My thoughts on Amateur MMA…@kuwaitMMA @Theug

adjective: amateur

1.

engaging or engaged in without payment; non-professional.

“an amateur archaeologist”

Judging by the actual definition of the word ‘amateur’ essentially it is anything in which you are not being paid for.–however We’ve all been in fights in which we have not been paid…lol. Beating up your brother during the Turkeybowl hardly counts as an amateur MMA bout.

As an ‘MMA’ fighter, we are agreeing to compete in an organized event (some even sanctioned).  Better promotions will require basic medical checks, which in most countries will not come free, and are expected to come out of the fighters costs.  Competitors will agree on a set weight, and are expected to make that agreement leading up to the competition.

So if the only difference is whether I am being paid, or not…and I’m still going to have to pay money to compete….why fight amateur?

Fighting is an experience.  Competing as an athlete is an experience.  While related, just because you’ve done one doesn’t mean you’ve done the other.  When you get into a fight out of self defense it is a completely different emotional makeup than when you set a competition date, invite your friends and family, promote on your facebook, and train the hardest you have ever trained with the knowledge that your opponent is doing the same.  Add in the nerves, experience of ‘cutting’ weight after a diet, and the entire ‘day of’ events (…locker room, warmups, handwraps, etc)–and you begin to start understanding the value of ‘experience’.

Professional MMA is very quickly going the way of Boxing.  What I mean by this is that managers and high quality gyms are getting talent and grooming them.  Allowing fighters to compete on the smaller circuits, develop ring experience against fighters they are able to showcase their abilities while protecting their professional records.  Essentially you can get into the UFC 2 ways.  1. Run up a good record. 2. Beat a bunch of names.—Obviously the easiest way is to get 6-0,7-0 and try to get the call for an undercard shot.  If you’ve ran up a good record and you still haven’t gotten the call–then you start picking names you feel like you match up well against who have recently been released from the UFC.  Eventually if you keep doing the two you’ll get your shot.

Amateur MMA is a way for you to experience the rigors of training as an athlete and the nervous of fighting, allowing you to gain experience in an effort to protect your pro record as you work your way through the ‘learning curve’.  How many amateur fights should I have?—>that is a question you and your trainer have to honestly ask.  Some athletes never have the dream of fighting in the UFC.  They have successful careers, they are married with kids, however they would like the experience of ‘competing’ in the sport of MMA.—Other fighters will come into MMA with a solid skill set from a prior martial art (wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, etc)–and have used that competition experience to shorten their learning curve.

Should a BJJ Black Belt be allowed to compete as an amateur in MMA?–Sure!! Unfortunately for all of us BJJ Black Belt’s around the world, it is no longer 1993, and the black belt is no longer invincible in MMA.  Lots of successful Black Belts have used the amateur MMA to gain MMA experience including; Robert Drysdale and this season’s Ultimate Fighter standout Chris Holdsworth

Now as an Amateur, just because you are not being paid…realize the promoter is making money.  They are still selling tickets, they are still promoting their sponsors, generating added revenue sales from the event, and generally working as a ‘promoter’.  While they are making cash, they are also spending it to give you the opportunity to compete.  Security, Lights, Camera, DJ, Cage set up, etc.  As an amateur the exchange of services is fair in my eyes, because they should be providing you with a knowledgeable ref, judges, basic medical checks, and a sense of ‘regulation’ to ensure things like handwraps and weight checks are done in ethics with the spirit of fair competition.

The problem with some amateur promoters is that they essentially use the excuse that ‘You are Amateur’–>to have you compete on a professionally produced and marketed event, under identical rules as the pro’s for NO $$$$$.

MY RULE:—>if the crowd watching the event from their seats…can not physically tell that the bout is Amateur without the announcer explaining that to them, then you should be paid.  Most amateur boxing is with headgear!

What does that mean?  well, there are different types of rules you can agree on.  Depending on the experience or goal of the amateur fighter as a coach and a promoter you have to meet a compromise. Examples of differences the crowd can see.

Shin pads- it makes it obvious to the crowd that these are not professional fighters.  While some grappling obstructions will occur, most pro’s train ‘mma’ with shin pads on.  Simply wearing Shin Pads does not make a fight any less of a ‘real experience’.

Pancrase- Various levels of this. No punches to the face on the ground.

Simply telling my fighter they will be competing in 3 minute rounds–or taking away elbows on the GNP, or knees to the head while standing does not reflect ‘amateur’ competition to the crowd.  Which many promoters will market as such to their audience.

I think Amateur MMA is a great tool.  I believe for some it creates an opportunity for them to fulfill the goal of competing in MMA even if it isn’t at a professional level.  Not everyone has a dream of fighting in the UFC.  For UFC hopefuls it gives them an opportunity to gain real life experience in MMA with the ability to continue competing in  Smokers, Grappling tournaments, and other ammy Combative sports like Muay Thai and boxing.  I also feel like Amateur MMA is filled with promoters who should be MAN EATING SHARKS instead…lol.  Sending kids to their certain death in bouts that they are irresponsibly matchmaking under rules that they know are going to get the guy crushed in an effort to put an ‘exciting’ fight together for their event.

As a coach, we can still agree to ‘Amateur’ status–with ‘Pro” rules, however I think it’s fair that the competitors should be compensated somehow, even if it is a 200$ ‘Appearance fee’ to stick around after the weighins for pics with fans.  Simply using the excuse that the fight is not being recorded as ‘PRO’ is not justification in my eyes not to pay someone.

To summarize my rambling.  Amateur MMA is a great tool, however fighters need to be careful that they are actually benefiting from all of the work and effort they are putting into their performance for the promoter who is organizing their competition.  There should be an element of expectation that the promotion will do their end to ensure the spirit of fair competition is in place.

I’m excited to see Amateur MMA growing in the Middle East, lots of fighters needing experience!