Issue 067
November 2010
By Rosi Sexton.
Q. I’ve had a few fights and I really want to take my career to the next level. I’d like to give up my job and go full-time with my training. How do I do it, and do I have a realistic chance of making it?
A. So you wanna be a fighter? Hopefully you’ll have learned from watching The Ultimate Fighter, that it’s not as easy as it looks
Let’s get one thing straight: how far you can take it all depends on you. Fighting is a tough business and not for everyone. It’s a cliché, but only the strong survive. If you want to follow your dream of becoming a fighter, a long and difficult road lies ahead. If you really want to go pro, be prepared to put in a lot of hard work and make a lot of sacrifices.
This is the hard truth. Other than the top guys in the biggest promotions, few fighters have gotten rich from this sport. Novice fighters get paid very little, rarely enough to even cover travel expenses, let alone the cost of training, equipment, supplements and so on. Fighters have to undergo ‘apprenticeship’ almost, often surviving on little money for the first couple of years. Be prepared to have to support yourself on a reduced income during this period.
Most aspiring fighters hold down a part- or even full-time job, or alternate a few months of intensive training with a few months hard work to fund it. Some work part-time, helping out in their gym to help pay for the costs of their training, by teaching classes and private lessons or doing odd assignments, usually while holding down a weekend job to pay for living expenses. Getting to the stage where you can make enough money from fighting to give up any other form of work is a step that generally comes much later in one’s career – almost all fighters have some additional form of revenue, as fight purses just aren’t enough to live on.
Simply declaring yourself a professional doesn’t automatically mean you’ll start raking in the big bucks. You’ve got to climb the ladder, much like working for a promotion. Unless you’re Brock Lesnar, and I’m afraid you’re not, everybody starts off on small, local events. If you’re lucky, you may get a few hundred in your pocket for winning. As the wins keep rolling in, you may advance up the fight card. Typically, main event fighters get the lion’s share of the promoter’s budget for fight purses, but all fighters supplement their wage with ticket deals (by selling tickets to family and friends, they take a few dollars off the face value of each ticket). The harsh reality is promoters will pay more money to the fighters who can sell their show than those who are guaranteed to win – no matter how exciting you may be.
Sponsorship can help, but fighters starting out in their career rarely receive money. Instead, sponsors will provide training equipment or supplements. Cash comes only when you’re able to promote their products or brands to a wider audience, such as on an international TV broadcast.
If you really want to go full-time, make sure you’ve got a few months’ living expenses to start off with and supplement your income with extra work or a part-time job. Treat the first year or two as your apprenticeship but bear in mind not everyone can make it – fighting is an unforgiving business.
Professional fighter Rosi Sexton is a sports therapist and osteopath-in-training. She has fought in countries such as Russia, Canada and the USA, and is ranked as one of the top competitors in her weight class. For more information contact her by email at [email protected] or go to: www.rosisexton.wordpress.com
