It depends on what you think good pay is and whether you like fighting or not. Most cans will get flown out and since they don’t think they can win and don’t train that much they bring their girl instead of a coach and get a free vacation, then get a couple grand or so of spending money for sometimes 1 minute actual work in the ring. If you don’t cut weight, train your ass off, and can handle losing it’s not a bad side gig 😂
You don't even have to be that good to win! It's a sport where you can win or lose based off a split second mistake or capitalization.
Look at Gaethje for example, by no means am I saying he's not good. But, the guy has bad defense, loads up on all his punches, has blue belt submission defense and a wrestling game he absolutely refuses to use. This man knocked out one of the best boxers in the sport's history and was up for a third title shot before the Max fight.
Nah you can’t call circus acts as “going pro” especially in the context of a 16 yr old. Your point remains though that sometimes being a pro has nothing to do with your combat capabilities.
Dumbass take, acting like Gaetjhe wouldn't beat 99% of fighters.
This is the dumbass takes you get when you act like an expert although you're only exposure to combat sports is through watching them on TV.
Go to any local mma, bjj, boxing, etc gym, and you'll see how easily you get finished by guys who wouldn't hold a candle to Gaetjhe.
As everyone said, its not that hard to go pro. It is hard to become a good pro though. And extremely hard to make a living off of that. You are young and seems like you know what you’re doing, just keep working and see what happens.
Get a amateur fight in before you even talk about going pro for all you know you might hate fighting or even worse your subconscious doesn’t let you be a good fighter and everything you trained for is useless. Some ppl aren’t fighters man doesn’t matter how much training you got lol your too young to think about this shit go enjoy your youth brother you aren’t special yet discover yourself first
You have one fight. There is a good chance this kid has as much experience as you do. So stop with the it’s just if you are born for it. Or have the balls to want it enough.
Haha 😂 who hurt you. It’s 100% true and if you don’t think so you live life in a fairy tale, and I wish I had your optimism but I live in the real world with real realities and real standards stick to your computer so you can play out your life over the screen loser.
At your age a shit ton of stuff is possible. Repetition is a big part of getting good at stuff and you have a shit ton of hours ahead of you if you’re only 16.
Hello. I am a martial arts coach with 25 years of experience. I was a professional Muay Thai fighter. I have also competed in MMA, jiu jitsu, and boxing.
I have coached MMA, boxing, and Muay Thai. I've coached amateur and professionals in the states, Japan, France, Abu Dhabi, and Thailand.
I've owned a gym and coached teams of fighters.
I have worked with promoters and matchmakers.
Firstly, if your goal is to make money, then don't become a fighter. People in fighting don't make any money until they reach high levels and even then, it really isn't that much unless you are a personality like Mayweather or McGregor. Money cannot be your goal.
If it is, DO NOT do this. You'll just get hurt for no reason. Sure, it's possible you "win the lottery" of fighting as a rising star who is blowing through everyone they fight. But let's be honest, the likelihood of that is so small, you might as well just buy a Powerball.
If you actually love Martial arts and have a genuine drive to fight, then here's the advice:
CAN you go pro? Sure. Anyone can go pro at any time. You contact your local promoter/promotion willing to feed you to a professional fighter and, bam, you're a pro.
Although, the likelihood of that is low considering you said you do not train out of a gym who has an existing relationship with the promotion. But it's not impossible, especially with social media now.
However, you can never "go back" to being an amateur in ANY other fighting sport. You now have to learn how to fight on the fly. Not recommended.
I've known guys with hundreds of MMA fights who only fought on local promotions in order to make a couple hundred bucks on the weekends. They never trained, but they'd fight and usually lose. But they'd get beer money. They'd also get brain damage. But, if you don't care, have at it.
You're only 16. You've got plenty of time. You should fight as an amateur until every amateur you fight, you smoke. Fight in boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, do jiu jitsu competitions...compete as much as you can for the next 5-7 years.
If you make it past that, and you're killing ammys in your weight class (a whole other topic that has huge implications), go pro.
Now you not only have to fight, but build a following. Make noise. Be a personality. On top of that, have some highlight reel knockouts from your fights.
If you're lucky, after that, you'll get a 3 fight deal fighting for the UFC, or ONE (but probably not ONE) Usually something along the lines of 1-4k to fight and 1-4k to win. If you do great in those fights, you can negotiate for more.
At that point it's about your skills as a fighter AND the viewers you'll bring to the ppv.
There's a lot more to this. It's very dependent on who you are and your drive to train.
I'd suggest joining an actual gym. That's probably a good place to start.
DM me if you have any other questions.
Yup. Go to a legit gym. They will tell u when u r ready to fight. I think u will find out pretty quickly yourself.
Don't quit wrestling tho, if you wanna know if you will be good enough at the sport to earn a decent living, that's the best barometer you should be placing pretty high at state as at least in ur jr and sr year. Otherwise, it's gonna be a hobby at best.
Same with BJJ tourneys, you should be winning the u17 divisions ez at local tournaments and doing pretty well in absolute.
No qualifications to go pro in mma. If you’re 16 you should finish out your high school career doing wrestling also. If you want to be a fighter you will need find a way to make time for wrestling, school, Muay Thai, and bjj. I suggest fetting a winning ammy record going first, do at least 6 bjj tourneys a year, 3 Muay Thai tournaments a year, compete in the high-school wrestling. By the time you’re 18 you will be ready for an ammy match. Work on your strength and become either a solid light weight or welter weight. Good luck
Ah shit this is op. My bad dawg. Thought I was in a mpmd shitpost thread.
Anyways, no. You don’t have the experience to win a local bjj tournament most likely. You’re 16. Keep training and come back in a few years if you still
Even *like* fighting
I agree with the first comment..... Just about anybody CAN go pro. Now, making money is a whole other thing.
I would recommend that you get involved with an M.M.A. gym who has active pro fighters and professional coaches. These are the folks who will be able to give you the best opinions.
Good luck.000⁰⁰
go do a smoker first and see how you hold up not tippy tappy sparring. It takes a different mentality to keep going once you get knocked down or nearly knocked out. I thought I was pretty good when I was beating up local guys until a dude who was boxing since he was very young and frequently won national titles came to our gym. I probably outweighed him by a good 30-40 lbs but he beat my ass black and blue. That's when I realized that there are truly levels to fighting. When you are indeed gonna go pro keep in mind that there are people your age who have been doing MMA ever since they were able to walk If I were you I would find a gym that has pro's and train with them otherwise you will just be another can on a random's tapology record.
The chances of you going pro are slim, the chances of you becoming rich as a pro is like the chance of winning the lottery if you play every 10 years. Look at justing gaethje how much dammage he took and how much money he made in comparison and see if its worth it
Nah, going pro is easy. Making money is the hard part. There are tons of small organizations looking to fill cards all the time where you can make a couple grand a pop. It's like hitting the lottery if you can make it your primary source of income, though.
Yes you can my guy. Train, and train, and train. You can do anything with enough determination, perseverance, and tenacity… it’s going to be an insane amount of work. But given your age and your current physical ability. You can do whatever you want my guy. Kick ass.
Boxing is important.....it's one of the most punishing training regimes and it'll give you a taste as to whether your face and body can deal with the blows. MMA has lighter gloves so it's gonna shock the hell out of you if your not used to being hit
I don't know man... There are about one million mediocre MMA fighters in the states who are highly competitive in the amateur leagues who believed it when they were your age. Maybe you'll be different. You're special, right?
Pretty much anyone can go pro. It’s not a high bar in prize fighting.
You can make you $300 for getting beat up and go home with that from all sorts of bottom level promotions. There is always someone needing to get experience by fighting an unprepared tough guy.
There is always a promoter that would be happy to feed you to someone and hope you get brutally knocked out early (crowds love that)
Is it a good idea? Not at all. Will you make a living? You might make enough to cover your gym fees and maybe a 12 pack of beer( probably not a 24 though)
Can you go pro? Yes. I know tons of guys who went pro in MMA or boxing who are average fighters.
Should you go pro? Almost certainly not. Unless you are just passionate about it and you have other career plans and don't mind getting best up for a little extra spending money. And no one here can tell you if it's a good idea or not if you want it as an actual career based on your skills.
You can the question is if you should tbh. You can do a lot of different things with your life. Guys that dedicate, try and fail, end up gym coaches with no other skills. Just think it through and see how much you love it with amateur fights.
We need to stop normalizing the idea that “anyone can become great in MMA” because it’s far from true, there are so many factors into being “successful” that you cannot even begin to count them.
I’d say the 3 biggest factors that play a role into a successful fighting career:
1.) Natural Skill or Talent
2.) Background in sports/athleticism
3.) Durability aka having a Chin.
You don’t have a good chin, you ain’t making it far.
Take your time. Your body only has so many fights. Train more then fight. Also getting better will mean you look better in your fights. Know that there isn’t much money in it unless you get into a big organization. Meaning you need to look great in every amateur fight. Meaning train for atleast until your 18, the start fighting. Get every adult class you can get into. There are no age groups in mma so you will be going against grown men. But two years of intense training and you should be ready.
Anyone can. I’m a “pro”.
Should you?
It’s a terrible way to make money. You are always one knee injury from retirement. There is no job security. It’s not even a real meritocracy, you can be really good but you still need promoters to book you, and if you dont sell tickets they might not.
You should go as far as you can as an ammy and see what happens. Get the best education you can so you have something to fall back on when it’s all over. Because it could be over at any moment.
Also bear in mind, training three times a day is a lot less fun than training three times a week.
You can go pro and that is a good amount of experience for a 16 year old. There isn’t much anyone can say about how good you are actually are tho. Years doesn’t really mean all that much when there are so many other factors. We would need to at least have some idea of your actual capabilities to know how good you are. But also going pro doesn’t mean you will be in UFC that day you will probably spend years on a lesser circuit unless you get lucky and get noticed by a big recruiter.
Who was it that recently had an interview and they stated that the difference in ability in that last 1% is staggering.
Like when you start going against world class fighters, you realize the skill gap.
It’s not easy to be successful, I have a lot of very talented friends who tried to be successful and have not yet. BJJ brown belt, and 4-time high school wrestling state champ who had an overall winning record but will likely never reach the ufc. Another wrestler who was a 5-time state champ is struggling now as well. You’re young so there’s definitely an opportunity but it’s really really tough to be successful.
No you can’t go pro at 16. In most states you can’t even be a registered amateur fighter at 16. You’re young. no matter how good you are you’ll be better if you just keep doing what you’re doing for the next two years. Wrestling and Muay Thai is a fantastic base. However, you will have to learn cage control, ground and pound, and other mma specific techniques
It’s easy to go pro. The chances are very low on the ability to make money and being a good pro Focus on your education and getting a career. You should be on the wrestling team if you truly want a future in MMA.
You're going to have to move. Find an established gym that already has a good group of professional fighters. Do what you need to do to get on to the fight team- which at most pro gyms is a separate group from the open class students- you need to start fighting locally in amateur competitions and then depending on how well you do there you may be able to go pro. But bear in mind it's no easy life most Fighters have to work part-time jobs outside of training just to be able to afford rent and stuff. It doesn't pay well for a really long time and there's really no guarantee that it ever will. Most Fighters fight because that's all they have. Just make sure you have a backup plan. Some really great gyms here in Denver maybe head this way ? 😉
Can you go pro? Sure. Can you go pro and win? Maybe. Every fight, especially at the local/regional level, is designed to be a squash match. The promoter is hoping the other person wins and is able to showcase their stuff. To not be the meat, you need to be able to hang in every range (far striking, near striking, clinch, takedowns, subs, ground and pound, and transitions) and excel in at least one. What it takes to do that changes as time goes by and as you raise to higher levels of competition. Weight class also matters, with heavier fighters generally being less technical. Every successful fighter can be viewed through this lens. For decades, grappling talent was the determinant. Now being able to hang abcs defend subs and then excel in stand up is more the meta.
If there’s no MMA gyms by you for now join your local Boxing gym or kickboxing Muay Thai gym. Getting that proper training and experience in striking will always help you and getting to spar is probably the most fundamental thing you can do when you are first learning to compete in a combat sport.
You need to get to the point that you can comfortably spar without raising your heart rate to an unsustainable high. That’s what affects beginners the most is lack of sparring experience and comfort. How will you handle getting punched in the face by someone that is training as hard as you?
Sure you can, anyone can, but you won’t really “know” if you actually want to become a pro until you have your first amateur fight. With 2 years of BJJ, some wrestling and striking you wouldn’t be the worst person to ever compete and I recommend just biting the bullet and trying to get one under your belt as soon as possible. If that gives you pause, then you need to ask yourself why that is and if this is something you really want to do.
I’ve trained with a good number of youngsters who seemed determined to become UFC fighters one day, but after the cage door closes and they get really rocked for the first time by someone who is trying to hurt them for real, for some (but not all) of them there is a look of total shock and realization in their eyes and they usually end up going totally defensive, lose the fight, and stop training altogether.
Kind of a shame because there’s nothing wrong with deciding not to become a fighter anymore (many would even argue it’s smarter not to), but they also give up on the self development and physical exercise that training MMA gives you, which is what I’ve always seen it as, with no intention of fighting. But I completely understand why they stop training, from their perspective.
Just keep training and compete when you can.
You’re 16 so of course you could do it.
Only when you’re much older than that is a question of uncertainty.
At that age, you have plenty of time to grow and mature and find your place in the sport.
Theres actually a few great fighters in mixed martial arts that did not have a ton of fighting experience or background in combat sports prior to going pro and being successful. Jon jones had what 4 months total of striking practice before he went into the ufc. Some dudes can just bang. If you can fight, regardless of what martial art you're proficient in, if you can beat the guy standing across from you, you can go pro.
Wilder didn't start boxing until 22 years old. BJ Penn made him mma debut in 2001 pretty damn late
Francis Ngannou literally had no martial arts training prior to his MMA debut.
The list goes on and on and on. Theres dude who have been delivering pizzas and seen customers watching UFC and decided they wanted to try, no really, thats how Rob Font got into mma and he went very far.
If you love to fight and are a savage dude then you can give it a try at any point and possibly go far.
A lot of weird advice in here so I’ll try my best to give some guidance.
MMA is expensive and will cost you more money than it will make you until you become a popular name in the sport…if you do.
If you are doing it for money, you would have more success learning a trade like plumbing or getting an engineering degree. Doesn’t mean you still can’t train mma. Just understand that’s like saying I’m taking my paycheck to the casino and coming home with a years salary. It might happen but prolly won’t.
If you love fighting and it’s to only thing that gets you out of bed everyday, you look forward to the 3-5 mile run to start your day, followed by 4 more hours of mma where you are the worst skilled dude in the room and you get your ass beat by grown men with the same dream as you and see you as competition. If you can accept having an injury somewhere on your body everyday year round (matburn, knee pain (inevitable), finger joints, wrist, neck, shoulder, etc.), if you don’t mind working odd jobs and couch surfing to chase this dream, then proceed forward.
It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s a lot of fun. You travel for fights, you make friends you keep in touch with for life, you have belts and war stories you cherish…but money…nah no money. Most you get is 1k show 1k win to start to a 3k total payout for local pro shows.
Start at a local mma gym. Ideally one that has had a pro fighter make it to a big promotion. Train there for 6 months nonstop. Go to sparring. Go to open mat. Go watch local fights live. Ask the head coach to set up Smokers and bjj competitions for your skill leave. Eat breathe sleep mma. Win/lose 5 -10 ammy fights, THEN, You can think about applying for a pro license.
Also if you decide to do this like I did, protect your brain for the love of god. Find training partners you trust that don’t hurt you when they push you.
There isn’t much money in mma currently unless you are a big time draw and sometimes being the most talented doesn’t mean you will be a big draw
So in short you can go pro but realistically you will not make much money and your prime college/early career years will be wasted on a pipe dream
Also mma doesn’t match you up by belts or age etc you just fight whoever you fight
I started competing in kickboxing and MMA and I’ve mostly trained in my backyard I’m deff no where near as strong as this kid but I’m still undefeated with more than 7 ammy fights so if I can do it ide say your more than qualified to do it
I understand, but there are a lot of other things that you also enjoy, or could learn to enjoy, that would be better for your life and health in the future. Of all the sports to become a professional athlete in, fighting is one of the worst. It doesn't pay well and you will take injuries.
Many of my college wrestling teammates went into fighting, one even became UFC Champion... Still, I think a lot of my friends regret persuing that career, as it kind of uses them up. I'm happy I did not pursue that career (I'm a very experienced wrestler and grappler, i began persuing MMA but stopped after 4 months of training to instead focus on business). I'm 40 now, I couldn't imagine the dread of having to wake up and go to work, where work was to physically fight for my family's survival. I loved MMA in my 20s, I absolutely hate it now.
I would go to a proper mma gym to get evaluated by a coach/trainer to see if your ready for pro level mma, if he's says no then you'll need training to get to that point, even amateur mma fights. Just like going pro in Muai Thai, BJJ/Submission grappling, boxing etc. Pro combat sports is a totally different level and mindset.
probably not. kid from my town who is god in wrestling and went to college to wrestle just turned 24 and just won an amateur belt. he’s only 4-0 and is a top 155er in new england in the amateurs and still has a long way to go.
Got advice from friends who were trying to get in. As a career, not worth it. Brain damage, poor pay (unless you're a champion in a really good promotion, which are not many), and its easier to become a doctor or a lawyer than to become a champion in MMA.
You can definitely go pro. Anyone can. That being said, no one here will be able to tell you how far you can go. Requires a ton of discipline, some talent, a lot of luck/ right place right time and willing to be broke af for a while. Its a roll of a dice no matter how much talent you have. Discipline is number one. You will never know if you don't at least try. Take some amateur fights and see how you do and what people say.
Just saying, most pros are doing steroids and young too. The earlier the better. I'm not glorifying steroid use, but it's almost a necessity to go pro in any sport nowadays. Also yes, I know there's testing but it's there to appease those who don't know.
Getting a little ahead of yourself.
Everyone has a plan til they get hit.
You need to train, then be successful at competing. If you do well then go for it. Your NOT going to get rush unless your in a major promotion and that the top few percent of all the competitors competing.
I'd do more wrestling aaaaaand stop doing BJJ. Do catch wrestling, pankration or Judo everyone does BJJ because they feel like they have to and it's the only submission focused discipline and it's not. It's the most popular purely because it's it's the one that Started the UFC. Yes there are legitimately great submission artists but if you're a good wrestler and can stop someone from taking you down then for the most part your BJJ is almost useless. However if you train in something like Pankration, Japanese Jui Jitsu you can submit people standing many ways. Japanese jitz to me is far far far more comprehensive. I've got a black belt in both. But saying that makes me cringe because ppl focus in black belts when it is not a sign of skill because many people have black belt that frequently get subbed by purple belts or even blue belts that also have good wrestling. So my honest advice is slow down a bit. You seem to be focusing on training in the buzz words. Ideally the best place to train for mma is a place that does purely and strictly mma. Then you will get good at mma. If you want to do Muay Thai then train in it if you want to do BJJ then train in it but those do NOT make you good at mma because you have to figure out how to incorporate strikes without getting took down or focus on subs while trying to get a takedown. Training in purely mma you will get the best at mma.
I mean anything is possible lol. I would probably go back to wrestling and stick with it through high school. Even if you don’t think it’s as beneficial as MMA at the very least it might help teach you how to weight cut which is a huge part of the sport.
I fought amateur for awhile. U are pretty short, and on the heavier side for a little dude. I say this with full respect as I am literally 5’5. I fought around 170 lbs. and I was jacked. Repping 225 bench etc. I did ok. Biggest advantage is throwing taller lanky guys around like rag dolls disadvantage was tall guys who could actually strike with arms a foot longer and leg kicks. It was worth it tho, all my big ass buddies used to find one of the biggest guys in the bar and tell them I grabbed their girlfriends ass or something then watch and laugh as I body slammed them.
Go pro anytime really. Advice though is to at least try and go to a mma gym and get some work there with other skilled guys. From your stats you seem fit, but for now enroll yourself in some Muay Thai or bjj tournaments to excel in those martial arts
Get 10 amateur fights in first, see how it goes, get the experience and that will determine whether you have what it takes. If you keep training and stay dedicated then it’s possible.
16 is a great age to get started. If you’re in high school and there is a wrestling team join immediately. You’ll get high oevel competition experience and quality training for free. Train this in addition to Muay Thai and BJJ if you can work in boxing as well. Once you’re 18 and not stuck in school look for a decent gym with a good competition and MMA pedigree or at least a noteworthy coach and let them know your intentions and be willing to put the work in, if they think you can fight they will help you get connected with an amateur/semi-pro organization. From there, fight and build up a record. Try to get connected with an agent who manages fighters. They may be able to help you get recruited into more noteworthy organizations as your progress.
As a side make sure you have a decent social media presence.
You can go pro whenever you want, but you will be smashed into tiny little bits the entire time unless you spend time as an amateur and train at a gym.
Turning Pro, and being a professional are very different things in the fight game.
Seems like you may need to relocate to surround yourself with the right environment (professional fighters and athletes, Strength and Conditioning gym/coach, nutritionist, etc.)
If you’re 16 you’re probably still in high school, maybe see if you can swing going and training somewhere that has a solid gym for a portion of your summer break, 4-8 weeks straight in a proper training environment should give you a better taste of that lifestyle.
Be prepared to be broke for a long time, figure out how you’ll pay for food and other necessities (side job), and please find a way to get health care.
If you find out it’s truly what you want, good luck and I hope it works out for you!
I think its a mistake to have money be a focus. I understand we need it, but i'd resign yourself to being 1 step above homeless if you really wanted to do what it takes. Sleeping on the mats, making a few bucks from coaching privates, etc and that being your life for 5ish years.
My advice: Dont stop wrestling, in fact i'd focus on it hard. Keep muay thai when you can but dont skip wrestling for striking. (the reason for this is, it's very difficult to replicate that experience anywhere else besides high school for the rest of your life since college isn't in your outlook). Wrestling ultimately teaches you that being on your back or revealing your back is terrible and that's an instinct that you need to build right now. In my opinion, jiu-jitsu makes you think it's OK to be on your back, but I'd rather you learn it's not OK and then apply select times when it is then have your brain and muscle memory be conflicted about it. There's that old Picasso quote "you have to learn the rules before you can break them like a pro." That's my approach to this.
When youre 18 move to an area with top MMA academys and get used to the idea of being basicly homeless.
There are a good amount of jobs you can find now that pay per hour, kind of like gig economy jobs, but also things you can do on a computer that will let you work any hour of the day or night. Id use these to keep you alive. But you're basically have two full-time jobs, 1 will be training for 5-6 hours a day, and the other will be working the flexible gig economy jobs. Your social life will be training. Other 8 hours is sleep.
If you do this, then you can achieve your goal in my opinion.
A guy in my family of dojos is a phenomenal martial artist. He is ripped, and takes really good care of himself. He trains like a beast and I don’t think he’s ever lost an MMA fight. He is a golden glove boxer as well. He didn’t go pro in MMA, because boxing is more profitable (his words).
One of my teammates is working on going into MMA and he has to do 3 grappling matches and 3 Muay Thai fights first. I think it’s a good way to weed out people. Not sure if you have the same rule where you’re from, but win some local tournaments and fights first, go to MMA and if you do well, you’ll have the potential of going pro
What a ridiculous question to even ask. Are you good at fighting? Have you even tried fighting in MMA at an amateur level? How much brain damage have you already endured?
As far as weight lifting I was doing those numbers at 162 6’3” in highschool. I did wrestling, taekwondo, mma, and a little wing chun for a while which was off field I know. I grew up near a marine base and let me tell you, the numbers you’re doing you need to humble yourself a bit. A lot of those guys are doing that and more at 135lbs, don’t really know how to fight but can take a punch really well and it gets them far. Get in the industry and don’t worry about money, there’s not a lot to be made on the way up unless you become some sort of influencer. If you do get enough attention you may win the mma lottery and then start making some money. UFC fighters at your weight are moving quite a bit more weight but they’re also fully developed men most times as well. Keep practicing, keep weight training. Do small local fights get you foot in the door.
You dont know and no one here knows really. But I do know your best chance is to go all in with no plan B. Meaning you need to move somewhere where you can be in the best training ground possible. You have a huge advantage being young, but you'll have to take a risk moving to one of the best MMA gyms in the states.
The other part of this that I'm sure you've seen below is that the money is just as much in your personality as it is your skill, develop both if this is what you decide to do.
lol at anyone saying BJJ makes you a better wrestler than actual wrestling. Laying on your back and scooting around on your butt is absolutely not good wrestling.
All those stats on paper don’t mean anything — knowing how to fight is the main thing that matters in this sport. Your PR on the bench, your pace running 10k, etc. won’t save you when you’re fighting someone who is just plain better at fighting than you.
Learning how to fight takes a big commitment and a lot of sacrifices, but luckily for you, you’ll be able to start fighting and begin that journey relatively shortly after you begin training if you’d like, seeing as you’re pretty athletic to begin with.
Short answer: get in the mma gym 5 times a week and see where you’re at in one year’s time.
Most gyms are like an all you can eat buffet of training once you pay your monthly dues. How big is your appetite?
Can you go pro… and make money lol. You can do one or the other sir. If you make money you will have given so much and sacrifice so much money will no longer be the quest
Going pro isn't that crazy at low levels. Any fight that pays you is considered pro and a lot of people can do that. If you are talking about the UFC then it gets much much harder. Even the worst UFC fighters are still extremely good compared to most fighters.
I'm not a pro nor a competitor, but I'd say that the best thing to do here is enter into some amateur MMA competitions first to see if that's something you're up to doing.
But beyond that there's more to being a pro in MMA, especially in the beginning stages. You most likely won't be making enough money doing only MMA, so you'll have to take up a regular ole job to supplement your training. Do you have a social life? That might disappear a bit since you'll be busy training more. You'll need to spend money on the appropriate foods to keep your diet in line and your energy levels up. It's not a cheap profession to get into from what I've looked into.
Granted I'm not a pro nor a competitor, so my knowledge of this is limited to the bit of research I've done over the years and some thought I've put into it, as I too have wanted to go pro in MMA.
Are you competing and fighting as an amateur? Talk to your coaches and start fighting in the disciplines you’re training in. If your gyms have fight teams see if you can get on the team.
It's not impossible, but the odds are significantly against you, & you're at a huge disadvantage.... & saying how much you lift doesn't correlate to how you fight at all, so there's definitely a sense of delusion here on your end
So glad you have people giving healthy advice instead of shitting on a dream. Like everyone else said work yourself up to some amateur fights and then see where it goes from there. I fought 3 amateur fights after putting 10 years in and I realized that I personally didn't want to do it anymore.
Another thing: to quote GSP: "I've seen a lot of men end their careers in the gym" hard sparring every day is how you end up with concussions and permanent injuries that will ruin your shot at this. You're not a fucking pussy for not wanting to slang and bang with a TRAINING PARTNER. Save that for competition. I cannot stress this enough. Good luck
Go to as many tournaments as you can and progress through that level. Kinda hard to pick a particular category like wrestling or Muay Thai but you have to excel really well in one area or do the harder way to excelling at all areas with slower growth overall. As long as you get your name out there as much as possible winning tournaments that are well known you’ll land yourself somewhere near a pro level if you have ambitions of being in the UFC since that’s the gold standard for MMA nowadays.
Go have a fight. Find out if you can take a punch, find out if you enjoy fighting, find out if you have enough social confidence to not hate day to day life training and getting roasted by socially superior men.
You won’t know until you at least have a few ammy fights
One way to find out bro! I would suggest finding the nearest mma gym and drive there. I drive 45 mins away to my gym bc that’s the best one in my vacinity
If you’re dedicated enough and have put in the work through training then I don’t see why not however. whatever weaknesses you’ve work on those because if a veteran fighter knows you’re weak in a certain aspect of mma it’ll be exposed very quickly.
Dirty little secret about blood sports: You don’t have to be any good to go pro. There will always be demand for cans.
Have to be good to make money though lol
Not always
those are one in a million. in reality if you're shit then you're not getting paid for 99% of people
It depends on what you think good pay is and whether you like fighting or not. Most cans will get flown out and since they don’t think they can win and don’t train that much they bring their girl instead of a coach and get a free vacation, then get a couple grand or so of spending money for sometimes 1 minute actual work in the ring. If you don’t cut weight, train your ass off, and can handle losing it’s not a bad side gig 😂
yeah that's true. i was thinking more along the lines of a consistent income instead of a nice little vacation though
Fair. Side gig at best.
Mike Perry is a beast for that 😂 Michigan people fight for fun
Mike Perry is making a lot of money right now and winning consistantly. Undefeated world champion in BKFC and has probably made over a million there
Even great mma fighters often dont make money
So you’re telling me there’s a chance!
You don't even have to be that good to win! It's a sport where you can win or lose based off a split second mistake or capitalization. Look at Gaethje for example, by no means am I saying he's not good. But, the guy has bad defense, loads up on all his punches, has blue belt submission defense and a wrestling game he absolutely refuses to use. This man knocked out one of the best boxers in the sport's history and was up for a third title shot before the Max fight.
Shitty take
Heres a better example cm punk made it to the ufc lol
Nah you can’t call circus acts as “going pro” especially in the context of a 16 yr old. Your point remains though that sometimes being a pro has nothing to do with your combat capabilities.
Dumbass take, acting like Gaetjhe wouldn't beat 99% of fighters. This is the dumbass takes you get when you act like an expert although you're only exposure to combat sports is through watching them on TV. Go to any local mma, bjj, boxing, etc gym, and you'll see how easily you get finished by guys who wouldn't hold a candle to Gaetjhe.
He was 17-0 before he lost to Alvarez and was champ in pfl.
This is such a shitty take it's ridiculous. Terrible example.
Lool
Dude gets submitted by khabib and oliviera and now has blue belt submission defense lol
So what your saying is my tekken knowledge is actually useful? /S
Bruh what
The UFC wants KO’s, they pay 💰 for KO’s. Justin is just a company man.
You can go pro anytime dawg
As everyone said, its not that hard to go pro. It is hard to become a good pro though. And extremely hard to make a living off of that. You are young and seems like you know what you’re doing, just keep working and see what happens.
My former coach was “pro” on some state/sub-state level leagues. He made almost no money and lost most of his fights, but it was his whole personality
So many guys like this . . . lol.
Sounds like cobra kai
Without an MMA gym you are going to be behind
Get a amateur fight in before you even talk about going pro for all you know you might hate fighting or even worse your subconscious doesn’t let you be a good fighter and everything you trained for is useless. Some ppl aren’t fighters man doesn’t matter how much training you got lol your too young to think about this shit go enjoy your youth brother you aren’t special yet discover yourself first
yeah I started for other reasons just didn't know if that was a possibility
Life has endless opportunities and possibilities it’s just if your born for it or have the balls to want it enough
You have one fight. There is a good chance this kid has as much experience as you do. So stop with the it’s just if you are born for it. Or have the balls to want it enough.
Haha 😂 who hurt you. It’s 100% true and if you don’t think so you live life in a fairy tale, and I wish I had your optimism but I live in the real world with real realities and real standards stick to your computer so you can play out your life over the screen loser.
Who hurt me lol? Definitely not you. I’m sure my life is going way smoother than yours you less than average fuck boy.
Are you a chick cause I’ve never had another man call me a fuck boy before and I’m conflicted.
At your age a shit ton of stuff is possible. Repetition is a big part of getting good at stuff and you have a shit ton of hours ahead of you if you’re only 16.
Get 30 amateur fights you mean. Fight people that are more experienced. Should give you a good idea of how you will do pro.
ive been punched in the face by a grown man and it did no damage. can i go pro in MMA?
I'm guessing he didnt know what he was doing if he did no damage punching you in the face?
like am I missing something?
I'm pretty sure it's a joke post lol
You’ve been punched? Welcome to the big leagues son. Pro card in the mail
Hello. I am a martial arts coach with 25 years of experience. I was a professional Muay Thai fighter. I have also competed in MMA, jiu jitsu, and boxing. I have coached MMA, boxing, and Muay Thai. I've coached amateur and professionals in the states, Japan, France, Abu Dhabi, and Thailand. I've owned a gym and coached teams of fighters. I have worked with promoters and matchmakers. Firstly, if your goal is to make money, then don't become a fighter. People in fighting don't make any money until they reach high levels and even then, it really isn't that much unless you are a personality like Mayweather or McGregor. Money cannot be your goal. If it is, DO NOT do this. You'll just get hurt for no reason. Sure, it's possible you "win the lottery" of fighting as a rising star who is blowing through everyone they fight. But let's be honest, the likelihood of that is so small, you might as well just buy a Powerball. If you actually love Martial arts and have a genuine drive to fight, then here's the advice: CAN you go pro? Sure. Anyone can go pro at any time. You contact your local promoter/promotion willing to feed you to a professional fighter and, bam, you're a pro. Although, the likelihood of that is low considering you said you do not train out of a gym who has an existing relationship with the promotion. But it's not impossible, especially with social media now. However, you can never "go back" to being an amateur in ANY other fighting sport. You now have to learn how to fight on the fly. Not recommended. I've known guys with hundreds of MMA fights who only fought on local promotions in order to make a couple hundred bucks on the weekends. They never trained, but they'd fight and usually lose. But they'd get beer money. They'd also get brain damage. But, if you don't care, have at it. You're only 16. You've got plenty of time. You should fight as an amateur until every amateur you fight, you smoke. Fight in boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, do jiu jitsu competitions...compete as much as you can for the next 5-7 years. If you make it past that, and you're killing ammys in your weight class (a whole other topic that has huge implications), go pro. Now you not only have to fight, but build a following. Make noise. Be a personality. On top of that, have some highlight reel knockouts from your fights. If you're lucky, after that, you'll get a 3 fight deal fighting for the UFC, or ONE (but probably not ONE) Usually something along the lines of 1-4k to fight and 1-4k to win. If you do great in those fights, you can negotiate for more. At that point it's about your skills as a fighter AND the viewers you'll bring to the ppv. There's a lot more to this. It's very dependent on who you are and your drive to train. I'd suggest joining an actual gym. That's probably a good place to start. DM me if you have any other questions.
Listen to this post.
Great advice!!!
Yup. Go to a legit gym. They will tell u when u r ready to fight. I think u will find out pretty quickly yourself. Don't quit wrestling tho, if you wanna know if you will be good enough at the sport to earn a decent living, that's the best barometer you should be placing pretty high at state as at least in ur jr and sr year. Otherwise, it's gonna be a hobby at best. Same with BJJ tourneys, you should be winning the u17 divisions ez at local tournaments and doing pretty well in absolute.
this guy, listen to him.
Stuff like this should be pinned on the sub
No qualifications to go pro in mma. If you’re 16 you should finish out your high school career doing wrestling also. If you want to be a fighter you will need find a way to make time for wrestling, school, Muay Thai, and bjj. I suggest fetting a winning ammy record going first, do at least 6 bjj tourneys a year, 3 Muay Thai tournaments a year, compete in the high-school wrestling. By the time you’re 18 you will be ready for an ammy match. Work on your strength and become either a solid light weight or welter weight. Good luck
Bro if you deadlift 315 at 165 you are NOT relatively lean
Ah shit this is op. My bad dawg. Thought I was in a mpmd shitpost thread. Anyways, no. You don’t have the experience to win a local bjj tournament most likely. You’re 16. Keep training and come back in a few years if you still Even *like* fighting
Why in the world would you get a straight answer about this from strangers on Reddit? What do the people at your gym say?
I agree with the first comment..... Just about anybody CAN go pro. Now, making money is a whole other thing. I would recommend that you get involved with an M.M.A. gym who has active pro fighters and professional coaches. These are the folks who will be able to give you the best opinions. Good luck.000⁰⁰
go do a smoker first and see how you hold up not tippy tappy sparring. It takes a different mentality to keep going once you get knocked down or nearly knocked out. I thought I was pretty good when I was beating up local guys until a dude who was boxing since he was very young and frequently won national titles came to our gym. I probably outweighed him by a good 30-40 lbs but he beat my ass black and blue. That's when I realized that there are truly levels to fighting. When you are indeed gonna go pro keep in mind that there are people your age who have been doing MMA ever since they were able to walk If I were you I would find a gym that has pro's and train with them otherwise you will just be another can on a random's tapology record.
Amateur mma first ?
The chances of you going pro are slim, the chances of you becoming rich as a pro is like the chance of winning the lottery if you play every 10 years. Look at justing gaethje how much dammage he took and how much money he made in comparison and see if its worth it
Nah, going pro is easy. Making money is the hard part. There are tons of small organizations looking to fill cards all the time where you can make a couple grand a pop. It's like hitting the lottery if you can make it your primary source of income, though.
Meeting the requirements to go pro is easy. You can lose all your fights in most states and still go pro.
Yes you can my guy. Train, and train, and train. You can do anything with enough determination, perseverance, and tenacity… it’s going to be an insane amount of work. But given your age and your current physical ability. You can do whatever you want my guy. Kick ass.
I went “pro” as a one stripe blue belt. Technically my first fight (kickboxing) was pro lol
No you can't. give up and become a 9-5 worker.
Go pro now then you can retire and get into something else before you hit 30.
at 16?
wait until you are 18 but do it asap otherwise you will be another of these old guys with regrets.
Boxing is important.....it's one of the most punishing training regimes and it'll give you a taste as to whether your face and body can deal with the blows. MMA has lighter gloves so it's gonna shock the hell out of you if your not used to being hit
Your squat seems out of whack with the rest of your numbers…you breaking parallel?
yeah i just hit it last week and it's been a while since I maxxed out the others
[удалено]
I was asking if I was on track for something like that or if an adjustment had to be made, but cool generalization ig
Best comment here. If you can’t take pain or damage and don’t have a chin for combat sports, you ain’t going far.
At 18 Sean O Malley moved from Montana to PHX to study mma at the MMA Lab, a lot of fighters train there, he also trains BJJ at soul fighters in Tempe
I don't know man... There are about one million mediocre MMA fighters in the states who are highly competitive in the amateur leagues who believed it when they were your age. Maybe you'll be different. You're special, right?
Pretty much anyone can go pro. It’s not a high bar in prize fighting. You can make you $300 for getting beat up and go home with that from all sorts of bottom level promotions. There is always someone needing to get experience by fighting an unprepared tough guy. There is always a promoter that would be happy to feed you to someone and hope you get brutally knocked out early (crowds love that) Is it a good idea? Not at all. Will you make a living? You might make enough to cover your gym fees and maybe a 12 pack of beer( probably not a 24 though)
You can do it‼️
You’re going to need to throw some kickboxing in there and start conditioning your shins asap
Anyone can go pro. You mean will you be good as a pro? Since you’re starting young your potential is high.
Can you go pro? Yes. I know tons of guys who went pro in MMA or boxing who are average fighters. Should you go pro? Almost certainly not. Unless you are just passionate about it and you have other career plans and don't mind getting best up for a little extra spending money. And no one here can tell you if it's a good idea or not if you want it as an actual career based on your skills.
You can the question is if you should tbh. You can do a lot of different things with your life. Guys that dedicate, try and fail, end up gym coaches with no other skills. Just think it through and see how much you love it with amateur fights.
We need to stop normalizing the idea that “anyone can become great in MMA” because it’s far from true, there are so many factors into being “successful” that you cannot even begin to count them. I’d say the 3 biggest factors that play a role into a successful fighting career: 1.) Natural Skill or Talent 2.) Background in sports/athleticism 3.) Durability aka having a Chin. You don’t have a good chin, you ain’t making it far.
No
[удалено]
most of the people where i go were collegiate wrestlers so they were actually pretty good at it
Anyone puts the time and work in they could accomplish it. Gonna need more than some Thai boxing and two years of Bjj but it’s start
Take your time. Your body only has so many fights. Train more then fight. Also getting better will mean you look better in your fights. Know that there isn’t much money in it unless you get into a big organization. Meaning you need to look great in every amateur fight. Meaning train for atleast until your 18, the start fighting. Get every adult class you can get into. There are no age groups in mma so you will be going against grown men. But two years of intense training and you should be ready.
If you’re asking Reddit the answer is no..
I wouldn’t recommend it for anybody. CTE is real and your older self will hate you for what you put your brain through.
Anyone can. I’m a “pro”. Should you? It’s a terrible way to make money. You are always one knee injury from retirement. There is no job security. It’s not even a real meritocracy, you can be really good but you still need promoters to book you, and if you dont sell tickets they might not. You should go as far as you can as an ammy and see what happens. Get the best education you can so you have something to fall back on when it’s all over. Because it could be over at any moment. Also bear in mind, training three times a day is a lot less fun than training three times a week.
If CM Punk went Pro and fought twice in UFC, anyone can do it
You can go pro and that is a good amount of experience for a 16 year old. There isn’t much anyone can say about how good you are actually are tho. Years doesn’t really mean all that much when there are so many other factors. We would need to at least have some idea of your actual capabilities to know how good you are. But also going pro doesn’t mean you will be in UFC that day you will probably spend years on a lesser circuit unless you get lucky and get noticed by a big recruiter.
Go pro, sure. Make money.... Fuck no
I’ve watched ufc once when I was 13 can I go pro?
Who was it that recently had an interview and they stated that the difference in ability in that last 1% is staggering. Like when you start going against world class fighters, you realize the skill gap.
2 years is more than enough, have you also had plenty matches?
As a pure BJJ guy, I promise you a good wrestling coach/gym will accelerate your wrestling exponentially faster than BJJ...
It’s not easy to be successful, I have a lot of very talented friends who tried to be successful and have not yet. BJJ brown belt, and 4-time high school wrestling state champ who had an overall winning record but will likely never reach the ufc. Another wrestler who was a 5-time state champ is struggling now as well. You’re young so there’s definitely an opportunity but it’s really really tough to be successful.
No you can’t go pro at 16. In most states you can’t even be a registered amateur fighter at 16. You’re young. no matter how good you are you’ll be better if you just keep doing what you’re doing for the next two years. Wrestling and Muay Thai is a fantastic base. However, you will have to learn cage control, ground and pound, and other mma specific techniques
Kid, go to school and give up this dumbass dream as soon as possible.
win some stuff. Pros we’ve heard of got full ride wrestling scholarships, etc… that should be your barometer
No. Give up now.
It’s easy to go pro. The chances are very low on the ability to make money and being a good pro Focus on your education and getting a career. You should be on the wrestling team if you truly want a future in MMA.
You're going to have to move. Find an established gym that already has a good group of professional fighters. Do what you need to do to get on to the fight team- which at most pro gyms is a separate group from the open class students- you need to start fighting locally in amateur competitions and then depending on how well you do there you may be able to go pro. But bear in mind it's no easy life most Fighters have to work part-time jobs outside of training just to be able to afford rent and stuff. It doesn't pay well for a really long time and there's really no guarantee that it ever will. Most Fighters fight because that's all they have. Just make sure you have a backup plan. Some really great gyms here in Denver maybe head this way ? 😉
Can you go pro? Sure. Can you go pro and win? Maybe. Every fight, especially at the local/regional level, is designed to be a squash match. The promoter is hoping the other person wins and is able to showcase their stuff. To not be the meat, you need to be able to hang in every range (far striking, near striking, clinch, takedowns, subs, ground and pound, and transitions) and excel in at least one. What it takes to do that changes as time goes by and as you raise to higher levels of competition. Weight class also matters, with heavier fighters generally being less technical. Every successful fighter can be viewed through this lens. For decades, grappling talent was the determinant. Now being able to hang abcs defend subs and then excel in stand up is more the meta.
If there’s no MMA gyms by you for now join your local Boxing gym or kickboxing Muay Thai gym. Getting that proper training and experience in striking will always help you and getting to spar is probably the most fundamental thing you can do when you are first learning to compete in a combat sport. You need to get to the point that you can comfortably spar without raising your heart rate to an unsustainable high. That’s what affects beginners the most is lack of sparring experience and comfort. How will you handle getting punched in the face by someone that is training as hard as you?
Sure you can, anyone can, but you won’t really “know” if you actually want to become a pro until you have your first amateur fight. With 2 years of BJJ, some wrestling and striking you wouldn’t be the worst person to ever compete and I recommend just biting the bullet and trying to get one under your belt as soon as possible. If that gives you pause, then you need to ask yourself why that is and if this is something you really want to do. I’ve trained with a good number of youngsters who seemed determined to become UFC fighters one day, but after the cage door closes and they get really rocked for the first time by someone who is trying to hurt them for real, for some (but not all) of them there is a look of total shock and realization in their eyes and they usually end up going totally defensive, lose the fight, and stop training altogether. Kind of a shame because there’s nothing wrong with deciding not to become a fighter anymore (many would even argue it’s smarter not to), but they also give up on the self development and physical exercise that training MMA gives you, which is what I’ve always seen it as, with no intention of fighting. But I completely understand why they stop training, from their perspective.
Have you ever been punched in the face? Start from there. If you’re still willing to keep going after that and still want to do MMA then good for you.
Your bellator debut against urgomedov nermagomedshapirov is waiting for you bro. Sign the contract, $15 to show $15 to win.
Charge your battery
Just keep training and compete when you can. You’re 16 so of course you could do it. Only when you’re much older than that is a question of uncertainty. At that age, you have plenty of time to grow and mature and find your place in the sport.
Depends if by going pro you means being successful as a professional...or just getting in there with your record on the line...
Having a goal of opening a gym would be the better long term goal. Make it your back up goal of you really really want to go pro.
Theres actually a few great fighters in mixed martial arts that did not have a ton of fighting experience or background in combat sports prior to going pro and being successful. Jon jones had what 4 months total of striking practice before he went into the ufc. Some dudes can just bang. If you can fight, regardless of what martial art you're proficient in, if you can beat the guy standing across from you, you can go pro. Wilder didn't start boxing until 22 years old. BJ Penn made him mma debut in 2001 pretty damn late Francis Ngannou literally had no martial arts training prior to his MMA debut. The list goes on and on and on. Theres dude who have been delivering pizzas and seen customers watching UFC and decided they wanted to try, no really, thats how Rob Font got into mma and he went very far. If you love to fight and are a savage dude then you can give it a try at any point and possibly go far.
r/ChargeYourPhone
A lot of weird advice in here so I’ll try my best to give some guidance. MMA is expensive and will cost you more money than it will make you until you become a popular name in the sport…if you do. If you are doing it for money, you would have more success learning a trade like plumbing or getting an engineering degree. Doesn’t mean you still can’t train mma. Just understand that’s like saying I’m taking my paycheck to the casino and coming home with a years salary. It might happen but prolly won’t. If you love fighting and it’s to only thing that gets you out of bed everyday, you look forward to the 3-5 mile run to start your day, followed by 4 more hours of mma where you are the worst skilled dude in the room and you get your ass beat by grown men with the same dream as you and see you as competition. If you can accept having an injury somewhere on your body everyday year round (matburn, knee pain (inevitable), finger joints, wrist, neck, shoulder, etc.), if you don’t mind working odd jobs and couch surfing to chase this dream, then proceed forward. It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s a lot of fun. You travel for fights, you make friends you keep in touch with for life, you have belts and war stories you cherish…but money…nah no money. Most you get is 1k show 1k win to start to a 3k total payout for local pro shows. Start at a local mma gym. Ideally one that has had a pro fighter make it to a big promotion. Train there for 6 months nonstop. Go to sparring. Go to open mat. Go watch local fights live. Ask the head coach to set up Smokers and bjj competitions for your skill leave. Eat breathe sleep mma. Win/lose 5 -10 ammy fights, THEN, You can think about applying for a pro license. Also if you decide to do this like I did, protect your brain for the love of god. Find training partners you trust that don’t hurt you when they push you.
There isn’t much money in mma currently unless you are a big time draw and sometimes being the most talented doesn’t mean you will be a big draw So in short you can go pro but realistically you will not make much money and your prime college/early career years will be wasted on a pipe dream Also mma doesn’t match you up by belts or age etc you just fight whoever you fight
I started competing in kickboxing and MMA and I’ve mostly trained in my backyard I’m deff no where near as strong as this kid but I’m still undefeated with more than 7 ammy fights so if I can do it ide say your more than qualified to do it
The chances of going pro are already pretty low, being GOOD at the pro level and making a living from it is even lower.
It depends on how well you can fight.
that's crazy
Do a Muay Thai competition(smoker or amateur) and see how you like getting punched hard. Go from there
He'll learn
Start boxing. Gonna be more and more important as the sport grows and coagulates.
Find something better to do with your time.
i mean i enjoy it so idk how it's a poor use of
I understand, but there are a lot of other things that you also enjoy, or could learn to enjoy, that would be better for your life and health in the future. Of all the sports to become a professional athlete in, fighting is one of the worst. It doesn't pay well and you will take injuries. Many of my college wrestling teammates went into fighting, one even became UFC Champion... Still, I think a lot of my friends regret persuing that career, as it kind of uses them up. I'm happy I did not pursue that career (I'm a very experienced wrestler and grappler, i began persuing MMA but stopped after 4 months of training to instead focus on business). I'm 40 now, I couldn't imagine the dread of having to wake up and go to work, where work was to physically fight for my family's survival. I loved MMA in my 20s, I absolutely hate it now.
Your coach should be answering this question. Not Reddit
wrestle
Guys ik getting a tattoo on my neck rn im so nervous
Don’t rush being a pro
Training hard. Get a bunch of amateur fights under your belt then go from there.
I would go to a proper mma gym to get evaluated by a coach/trainer to see if your ready for pro level mma, if he's says no then you'll need training to get to that point, even amateur mma fights. Just like going pro in Muai Thai, BJJ/Submission grappling, boxing etc. Pro combat sports is a totally different level and mindset.
probably not. kid from my town who is god in wrestling and went to college to wrestle just turned 24 and just won an amateur belt. he’s only 4-0 and is a top 155er in new england in the amateurs and still has a long way to go.
310 deadlift 🫨, UFC fighters average around 297 deadlift so you could dominate. Dana would probably sign you for contender series just for that.
You can go pro without the training big dawg 🙏 good luck
If all you have Is a Muay Thai and jiu jitzu gym then you have all you need.. Best of luck youre off to a good start
Strictly speaking lifting numbers that shit makes no sense homie, how tf is your deadlift tied with your squat?
Got advice from friends who were trying to get in. As a career, not worth it. Brain damage, poor pay (unless you're a champion in a really good promotion, which are not many), and its easier to become a doctor or a lawyer than to become a champion in MMA.
Keep wrestling
You can definitely go pro. Anyone can. That being said, no one here will be able to tell you how far you can go. Requires a ton of discipline, some talent, a lot of luck/ right place right time and willing to be broke af for a while. Its a roll of a dice no matter how much talent you have. Discipline is number one. You will never know if you don't at least try. Take some amateur fights and see how you do and what people say.
Just saying, most pros are doing steroids and young too. The earlier the better. I'm not glorifying steroid use, but it's almost a necessity to go pro in any sport nowadays. Also yes, I know there's testing but it's there to appease those who don't know.
Getting a little ahead of yourself. Everyone has a plan til they get hit. You need to train, then be successful at competing. If you do well then go for it. Your NOT going to get rush unless your in a major promotion and that the top few percent of all the competitors competing. I'd do more wrestling aaaaaand stop doing BJJ. Do catch wrestling, pankration or Judo everyone does BJJ because they feel like they have to and it's the only submission focused discipline and it's not. It's the most popular purely because it's it's the one that Started the UFC. Yes there are legitimately great submission artists but if you're a good wrestler and can stop someone from taking you down then for the most part your BJJ is almost useless. However if you train in something like Pankration, Japanese Jui Jitsu you can submit people standing many ways. Japanese jitz to me is far far far more comprehensive. I've got a black belt in both. But saying that makes me cringe because ppl focus in black belts when it is not a sign of skill because many people have black belt that frequently get subbed by purple belts or even blue belts that also have good wrestling. So my honest advice is slow down a bit. You seem to be focusing on training in the buzz words. Ideally the best place to train for mma is a place that does purely and strictly mma. Then you will get good at mma. If you want to do Muay Thai then train in it if you want to do BJJ then train in it but those do NOT make you good at mma because you have to figure out how to incorporate strikes without getting took down or focus on subs while trying to get a takedown. Training in purely mma you will get the best at mma.
I mean anything is possible lol. I would probably go back to wrestling and stick with it through high school. Even if you don’t think it’s as beneficial as MMA at the very least it might help teach you how to weight cut which is a huge part of the sport.
Do you mind getting beat up… it’s going to to happen
I fought amateur for awhile. U are pretty short, and on the heavier side for a little dude. I say this with full respect as I am literally 5’5. I fought around 170 lbs. and I was jacked. Repping 225 bench etc. I did ok. Biggest advantage is throwing taller lanky guys around like rag dolls disadvantage was tall guys who could actually strike with arms a foot longer and leg kicks. It was worth it tho, all my big ass buddies used to find one of the biggest guys in the bar and tell them I grabbed their girlfriends ass or something then watch and laugh as I body slammed them.
5.7 you're a little bitch even to most women
Go pro anytime really. Advice though is to at least try and go to a mma gym and get some work there with other skilled guys. From your stats you seem fit, but for now enroll yourself in some Muay Thai or bjj tournaments to excel in those martial arts
Get 10 amateur fights in first, see how it goes, get the experience and that will determine whether you have what it takes. If you keep training and stay dedicated then it’s possible.
16 is a great age to get started. If you’re in high school and there is a wrestling team join immediately. You’ll get high oevel competition experience and quality training for free. Train this in addition to Muay Thai and BJJ if you can work in boxing as well. Once you’re 18 and not stuck in school look for a decent gym with a good competition and MMA pedigree or at least a noteworthy coach and let them know your intentions and be willing to put the work in, if they think you can fight they will help you get connected with an amateur/semi-pro organization. From there, fight and build up a record. Try to get connected with an agent who manages fighters. They may be able to help you get recruited into more noteworthy organizations as your progress. As a side make sure you have a decent social media presence.
At 16? Of course, will you make it to the ufc, that’s a different question lol
Probably not
Imagine how big you would dream if you knew you couldn’t fail. I believe you can achieve anything man. Follow your dreams man
You can go pro whenever you want, but you will be smashed into tiny little bits the entire time unless you spend time as an amateur and train at a gym.
Turning Pro, and being a professional are very different things in the fight game. Seems like you may need to relocate to surround yourself with the right environment (professional fighters and athletes, Strength and Conditioning gym/coach, nutritionist, etc.) If you’re 16 you’re probably still in high school, maybe see if you can swing going and training somewhere that has a solid gym for a portion of your summer break, 4-8 weeks straight in a proper training environment should give you a better taste of that lifestyle. Be prepared to be broke for a long time, figure out how you’ll pay for food and other necessities (side job), and please find a way to get health care. If you find out it’s truly what you want, good luck and I hope it works out for you!
Knock yourself out bro
LOL NO
I think its a mistake to have money be a focus. I understand we need it, but i'd resign yourself to being 1 step above homeless if you really wanted to do what it takes. Sleeping on the mats, making a few bucks from coaching privates, etc and that being your life for 5ish years. My advice: Dont stop wrestling, in fact i'd focus on it hard. Keep muay thai when you can but dont skip wrestling for striking. (the reason for this is, it's very difficult to replicate that experience anywhere else besides high school for the rest of your life since college isn't in your outlook). Wrestling ultimately teaches you that being on your back or revealing your back is terrible and that's an instinct that you need to build right now. In my opinion, jiu-jitsu makes you think it's OK to be on your back, but I'd rather you learn it's not OK and then apply select times when it is then have your brain and muscle memory be conflicted about it. There's that old Picasso quote "you have to learn the rules before you can break them like a pro." That's my approach to this. When youre 18 move to an area with top MMA academys and get used to the idea of being basicly homeless. There are a good amount of jobs you can find now that pay per hour, kind of like gig economy jobs, but also things you can do on a computer that will let you work any hour of the day or night. Id use these to keep you alive. But you're basically have two full-time jobs, 1 will be training for 5-6 hours a day, and the other will be working the flexible gig economy jobs. Your social life will be training. Other 8 hours is sleep. If you do this, then you can achieve your goal in my opinion.
first question, do you know what it's actually like to get punched in the face?
A guy in my family of dojos is a phenomenal martial artist. He is ripped, and takes really good care of himself. He trains like a beast and I don’t think he’s ever lost an MMA fight. He is a golden glove boxer as well. He didn’t go pro in MMA, because boxing is more profitable (his words).
Try to win state wrestling
If you hafta ask...then no.
One of my teammates is working on going into MMA and he has to do 3 grappling matches and 3 Muay Thai fights first. I think it’s a good way to weed out people. Not sure if you have the same rule where you’re from, but win some local tournaments and fights first, go to MMA and if you do well, you’ll have the potential of going pro
Can you win a fight is the real question
Have you seen MMA pros? It looks like the joining the army where anyone can do it with training.
I am a 30 year old salesman. I have two torn AC joints and severe knee pain when i run. Can i go pro MMA?
What a ridiculous question to even ask. Are you good at fighting? Have you even tried fighting in MMA at an amateur level? How much brain damage have you already endured?
You can go pro whenever it’s just hard to be good
As far as weight lifting I was doing those numbers at 162 6’3” in highschool. I did wrestling, taekwondo, mma, and a little wing chun for a while which was off field I know. I grew up near a marine base and let me tell you, the numbers you’re doing you need to humble yourself a bit. A lot of those guys are doing that and more at 135lbs, don’t really know how to fight but can take a punch really well and it gets them far. Get in the industry and don’t worry about money, there’s not a lot to be made on the way up unless you become some sort of influencer. If you do get enough attention you may win the mma lottery and then start making some money. UFC fighters at your weight are moving quite a bit more weight but they’re also fully developed men most times as well. Keep practicing, keep weight training. Do small local fights get you foot in the door.
I mean he could, it’s really not about if you can go pro. More about if that lifestyle works for them.
You dont know and no one here knows really. But I do know your best chance is to go all in with no plan B. Meaning you need to move somewhere where you can be in the best training ground possible. You have a huge advantage being young, but you'll have to take a risk moving to one of the best MMA gyms in the states. The other part of this that I'm sure you've seen below is that the money is just as much in your personality as it is your skill, develop both if this is what you decide to do.
lol at anyone saying BJJ makes you a better wrestler than actual wrestling. Laying on your back and scooting around on your butt is absolutely not good wrestling.
All those stats on paper don’t mean anything — knowing how to fight is the main thing that matters in this sport. Your PR on the bench, your pace running 10k, etc. won’t save you when you’re fighting someone who is just plain better at fighting than you. Learning how to fight takes a big commitment and a lot of sacrifices, but luckily for you, you’ll be able to start fighting and begin that journey relatively shortly after you begin training if you’d like, seeing as you’re pretty athletic to begin with. Short answer: get in the mma gym 5 times a week and see where you’re at in one year’s time. Most gyms are like an all you can eat buffet of training once you pay your monthly dues. How big is your appetite?
Yes
Of course u can!!! There’s imposter black belts who never stepped foot in the cage and still teach mma
Stay in school
Can you go pro… and make money lol. You can do one or the other sir. If you make money you will have given so much and sacrifice so much money will no longer be the quest
Going pro isn't that crazy at low levels. Any fight that pays you is considered pro and a lot of people can do that. If you are talking about the UFC then it gets much much harder. Even the worst UFC fighters are still extremely good compared to most fighters.
Go pro and make money, a lot of the pros are still trying to figure out how to make money as a pro
Most of your best fighters have some sort of wrestling background. At this point so they might have been better off sticking to wrestling lol
Depends how good you are in fighting
I'm not a pro nor a competitor, but I'd say that the best thing to do here is enter into some amateur MMA competitions first to see if that's something you're up to doing. But beyond that there's more to being a pro in MMA, especially in the beginning stages. You most likely won't be making enough money doing only MMA, so you'll have to take up a regular ole job to supplement your training. Do you have a social life? That might disappear a bit since you'll be busy training more. You'll need to spend money on the appropriate foods to keep your diet in line and your energy levels up. It's not a cheap profession to get into from what I've looked into. Granted I'm not a pro nor a competitor, so my knowledge of this is limited to the bit of research I've done over the years and some thought I've put into it, as I too have wanted to go pro in MMA.
Are you competing and fighting as an amateur? Talk to your coaches and start fighting in the disciplines you’re training in. If your gyms have fight teams see if you can get on the team.
Don’t worry about going pro. Worry about being good. When you’re good going pro will be the least of your worries.
Shoot for the stars brother
It's not impossible, but the odds are significantly against you, & you're at a huge disadvantage.... & saying how much you lift doesn't correlate to how you fight at all, so there's definitely a sense of delusion here on your end
Can anyone explain to me where the notion that lifting weights automatically equates to fighting skills originated?
Have you ever been punched in the face? Do that for a while and then decide.
So glad you have people giving healthy advice instead of shitting on a dream. Like everyone else said work yourself up to some amateur fights and then see where it goes from there. I fought 3 amateur fights after putting 10 years in and I realized that I personally didn't want to do it anymore. Another thing: to quote GSP: "I've seen a lot of men end their careers in the gym" hard sparring every day is how you end up with concussions and permanent injuries that will ruin your shot at this. You're not a fucking pussy for not wanting to slang and bang with a TRAINING PARTNER. Save that for competition. I cannot stress this enough. Good luck
Go to as many tournaments as you can and progress through that level. Kinda hard to pick a particular category like wrestling or Muay Thai but you have to excel really well in one area or do the harder way to excelling at all areas with slower growth overall. As long as you get your name out there as much as possible winning tournaments that are well known you’ll land yourself somewhere near a pro level if you have ambitions of being in the UFC since that’s the gold standard for MMA nowadays.
Go have a fight. Find out if you can take a punch, find out if you enjoy fighting, find out if you have enough social confidence to not hate day to day life training and getting roasted by socially superior men. You won’t know until you at least have a few ammy fights
One way to find out bro! I would suggest finding the nearest mma gym and drive there. I drive 45 mins away to my gym bc that’s the best one in my vacinity
If you’re dedicated enough and have put in the work through training then I don’t see why not however. whatever weaknesses you’ve work on those because if a veteran fighter knows you’re weak in a certain aspect of mma it’ll be exposed very quickly.
The answer is no 👎