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on December 3rd, 2019 in Personal Training Do you enjoy watching successful MMA fighters like Holly Holm or Cris Cyborg? Maybe you’ve wondered if you too could become a professional MMA fighter? Like any sport, it is a select few who end up competing and then being successful at a professional level. But that doesn’t mean that you absolutely cannot become a professional or amateur MMA fighter.
In this post we will outline how to become a professional female MMA fighter. We will detail how you can become involved in fighting and who you should reach out to for help with your goals. Maybe you won’t be the next Ronda Rousey, but maybe you will. With hard work and dedication, you are sure to make progress towards your goals and hopefully have fun along the way.
How to Become an MMA Fighter?
If you’ve ever wondered about how to become a professional female MMA fighter, you’re probably wondering where you should start. MMA is a combination of many disciplines of martial arts without showing preference to one martial art in particular. Unlike competing in a single disciple martial art such as taekwondo, MMA fighters use techniques from boxing, taekwondo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Many fighters will have trained in one primary martial art that likely began their MMA journey. This primary martial art may be accentuated in how a fighter moves within a ring, but they still require knowledge of other disciplines. If you already have experience with martial arts under you belt, that’s great! But now you need to find a way to learn more about different types of fighting. If you have never used ground techniques joining a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym may be a good start. Or maybe if you have never used foot techniques and kickboxing or taekwondo gym would be ideal. Whatever you choose, make sure you are expanding your knowledge in order to become a more versatile fighter.
If you have never tried a martial art before, don’t worry, this is not a disadvantage! Having no prior experience with martial arts means that you are a blank slate able to learn without favouring any particular technique. Consider training at a gym that offers more than one discipline of martial arts to help you become a well-rounded fighter. Credible MMA gyms such as Grant’s MMA & Boxing Gym in North York, are able to help you with your goals and expose you to a variety of martial arts quickly. Though there is value in mastering one martial art before moving on to another, being versatile and learning many styles as you go can serve you well.
There is no right or wrong way to become an MMA fighter. Simply ensure that you are training with credible and professional martial arts gym. If you need help with knowing what to look for in a personal or martial arts trainer see our previous article “What Makes a Good Personal Trainer?”.
Am I Too Old to Be A Professional Fighter?
If professional fighting is a dream that you aspire to and you aren’t in your teens, you may be wondering, am I too old? According to Bloody Elbow the average age of a female MMA fighter in the UFC is 31 years old. Of course, 31 years old is not old but if you are 28 and have never trained in martial arts before, you may have quite a challenge in front of you.
Youth is on your side when you are aspiring to compete as a professional athlete. The younger you are the more time you have to train and develop skills and experience in order to become a better fighter. But don’t be too hung up on age if this is something that you truly believe you should be doing. Consider reaching out to a boxing coach to discuss what your goals are and see if they are possible to be obtained. They may be able to guide you in setting realistic goals that help you work towards your dreams.
In our previous article “How Old Is Too Old to Start Boxing” we state that there is no right time to start and that you are never too old to start boxing. This applies to MMA too. Though you may not ever compete at a world class level like fighters such as Karolina Kowalkiewicz, you might just be able to compete in local, regional and even international completions. No matter how old you are you can learn MMA.
Where Can I Start Competing?
If you have trained in any martial art, you have likely been exposed to local competitions. This is your first step into the world of MMA fighting. By competing in amateur competitions, you gain skills and experience that will help you as you move on to more advanced fights.
It is always a good idea to reach out to your coach before signing up for an amateur fight. Your coach will likely have industry information to help you find an appropriate match based on your skill level. They can help guide you in selecting competitions that will help build on your skills.
In order to become a professional MMA fighter, you need to work your way up to professional level matches. This can only be done by winning. If you goal is to be a professional MMA fighter you may wish to obtain sponsorship along the way. This can be done with the help of your coach and their industry connections.
Do I Have What It Takes?
Becoming a professional female MMA fighter isn’t easy. There is an abundance of competition and you will need to train incredibly hard in order to make it to the top. If you want to become a professional MMA fighter don’t waste any time. Get in touch with a credible MMA gym and start training and competing. Try to remember that becoming a professional fighter is a journey and not something that happens overnight. Put in the work and remember to enjoy the process of pushing yourself to the limits and becoming the best fighter that you can be.
