When Am I Ready To Fight In MMA?

When to fight after training MMA:

Now that you have done your research and found your MMA club you start to train and then comes the all important question…

When can I fight?

The following is my opinion, you are certainly welcome to have your own opinion on when you are ready to fight in MMA:

There are some clubs that have the rule, “if you have trained for a week you can fight in the ring.” (yes I have actually witnessed this remark.). I don’t agree with this at all.

My theory is that you should wait at least 1 year before you are ready to fight in MMA. This gives you probably 9 months or so to get some things down, yes I mean the basics, and then 3 months to really hone your skills and to prepare for your opponent.

As a coach I feel that I am responsible for the safety of my MMA fighters. This is why I have the rule that I have the right to cancel the fight up until the fighter enters the ring. This way if there is an injury or if the fighter isn’t ready I can cancel the fight until the fighter is ready. You wouldn’t believe how motivating this is for a guy who really wants to fight MMA.

Don’t allow yourself to fight before you are ready and don’t jump in the ring without being prepared. There are many MMA skills that you should learn before you get in the ring. These skills are the basics but you can’t just learn the skill. You have to learn how to perform these skills without thinking. Something as small as footwork for stand up fighting can be the difference between winning and getting injured. Basics have to be learned until they can be done without thinking about each step.

Now that has all been said it’s time to look at a good schedule to prepare for a MMA fight from the start.

This is based on a class that is 3 nights a week 1.5 – 2 hours a night.

Remember that you should figure out what weight class you are going to fight in and try to reach that goal before the weigh -ins. Believe me that it’s very, very hard to lose weight at the last minute.

Month 1- month 2 Of Training MMA

Cardio- push yourself and work out for about ½ hour before each workout. You should also be running In between training days. I suggest using workouts by the FitterFast.com website

Stand up- work on stance, movement, straight punches, blocks/ parrying. – I find it easier to teach movement in straight lines so that people get the idea behind each step.

Begin to learn the basics of takedowns.

Ground- work on basic positions, movement in between the positions, escapes from each position and some basic submissions.

You should be sparring MMA every day that you can. I would stick to sparring with grappling and stand up separately. I recommend Technical sparring through the entire process. Tech sparring is a great way to work on skills and not have to worry about having your head being taken off or your arm being broken. Submission sparring should be to position. It’s the best way to practice your movement , position and escapes without the stress of being submitted.

Month 3-6 Of Training MMA

Cardio- you should be on your way. Your FitterFast.com workouts should begin to doing the ‘WAC’s’ on a regular basis and doing longer runs (30-45 minutes) on your off days.

Stand-up- really work your movement. Begin work your angles- this means no more straight lines. Work your Hooks, uppercuts, straight kicks, shin kicks, knees and elbows.

Start to work your stand up grappling and basic take downs. Work them over and over until you get them without problems.

Groundwork- start to work the other positions including north -south and taking the back.

Begin to work heavy sparring but try to keep them separate. Work hard on getting things right. During sparring or competition technique tends to waiver. Don’t let it. That is what sparring is for. Get things tight and correct.

You may even want to do some submission tournaments to see where you are at skills wise. Good Luck.

Month 7-9 Of MMA Training

Cardio- you should be used to the pounding of the workouts by now. You should also be running about 45 minutes- an hour.

Stand up- You should have worked this over and over and be used to a variety of situations. You should have been hit a few times so you will know if you can take it. Keep working on keeping your hands up and honing your technique . You will probably not be perfect but it will you will have an idea of what you are doing.

Groundwork- You should be fairly proficient at the basics and have worked on more advanced stuff. You have maybe even done some tournaments. I recommend to start to spar with your eyes closed. – it will help you develop a feel for the fight. It helps with the flow.

Start sparring in MMA. Get used to meshing everything together. I recommend sparring at no more than 50% so that you can still work your skills without the worry of being hurt. Get used to striking from each position- top and bottom. Know the rules.

Month 10 Of MMA Training- fight preparation time (based on fighting in a year)

Your cardio should be in full force and you shouldn’t be training less than 3 hours a day with one day a week off (to repair). You should still be going for light jogs on your day off. You should know how many rounds your are fighting in and how long each round is. This will help in your training. Start training for your rounds- each round in your workout should be longer than your rounds (ie: if you are doing 5 minute rounds then make your training for 10 minutes.

Train like your opponent is training harder than you. It is a great motivator and, you never know, he/she just may be.

Work hard on your weaknesses and make yourself more comfortable with them. You (or your MMA coach) will know what those are. Work on them and understand them. It will help to know what they are when you get in the ring.

You should be sparring daily.

Month 11 Of MMA Training- getting closer to fight time

Cardio- Keep pushing yourself harder each workout. You should lessen your rest times and increase your rounds (ie: if you are doing 2 X 10 minute rounds then train for 4 X 10 minute rounds)

Work on your strengths. Hone them and master them as best as you can but don’t forget your weaknesses.

4-2 Weeks before the mma fight…

Cardio- push yourself harder.

Focus on sparring up to 75%. Long rounds- many rounds.

Make your workouts harder than you‘ve ever trained before.

Your cardio should reach it’s peak soon.

7 days before the fight

This should be your toughest day of MMA training. You should have, what seems like the worst day of your life. You should be pushed beyond your limits. This is the most physically and mentally challenging day of your life (until the next fight).

In preparation for my last MMA fight I did 13 X 5 minute rounds. I had a fresh guy in the ring in the middle of each round.

Needless to say, I was a mess.

The last week before your MMA fight

You should rest. I recommend light 20 minute runs or long walks. Your body needs time to recover and repair before the fight. Go in without injury.

The last night before your MMA fight

Relax- have a bath lite some candles and replay as many scenarios as you can. Think about each technique. It’s better to think about that stuff here than it is in the ring.

The day of the fight

Relax. Don’t eat anything heavy and kick ass (unless your fighting me then look out!)

Ray’s First Submission Match! It was a loss…but not a complete loss!

How About You? Are you getting ready for a fight? Have you been training MMA for a while and are wondering if you’re ready?