How the fuck do I afford to fight?

If you live in the US and have a family that depends on you being healthy or at least being able to cover your medical expenses, how can you take fights?

Do i have to be an irresponsible self-centered bastard?

Two events ago, locally, a fighter got kicked in the head while down, illegally, got a shattered orbital that had to be reconstructed. My family would suffer a lot if this happened to me.

I asked my coach what I should do? How can I get to a position to take fights responsibly? Is there special insurance I can work toward affording? He said dont fight, you dont see me fighting. Told me to just do jits tournaments where the risk is far lower.

Dude, haven't you heard? You can get Obamacare!

Joking aside, unless you are in a position to make a serious run at a professional MMA career... it's VERY possible that the risks will far outweigh the rewards of fighting.

It comes down to a personal choice. What do you want to do, and, more importantly, WHY? Once you can honestly answer that question to yourself you'll know if you should fight or not. There's no shame in not fighting.

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Originally Posted by AKRhino

Dude, haven't you heard? You can get Obamacare!

Joking aside, unless you are in a position to make a serious run at a professional MMA career... it's VERY possible that the risks will far outweigh the rewards of fighting.

It comes down to a personal choice. What do you want to do, and, more importantly, WHY? Once you can honestly answer that question to yourself you'll know if you should fight or not. There's no shame in not fighting.

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Yep, A run that will put 100X more wear and tear on your pocket book, relationships away from the gym, and of course your body. If you want it bad enough you'll do anything to make it happen, you just have to be real with yourself before you chase a dream that could in the long run be a detriment to you, and If you still want to get after it then I'd say go and do it.

avoiding shame isn't really a factor for me. People I train with know where Im at (which isnt a super high level but for local amateur I think I could do well and so do other people), when they ask me when Im fighting I do feel shame I guess. Because of my age and lack of natural athletic ability, I have no illusions about making money but I feel for me the reward of fighting is not material, even if i lost every time.

It's a risk, and the potential detriment to your life far out-weighs the gains until you reach the top 10 for your weight class. It's one of those things you almost have to be so blindly in love with you don't factor in the practicality of maintaining a stable lifestyle, it's just like the fight itself; chaotic, risky, calculated and brutal. If you absolutely cannot live without stepping into a cage to go to war with a trained killer every few months and have a burning desire in your heart to call yourself the best in the world and the champion of your weight class, then do it. If not, I'd say make your family your main priority and use your problem solving skills and competitive demeanor to provide a better life for them. It is truly a personal question though, you must respond naturally so as to not regret your path later in life. Either way, approach it with a positive outlook and you'll find your way, IMHO.

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Originally Posted by Compella

It's a risk, and the potential detriment to your life far out-weighs the gains until you reach the top 10 for your weight class. It's one of those things you almost have to be so blindly in love with you don't factor in the practicality of maintaining a stable lifestyle, it's just like the fight itself; chaotic, risky, calculated and brutal. If you absolutely cannot live without stepping into a cage to go to war with a trained killer every few months and have a burning desire in your heart to call yourself the best in the world and the champion of your weight class, then do it. If not, I'd say make your family your main priority and use your problem solving skills and competitive demeanor to provide a better life for them. It is truly a personal question though, you must respond naturally so as to not regret your path later in life. Either way, approach it with a positive outlook and you'll find your way, IMHO.

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Im just going to have to wait a few more years when I can afford to do this without risking finances.

Thanks!

It wasn't until recently I realised how much fighting used to get in the way of my training.

Just do jj. Its the perfect substitute. I started jj wanting to fight. I got tired of facial trauma and concussive migraines, then focused grappling 101%. For me it supplemented perfectly. The more I learn actually makes me wanna try it out again. Probably will. I have a hard-wired reliable skill set now, where before I thought all I had to do was get him to the ground and I was good. I was wrong.

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Originally Posted by bobby rivers

Just do jj. Its the perfect substitute. I started jj wanting to fight. I got tired of facial trauma and concussive migraines, then focused grappling 101%. For me it supplemented perfectly. The more I learn actually makes me wanna try it out again. Probably will. I have a hard-wired reliable skill set now, where before I thought all I had to do was get him to the ground and I was good. I was wrong.

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yeah but im better at striking. :)

I cant thank you guys enough for the responses, things are more clear now. . The responses from you guys have let me advance some on this issue. Im very grateful.

Some orgs provide event insurance for their fighters. I would try to find one that does.

I would ask a hypothetical question. Does the thought of injury cause you to hesitate? I am not talking about cuts or even concussions so much as if it is as you say and you want hold a job for the sake of your families financial stability and still fight. Are you ok knowing that fighting can cause injuries like torn ACL's that have a minimum 6 month rehab on top of a VERY expensive surgery and keep you from functioning in your day job and potentially put your families financial stability at risk? It is sort of an all or nothing racket. You do or you don't. There are no Sunday Driver fighters especially with the rising level of talent entering the sport; multiple time all american wrestlers, NCAA national champions, multiple time Jiu Jitsu world champions, olympic level judoka and wrestlers from all over. Are you willing to put natural athleticism and hard work against possibly someone who has been training their whole life for the chance to smash someone's face in? If you are man, you have my support 150% and I hope you crush your way to the top. I really feel fighting is all in, if it is you and you dig deep enough and still don't have doubts about it. You should already know the answer. Sorry if this is botched up, doing from a phone and freezing my ass off. :)

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Originally Posted by Kyle Spalla

I would ask a hypothetical question. Does the thought of injury cause you to hesitate? I am not talking about cuts or even concussions so much as if it is as you say and you want hold a job for the sake of your families financial stability and still fight. Are you ok knowing that fighting can cause injuries like torn ACL's that have a minimum 6 month rehab on top of a VERY expensive surgery and keep you from functioning in your day job and potentially put your families financial stability at risk? It is sort of an all or nothing racket. You do or you don't. There are no Sunday Driver fighters especially with the rising level of talent entering the sport; multiple time all american wrestlers, NCAA national champions, multiple time Jiu Jitsu world champions, olympic level judoka and wrestlers from all over. Are you willing to put natural athleticism and hard work against possibly someone who has been training their whole life for the chance to smash someone's face in? If you are man, you have my support 150% and I hope you crush your way to the top. I really feel fighting is all in, if it is you and you dig deep enough and still don't have doubts about it. You should already know the answer. Sorry if this is botched up, doing from a phone and freezing my ass off. :)

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The thought of injury causes me to hesitate only because injury = financial impact. In the case of needing an acl surgery in my current situation, I would just have to let my acl dissolve and not have an acl. I have to say though that there are tons of Sunday driver fighters as you put it. I train with plenty of them and there are plenty more fighting in amateur mma show all over the US every weekend. I have no illusions about going to UFC or Bellator nor is it really my goal. (although a guy I train with might be going to Dream and I believe I could fight at his level.) As far as being willing to fight high level guys, if I somehow found a magic lamp and got there, I would fight Jose Aldo tonight if my injuries were covered.

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Originally Posted by Gray

Some orgs provide event insurance for their fighters. I would try to find one that does.

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I'll google around.

You might have to leave Cali to find one, I know Jeremy Horn's org in Utah does it.

thanks.

If you're this worried about getting hurt a career in MMA isn't gonna be for you dude, you're already mind fucked

I dont know how I could have made it any more clear that a career is not my goal or that financial impact is my concern not injury. Did you read any of this?

Its also a mind fuck to consistently destroy those who are successful in mma during training. Its def not a fight but its a pretty good indicator when you always get the better of the local title holder and you know he isn't holding much back.

People are def getting better and there is def a chance you can run into the next Jon Jones or Anthony Pettis while getting concussed in front of 1000 plus people. But there is still a huge skill discrepancy between them and your average pro. Huge.

My main advice would be consistent training with successful athletes. When you're confidence out weighs your fear its time to sign up. Until then as much training and grappling comps as possible. Just my 33 cents.

Yeah, I know what your saying bobby, I live in a rural area with smaller talent pools but grew up where athletic are very competitive. Thing is tough that all I want to do I local shows really, I mean if something else came of it I'd have to think about it.

Things is I dont necessarily have fears that can be overcome with confidence because my "fears" are not of loosing or getting injured. Also I feel the chances of actually getting seriously injured for me are extremely low. I dont actually imagine losing or being injured so its hard to even say I have fears, I defiantly dont feel anything I would describe as fear or even hesitation. What I have is an acknowledgement that things with very low odds can sometimes happen and I dont anyone but myself to have to take on the repercussions if they did. Ive worked very hard to get a nice lifestyle for us while still finishing a degree and I just want some kind of safety net so that Im the one taking risks not my whole family.

Rational hesitation due to logical analysis. I would go ahead and label that 'fear'. No shame in it. What would you call it?

I don’t know about your particular situation, but you should be prepared to take some time off of work after a fight. That said, every event in our area caries insurance. One of my guys got a torn ACL, MLC and more in an MMA fight (that he won) and the events insurance took care of everything. He wasn’t supporting a family that was relying on him to be working during that rehab though.

well i suppose to me fear is an emotion. Even an emotionless robot could arrive at this conclusion if it was programmed with the same priorities. Say if the lottery had not only chance of reward but chance of idk poisoning (cause losing a dollar isnt enough counter-reward) but the odds of winning money were far greater than the odds of poisoning. Lots of people would still play the lottery. Those that dont are not avoiding doing so because they feel fear of poisoning. Its a simple risk reward calculation that a computer could do.

Even in saying "rational hesitation" the way we interpret the word hesitation is usually with a connotation of emotion. Hesitation also implies that you are tentative or balancing a choice for me there is not really the choice of punishing others for my fulfillment. Its more how can I responsibly mitigate risk to make going ahead a logical decision? Its pretty clear to me now that I simply have to have a little cash put aside and probably some insurance.

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Originally Posted by Brian Debes

I don’t know about your particular situation, but you should be prepared to take some time off of work after a fight. That said, every event in our area caries insurance. One of my guys got a torn ACL, MLC and more in an MMA fight (that he won) and the events insurance took care of everything. He wasn’t supporting a family that was relying on him to be working during that rehab though.

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I could totally save enough to make it work with that situation. Now if I was a bit younger and a bit more naturally gifted and thought I could make a career out of it, I'd be looking to move to a area with insurance like that. Since my coach is also the promoter of our local fights maybe I can talk him and the casino into starting to provide this for our guys?

I was re-reading the thread and I think maybe avoidance of shame is actually a factor for me. Not the shame of not fighting but the shame of not being a good provider.

Maybe you could call that fear of shame and get fear in there too? IDK, I dont "feel" fear though, that Im aware of, certainly not at the level of the actual fighting.

Amazing responses guys! Maybe we'll root out some fear here. I'd like to think I'm Im pretty open about admitting my shit.

I'm not putting my arm or leg anywhere near that sadistic scary ass machine.

Yeah. I think the label is semantics. I don't touch the stove out of fear of being burned. Put a kevlar glove on and that fear vanishes. Confidence is your glove. Shame, guilt, fear. Irrelevant.

There is only one way to find out. I say go pick a fight.

Yeah in common speaking we would say like you did "fear of being burned" but I would contend that almost none of us actually experience the emotion of fear in that situation. So your right its is semantics. I guess in this case the distinction is important because some people would actually feel the emotion of fear to fight.

In the way you're using it, yes Im afraid. You're a smart guy, bobby!

I would get top of the line health insurance for life if I just insert my arm in the armbreaking machine? On second thought. Fuckit. I'm down.

Can it be my left arm? I enjoy masterbating.

Of course, Marcelo said you dont have to master techniques on both sides.

Where's that "I just want to bang bro!" clip gone again? :)

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