How to Become a UFC / MMA Fighter

The UFC is a highly competitive fighting promotion that features some of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Due to the high level of competition in the promotion, it's very difficult to get into it. You'll need to have the skills, the record, and the charisma of a top-notch fighter in order to get into the UFC. Don't expect to be able to get into the UFC right away, either. It can take several years before you get noticed and are able invited to compete. Having a good manager will help speed this process up.

If you're interested in becoming a fighter, then I assume you already know the rules. If you don't, you can find them pretty much anywhere, including wikipedia. The main rules that you'll need to be concerned with are that kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent are illegal, strikes to the back of the head are always illegal, eye gouging is illegal, as are groin strikes. Other than that, most of the other rules should be intuitive. You should take a look at a list before you start competing, though.

After you understand the sport and the rules, you'll want to start training. You can usually find an MMA gym for about $100/month. If you can't afford that, then I suggest checking out some instructional videos and finding someone to train with. If you do this, you'll really need to work on your strength and conditioning. This is important because that'll be your biggest asset by far. Either way, you'll probably want to train for at least a few months before finding a small amateur show where you can see if you really have what it takes.

Your first fight will probably be on very short notice, so there's not much preparing you can do. It'll be beneficial to try to find out what type of style your opponent is, but that's not always possible. With that said, he probably won't be much better than you are, so you should do pretty well. If you manage to win, then you should try to get another fight with the same promotion or find another one right away. Most small pro organizations will let you in after you've strung together two or three amateur wins.

Once you're in a pro org, you might be able to get into some MMA gyms for free. You might have to string a couple wins together before that happens, but you'll at least be able to pay for your training with the money you get from fighting. At this point, it's all about training nonstop and improving your striking and ground game. You should always work on your strength and conditioning. If you manage to get four or five wins in a decent league, then you'll likely be invited into the UFC. Remember that all of this takes time and patience. If you have a background in martial arts, then you have a better chance of success. That's not to say that you'll fail if you don't, though.