I rarely post on here and I'm mostly a lurker but I really wanna get some solid advice from some helpful folk about this.
I started training for MMA (mostly no-gi grappling) about 4 years ago and I've had a few set backs and other goals that have got in my way of me fulfilling my goal of becoming a pro fighter but I've finally got serious and opened the oppurtunity to make this happen.
So I'm gonna move out to vegas to train and hopefully become a pro by the end of 2011.
I just wanted to know from some experienced people what I should have and be prepared for in order to just go and get the ball rolling. I have money so I'm gonna be training full time.
Any advice?
honestly dont make plans on when your going pro, bad idea i did the same thing yet im still ammy. you can say i wanna go pro by 2011 but the chances are you wont. take your time, and train your ass off get a few ammy fights in to get those jitters out .
since your training full time suck up as up knowledge as possible, youll know when your ready and if your coaches are good they will guide you and tell you when your ready ,
good luck
Thanks for he advice man. You're right. I'm not sure if going pro by the end of 2011 is reasonable but when I make goals like that it get's me motivated. I definately want to pick up as many ammy fights as possible though.
def ammy is worth it. you can mess up and it doesn't matter just learn .
set goals, im resetting mny goals and i changed camps and now am setting goals. i wanna hear how that goes for you
How many amateur fights have you had? what's your background in other combat sports?
Thanks Jimenez! I'll keep everyone updated.
I haven't had any amateur fights yet. I was planning on doing that but I busted the bursa sack on my knee and then moved out into the mountains for the last 2 years. Prior to that I have trained in no-gi jiu jitsu for about 4 years. I went back home to san diego for a few months earlier this year and decided to do 2 grappling tournaments. Suprisingly I won gold with the Gi although I've only trained in one about 5 times. I got Silver in No-Gi. I think I have a solid ground base although I plan on getting much better. I've spent some time training boxing and Muay Thai but I need to do a lot of sparring to get completely comfortable before I start comepeting.
Again, any advice will be much appreciated! I'm 23, so I think I'm at a good age. I'm gonna leave everything and completely dedicate my life to this.
Well my first piece of advice would be to get a few amateur fights under your belt before you consider becoming a full time fighter.
regarding training: sounds loike you're a good grappler. so you should train to maximize your strengths but minimize your weaknesses. ex. work hard on your wrestling to get the takedowns that will put you in good grappling position, but you should also be working hard on your striking to be able to set up the takedowns and control the standup.
Conditioning?
Thanks Bull!
I think the advice for getting a few amateur fights in before going full time is a great idea but I'm just one of those people that has to go 100% into something in order to bring out the best in me. I actually have a great oppurtunity out there, I'm in a good financial situation and I have a back up plan in case this is a bad decision.
I trained at a grappling specific school in San Diego called Team Magnitude with instructor Michio Grubbs and I've also spent time at Brandon Vera's Alliance Gym as well as Brasa Jiu Jitsu Academy. Grappling has been my primary focus up until this point.
As far as conditioning is concerned, I'm well prepared. I worked as a personal trainer and studied nutrition and fitness on my own for the last 5 years. I've already started doing circuit cardio workouts that consist of 5-5 minute intense sets of Jump rope, Treadmill, bike, row, and heavy bag combos. I'm doing that 4 times a week and plyometrics once a week for now. I wanna start strength training by the end of the month.
Any more suggestions for preperations?
Thanks again for the input. I wanna be fully prepared.
your one of the more fortunate ones , u got all thos great gyms out there, in NYC its very limited -__- Renzos school is very over rated imo the atmosphere there is dick but back to you ,
you seem to have a good base of Jii jitsu and cardio. thats great , its funny bc im a striker but i just got promoted to a blue belt in BJJ and all i do is take people down and sub them.
id work a lot of your striking especially if its you weakness, like bull said use it to set up your TDs or you can be like drysdale and smash peoples faces in with it while you go for a sub.
def do ammy first , you can screw up all you want and nobody will care , my budy went 2-9 as a ammy and now is 8-2 pro fighting in bellator .
and last tip SPAR SPAR SPAR SPAR lol . cant tell you how many poeple i seen not spar once and get hammered in 30 seconds
Yeah man, I'm extremely fortunate to have all these gyms around me out here. It's nice to just wonder around and check them out and see what the atmosphere is like in each one!
Bull's advice is pretty much the same advice that the majority of experienced people have given me. So I plan on working the hell out of my wrestling and continue to develop my positioning and submissions.
I'm not exactly lost with the stand-up. On the contrary, I know the technical fundamentals pretty well but just like you said, I need to spar like crazy.
Here's a question.
How long do you think I should wait before I try my first ammy? Should I do it sooner than later to use it as a gauge?
Also, a weight question. I'm about 6' 2" and I walk around at 187. Do you recommend focusing on gaining mass or learning how to cut well. I'm torn between 170 and 185. However, I've been able to make the cut to 175 for grappling tournaments without too much trouble.
Thanks for letting me pick your brains!
how long have you been training? the beauty of ammy is you can fight a lot and everything is a learning exp . most ammy leagues have these redic weight classes, like 179.9 or some shit like that ,i usually do 20lb cut but thats all on you if you can make 175 with no prob another 5lbs wont hurt and you get the 1lb allowance ,
if you feel comfortable enough do ammy asap , most ammy matches end up on the ground (at least here in NYC, well NJ bc theres no GnP to the face so its just a BJJ match) , most guys come out swinging so just shoot in and sub him .
I've been training for about 2 years in total.
Yeah, I figure a lot of guys will just come out wild. I should probably try and set a goal of getting an ammy in by March or so. During that time I should be able to fine tune all the things I know and get in some good sparring and mat time.
I guess at this point I just need to wait and see how it all plays out. I'm gonna be at Wanderlei's gym and I know they put a heavy emphasis on sparring over there.
-_- i seriously envy you lol , good luck with that honestly. your gunna be around great strikers , soak that up
Haha Thanks man! Trust me I'm not taking it for granite.
Need a roomate? lol