There are many fighters in my gym who want to go pro. They want money, fame, and a luxurious lifestyle. There are also many amateur fighters I come across who want to achieve the same goal.
Being around martial arts for a number of years, networking with fighting promotions, and being connected to professional fighters and managers, I always give them sound advice on how to become a UFC Fighter.
Why UFC? Because it has become the gold standard in mixed martial arts fighting. It is the number one MMA fighting promotion in the world, and your goal is to always be the best.
In terms of the ongoing drama with the UFC and fighters pay, I always say you get what you negotiate. End of story.
In this article, I’m going to share with you how to become a UFC fighter. You’re going to learn what it takes, and the process you need to go through to get signed. This is just my opinion and is not considered legal advice.
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What Is Takes To Be A UFC Fighter
So you want to be a UFC fighter? You wanna make money fighting, and be known all around the world as a skilled martial artist? You want to be known as the best fighter in the world?
Well, the only issue is that you have hundreds of thousands of men and women who have the same dream as you.
You need a way to erase them and stand out from the crowd. Your goal is to be unique so that the UFC doesn’t look at you the same as everyone else.
The reason being is that out of all the guys that are the same and have average personalities, the UFC is always going to choose the one that is unique. The guy that is unique and has a personality that stands out will get the contract.
This is because the UFC is looking at his marketability and how it will translate into sales. At the end of the day, the UFC is a business.
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Steps To Take To Become A UFC Fighter
Set Goals and Stick To Them
Your goal is to become a UFC fighter and there are a few steps you need to take to reach there. Your immediate goal should be to start eating right.
You have to change your diet so you can be at or around the weight you want to fight at. Only you can determine what weight class you want to fight in.
Even if you want to fight at heavyweight you have to eat right and work on your cardio or you will not last a round in the UFC. Being a heavyweight doesn’t mean you get to eat poorly.
Measuring Your Success
Have a vision and set a date on when you’d like to achieve things. For example, by this date I want to be at this weight. Or by this date I want to be training with a coach. So on and so forth. Successful people achieve measurable goals within reasonable time.
This is the only way you can tell if you are doing a good job towards achieving your dreams is to measure your accomplishments. You have a set of tasks to complete. These tasks are called your goals. Well, are you accomplishing the goals you set for yourself or are you not?
If you have a goal to go to the gym 4 times a week, have you been doing that? If you have a goal to eat healthy, have you been doing that?
The only way to tell if you’re on the path to success is by accomplishing your goals, and if you’re not, it’s fair to say that you’re not serious about becoming successful.
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Find a Gym and a Reputable Coach
The other thing you want to do is find an MMA gym to train in. A local gym would be a good option for you because it would be more convenient. You will already know if there is an MMA gym near you or not because you drive around your neighborhood every day.
You’re already familiar with the shops, stores, and gyms where you live. If there isn’t an MMA gym close by Google where you can one within short driving distance. If an MMA gym is close by, visit it after work or school. Examine the atmosphere and people inside.
Examine everyone from the person at the front desk, to the people training, the guests, and the instructors. This is important because you want to train in a friendly, welcoming, and easy-going atmosphere. Any chaos will add stress that you don’t need.
If you like what you see inquire more about training there. Ask the person at the front desk if there are coaches currently training fighters to become professionals. Take all the information you can and if there is an opportunity to meet the coach do so.
One thing I always recommend is finding a reputable coach that has experience training fighters that have actually won competitions.
I would look for a coach that has trained fighters to become champions. The reason being is that the coach knows what it takes to bring a fighter from where he is now, to win a championship belt.
Always look up online the information the coach gives you about himself, and the championship fighters he has trained to make sure he’s legit.
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Start Taking Amateur Fights
It’s unrealistic to think that you will go from training in your gym to getting on Dana White’s Contender Series, or his other show Dana White: Looking For A Fight. It’s doesn’t happen that way.
You have to go out and make a name for yourself, and build up some buzz around your name by fighting some amateur bouts.
This is a part of the reason why you have to have an experienced coach that has successfully trained fighters into become champions. The coach will know when the latest competitions are happening and where they are taking place.
These competitions are vital to your success as a fighter because they help you to gauge your skill level among good fighters within your weight class across the country.
Once you build up your skill level and reputation – a buzz will start to build up around you, and representatives from different fighting promotions, including the UFC, will come knocking at your door.
This doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically sign you, it only means they are prepared to allow you to prove yourself in order to get signed!
Join Social Media To Grow Your Fanbase
In order to become popular and use the buzz you have to your advantage you’re going to have to join social media. Here is a list of social media platforms I recommend
- Snap Chat
- TikTok
- Youtube
- Twitch (if you’re into gaming)
The social media platform will allow you to expand your brand awareness in order to gain more popularity. This can catch the attention of the UFC and have them approach you with an opportunity.
The key to success on social media is to post content regularly and engage in conversation with those who are following you, and other similar pages related to mixed martial arts.
The content you post should be about you and your fighting journey, clips of you in the gym practicing, and some clips of your fights. You can ass content showing your family and friends but that is optional.
Social media can also be used as a platform to make money. You can post products and services of sponsors and affiliates in the exchange for money. Many celebrities, athletes, musicians, and entertainers make a good living from social media, and you can too!
UFC fighters that earn money from their social media platforms are:
- Israel Adesanya
- Francis Ngannou
- Sean O’Malley
- Daniel Cormier
- Shael Sonnen
- Demetrious Johnson
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Maintain a Good Amateur Record
Your record as an amateur does not have to be perfect. Perfect as in you have multiple wins and zero losses. You want a record with more wins than loses, and you don’t want your loses to be half your wins or even exceed half your wins. That would be a bad record.
The UFC wants your wins to exceed losses because this shows that you can outclass your opponents and are ready for challenging fighters in the UFC.
Keep in mind that at these events there will be many scouts from the UFC, so always perform at your optimum. Even if you lose put on your best performance.
If you watch Dana White’s: Looking For a Fight he has signed many fighters that have lost a match. His focus is on taking fighters that have potential and turning them into great fighters.
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Connect With UFC Managers
Another great strategy you can use is to connect with managers that are already in the UFC. If you do a quick Google search for UFC managers, a list will pop up.
Your job will be to contact these individuals via email or social media and make a case for why one of them should manage you.
Do not approach these managers aggressively or write them paragraphs through email or in their social media Dms.
They have no time to read all that crap. Don’t be so sensitive, they don’t want to hear about your life story and struggle. It’s not the right time for all that.
I find the best way to approach them is to invite them to your next local fight so they can see your skills up close and personal. Or invite them to lunch or dinner so you can discuss them managing your career.
Take an easygoing approach and see what happens. It has worked for many fighters so try your luck and see if it will happen for you.
Be Consistent In Your Approach
The old adage is very true, that closed mouths don’t get fed. If you truly want to become a UFC fighter you have to be consistent in your pursuit of achieving that goal. if you want it badly enough and you persistent, it will happen.
You also have to be patient and look at things realistically. The UFC at any given time has 500 fighters under contract! This is according to Dana White. You have take that into consideration while chasing this dream.
Consistency is important because it increases your chances of achieving your goals. If you stay ready and are prepared for when the opportunity comes, you’ll achieve success.
Below I’ve posted a video of UFC veteran Shael Sonnen, and how he got an opportunity to fight in the UFC by being consistent in his approach – and being ready when they gave him the chance!
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How Long Does It Take To Become a UFC Fighter?
There is no particular time frame on when you can make it as a UFC fighter. For some it takes 2-3 years, while others it takes much longer. Some who pursue this goal don’t even make it at all.
There’s no secret formula to getting signed to the UFC, but trying these different methods listed above can increase your chances of making it.
This is the ultimate advice on how to become a UFC fighter. I hope you enjoyed it and got insight on how you can start your journey on trying to get signed by the biggest fight promotion in MMA history.
If it all works out for you and you get signed based on my advice, please do send us an email or DM, we’d love to post up a story about your success. Good luck!
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