home, trailer, part deals, and funds. All those years of hard work were gone in an instant. It wasn't long after that, I felt very thankful for listening to others around me who told me to be prepared and have something to fall back on.

    Enough about me... The following is an extended bio of Rich Franklin which I hijacked from the UFC website. He's a fighter that I respect very much. The bio proves that you do have time to acquire a post high school education while still training for a possible mma pro career. I hope that you enjoy it.


    Rich Franklin Bio

    Manager:
    Monte Cox

    Trainer:
    Jorge Gurgel, Kerry Schall, Josh Rafferty, Billy Rush

    Strengths:
    Excellent striking skills, good conditioning, well-rounded

    UFC History:
    At UFC 42 (4/25/03), Franklin defeated Evan Tanner in the first round by TKO after the referee stopped the fight due to strikes.

    At UFC 44 (9/26/03), Franklin defeated Edwin Dewees by TKO in 3:35 of the first round.

    Training Style:
    "I usually get up around 7:30 a.m. and eat breakfast. Then, I'm out the door and by 9:00 a.m. I'm lifting weights. From 10:00 to 11:00 I take a break and then from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I train with my teammates. Some days, I go to a separate boxing school and other nights I come back to the school and go to the jiu jitsu classes and put probably another hour and a half to two hours in training in the evening."

    "I train basically the same for every opponent. It doesn't affect me much to have my opponent change."

    Other:
    When and why did you start fighting?
    "I started fighting about four years ago. I caught a flyer for a local show out by my house in Indiana. It was kind of a dream of mine to play a college sport, and it just wasn't happening. So, I just started eating right and lifting, and I started getting into martial arts and training. One thing led to another and by the time my body caught up with everything else, I wound up being really good at this sport. Once I had a of couple amateur fights, I realized I was good and I ended up in the right place at the right time. Monte Cox asked if he could manage me. At the time I didn't realize how important that was. He set me up with the right fights at the right time and here I am now fighting in the UFC."

    What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?
    "When I decided that I wanted to do an MMA fight, I spent four months training. It was an amateur fight. My buddy, Josh, and I were training in a shed that was designed for lawnmower equipment in the back yard. It was a little 12'x15' shed with no air-conditioning in the summer and no heat in the winter, just a little space heater. We just trained and trained and trained. Over the years, our training has gotten better and we've taken ourselves from those beginnings to the top of the food chain in this sport. At the time, we were watching the UFC and we'd say to ourselves that one day one of us would fight in the UFC. Now I am fighting in the UFC. I'm actually accomplishing what I set out to do."

    Where did you go to college and what degree did you earn?
    University of Cincinnati – bachelor’s degree in mathematics and master’s degree in education

    What was your job before you started fighting?
    "I used to be a full-time high school teacher for Oak Hills Local School District. Basically, I train full-time now. I still work for the school district a couple of days a week. It's a part-time instructional position."

    What is your biggest weapon in a fight?
    “My intelligence. I'm a patient fighter and I keep my wits about me. I wait for the right moment to do things. I find myself in good situations all the time in my fights. Sometimes I find myself in situations where I'm like 'How did I pull that off?'"

    Do you have a favorite technique?
    "The one that ends the fight."
     
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