Becoming A Professional MMA Fighter
By Jason Appleton – President, Big Show Entertainment, Inc.

So, you are a fighter. You are tough as nails, in great shape and looking to make your way into fame and fortune. Maybe you are preparing for your first fight or have been fighting as an amateur for a little while and want to make a bigger name for yourself as a pro and most of all, get paid for all of your hard work. Congratulations. But are you ready?

Often, I talk to guys with a few amateur fights under their belt looking to go pro. I don’t think people truly realize what being a pro fighter means. Yes, it means you get paid to fight and your record stays with you but there is much more involved for those who are serious. I always say, there are guys who fight to get paid and some who fight to get laid. The guys who just want some local glory don’t typically take things too seriously. They don’t train as often as they should, don’t care so much about their record so long as they do just enough to make sure it isn’t heavy on the right. Those are the guys that end up as feeder fish for the serious prospects who are fighting to get paid.

So you are saying, “I wanna get paid! What are you talking about?”. The real question is, what makes you think you deserve to get paid? There are hundreds of guys out there willing to fight as an amateur. Even some pros that fight for a couple hundred bucks. Most bigger Pro/Am promotions are spending and risking $25,000 to $40,000 per event to give you a platform to grow from and many lose money. What make you worth the money? Can you sell tickets to an event by your name alone because of your reputation for being a brutal knockout artist that people want to see? Can you submit anyone in under a minute? Who knows you?

Fighting as a pro is about marketing. It’s about making accomplishments as an amateur and building a fan base. Like a touring band trying to build their following, the same model stands for fighters. When you are an amateur, you can afford to take risks, put on a show, get better and train. Aside from that, you should be out there campaigning for President. Tell the world your story! Nobody said you couldn’t have a website with a personal video blog about who you are and what you are about. The Ultimate Fighter TV show is popular because it enables fans to connect with new up and comers who then become valuable to the UFC and get contracts based on performance and fan interest. But if you don’t have the direct backing of a promotion touting you all over, then it’s up to you to create the demand in yourself. Facebook, Myspace, your personal website, youtube, all great mediums for building your fan base. What are you planning to do next week that will help other people that the public might be interested in? Did your fight team volunteer at a retirement village or a childrens hospital? Did you use that as an angle to help build your public interest in you as a fighter? Did you grow up dirt poor and rise out of the ashes to become a 10-0 amateur fighter? Who have you told your story to?

Connect with the public and build new friendships. When was the last time you fought at a show and introduced yourself to 10 people at random and struck up a conversation? I know, way too many of you would never dream of such a thing. Try it. Exchange phone numbers and then invite them to your next fight. I'm willing to bet at least a few of them show up.

Becoming a professional fighter is about taking your career to the next level and as such, it’s about marketing yourself to build your fan base. When you call a promoter asking for money for you to fight, you need to have more going for you than just a record. You need a story.

What’s more, no promoter wants to be a babysitter.

If you want to be taken seriously as a pro fighter, get your paperwork done on time or before it’s due. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replaced fighters on cards because they took too long to complete what’s been asked of them. You will miss opportunities. A pro fighter should ALWAYS have his blood work and physical papers readily handy for the year to be sent on request. Licenses and contracts should be filled out the day you get them and faxed back the next. No excuses.

Finally, while you are out there promoting yourself to the public, don’t be cocky. Be presentable. Everyone wants to be a part of something they perceive as being bigger than themselves so I always say, be yourself but better. Don’t try to impress, but be impressive. Have a friend handle your website or writing your press releases and use something like PRweb or the like to at least get your releases out there. The more information you have popping up in Google when someone looks up your name, the better.

Most fight cards have anywhere from 20 to 30 fighters on them and the main and co main events are typically the fights with the marketing dollar behind them. If you are on a card as an amateur, it’s up to you to create a demand for yourself, that’s what being an amateur is about and that is what will inspire a promoter to pay you to come back.