Quote: (01-02-2014 11:04 PM)DoctaWho Wrote:
I'm chimming in pretty late on this and I hate to be a naysayer but are you really sure it's for you? I don't know any amateur or pro mma fighters but I've known several boxers in my day and only two have ever fought pro fights. The rest have pretty much brawled it out on the amateur circuit or quit.
I can't speak for mma but at least in boxing you can generally get on an amateur card if you're willing to travel and have a trainer that will network on your behalf.
Where I live there are a couple of mma gyms that have fight teams and I met someone whose husband trains at one of the gyms. She told me that most of the guys on the fight team don't really make a lot and spend a lot of time in the gym training (often during the hours that most people are working). Every combat sport is full of guys who thought they were tough but dropped out because the training was hard or because they did not go anywhere with it or because once they bell rung they realized how real the shit was. For example, I knew a guy who was 6'2 205 but was athletically talented enough to cut 30 pounds. His first real fight he came out looking great. He was great with the foot work so he danced circles around the other guy until the last minute of the first round. The guy caught him with a beautiful left jab followed by an overhand right that did not knock him out but but him against the ropes for the rest of the round. He told his corner he couldn't keep going and the fight was stopped. He was a hell of an athlete and had never really been hit until that point and when it happened his visions of being a pro fighter died.
Given the little I know about mma I would say that if you are serious then do your best to find guys in your area who fight competitively and train in a way that gives you something to offer them as a sparring partner. One of the guys I knew who was a pro boxer was always looking for south paws who were quick counter punchers to spar with because that's what he struggled with. When he or his trainer found one they would usually keep the kid around and the trainer would work with him. From what I've seen all mma guys aren't well rounded so if you can put together a good striking or ground game then you'll have value as a sparing partner and can probably get some training for their coach because of that. IMO talent alone does not make a great fighter, the coaches they work with have a lot of impact on turning a regular fighter into a pro.
Someone talked about krav chicks thinking they could beat a man, I think the ones at a higher level could. For a lot of people krav is not a sport or a way to burn calories, it is a tool to do the most damage to anyone who messes with you as quickly as possible. No a smaller woman cannot beat a larger man if she tries to trade punches with him but we all have soft spots on our bodies. It doesn't matter if you're 75lbs or 300lbs the same force is needed to crush your trachea. Of course this is America, where in most gyms kickboxing is cardio kickboxing but if you find the right instructor (male or female) I think krav is legit.
Nah man, I'm in no way considering doing MMA as a career. I'm already in my mid 20s and that's far too late to start from scratch and hope to "make it." The reason I'm looking for somewhat hard-core instruction is not to prepare me for the pro circuit but because I truly am interested in learning to fight, for its own sake. Also, intense sparring and competition would add an element of excitement and challenge that is currently sorely lacking in my day to day life.