How Hard is it Really to Reach a UFC Level?
MMA is becoming one of the most popular sports in the world and many young fans want to become fighters. Fans who want to become fighters often ask, how hard is it really to reach a UFC level?
How Hard is it Really to Reach a UFC Level?
So you really want to know how hard it is to reach a UFC level fight promotion. It’s incredibly hard to reach a UFC level, but not impossible.
You actually have a better chance at becoming a high-level pro MMA fighter than in most other sports. For example, 1.6% of college football athletes make it to the NFL. Not play and have a long career, but just reach the pro level.
Becoming a high-level professional MMA fighter is way easier than becoming any other pro sport athlete. In order to reach the UFC or its equivalent, you will need to do four important things.
- Dedicate Yourself To MMA Training
- Win Fights
- Develop Good Relationships With Fight Promoters
- Sell Tickets & Create a Fan Base
Dedicate Yourself to MMA Training
The first step in getting to the highest level of MMA is to be incredibly dedicated to your training. You will have to eat, breath, and sleep MMA, where your whole life revolves around training.
Your schedule will consist of training everyday, multiple times per day in order to develop elite skills and conditioning. This is just the first step mind you and does not mean you will become a UFC fighter.
Consistently training in a good gym is a great start, but you’ll need to do much more.
Win Fights
The next obvious step to reach a UFC level MMA promotion is to win fights. Starting off in the amateur ranks, you’ll have to fight and win consistently.
Once you’ve developed a good amateur record, you can then move up to the pro level. At the pro level, you will need to win at least a minimum of 80% of your fights.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll get to the highest levels of MMA, but you’ll have a better chance at getting there.
Lower tier fighters have the opportunity to move up to the pro level with local fighting events. Every major state has local professional MMA fighters trying to make a name for themselves, prompting these fighters to be more risky, ending in the fights being extremely exciting. With the addition of legal sports betting in major states like the recent launch in NC, fans will be more in tune with smaller events with the help of the online sports betting apps in North Carolina which will allow them to bet on all of these fights.
Develop Good Relationships with Fight Promoters
Next, you and your coaches will have to develop good relationships with fight promoters. Feeder promotions like Legacy Fighting Alliance and Fury Fighting Championship are the level below the UFC.
You and your coaches will have to play a little politics with fight promoters and become friendly with them. When you do this, the promoters will be keen on giving you fights. They will also put in a good word with the scouts and matchmakers of the bigger promotions.
Sell Tickets & Create a Fan Base
To get to the level of the UFC or PFL, you will also have to market yourself. That means being able to sell tickets and develop a fan base.
Promoters will only consistently book you for fights if you’re good at selling tickets. If you have a large fan base and win most of your fights, there’s a better chance the UFC will sign you.
A great example of this is Paddy Pimblett, who won nearly all of his fights and got hype behind him. That’s how he was able to get a huge fight contract over the majority of the current UFC roster.
Overview
It’s incredibly hard to reach the highest level as an MMA fighter, but not possible. If you’re able to do the four things listed above, you’ll have a better shot at becoming a high-level pro.
