Am I too old to be a fighter (PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST THIS QUESTION).
Over the years, there has been a LOT of post asking the very question...."am I too old to be a fighter (or start training)?"
First off, when you ask this question, you're going to have people throw out the name Randy Couture. Who, unless you're completely new to the sport of MMA is KNOWN to be someone who held the UFC HW title into his mid 40s and competed at a high level for several years later (although, not as successfully).
In Randy's first MMA fight, he was 34 years old. Sounds like he started training at a very late age, right?
Well, fact of the matter is that by the time Randy was in his mid 20s, he'd already been an Olympic Alternative in Wrestling. From there he went on to achieve several other major achievements in Wrestling. So....Randy didn't just start training at 30 and then transitioned into MMA. He'd already had at least a decade of training with a SOLID foundation in Wrestling as well as doing some boxing in the Military.
So when you ask, "am I too old" and someone says "Uh, look at Randy Couture"....Please realize the WHOLE picture. Same with other "older" generation fighters – always keep the entire picture in mind - Not just the age of the fighters. Chances are VERY likely that they’ve migrated from being active in another combat sport for many years before transitioning into MMA.
Second thing - "Am I too old to start training or being a fighter" - It's a very subjective question with several variables that come into play.
1. What’s your age currently?
2. Do you have a background in ANY combat sports?
3. Do you have an athletic background at all?
4. What level of "fighter" do you want to be?
5. Is this going to be a hobby or do you want to make money doing this?
6. How much time do you have to dedicate to the training it takes to actually fight? There is nothing wrong if the answer here is “no”. If you’ve not trained before, I promise you the realization of the prep time to fight will catch you off guard.
These are questions you have to answer and figure out for yourself. No one on any web site is going to be able to answer these types of questions for you.
Regardless of what you answer to the self-evaluating questions above, the biggest thing you are going to hear people say is this.
- If you want to train to get the exercise or just to enjoy the sport…..do it. Don’t worry about your age.
- If you want to train to do some Amateur Fights, the younger you start the better…but…do it if you want. Don’t worry about your age.
- If you want to be a professional fighter and do some regional fights, again the younger you start the better, but as you approach your 30s, keep in mind it’s going to be a harder drive to be successful….but…do it if you want.
- If you want to fight for a larger promotion like the UFC or Bellator, I think the most optimal thing would be if you had wrestled in High School and started some type of legitimate striking art as early as possible. Kids are training younger and younger these days….and while MMA is still a new sport compared to others, the chances of making it to a large org is only going to get harder….but….do it if you want.
Do you see the common trend with all of these? “Do it if you want”. If you love the sport, enjoy the physical chess game of it, don’t mind (or can tolerate) being punched in the face and you just WANT to train….DO IT.
You’re not too old to train. You may have old injuries you have to deal with as you get older….but to train? Crap man, if you have the time, money for training, and think you’ll enjoy it…. just go do it.
Yes, there is probably a threshold you will physically hit where you are not in YOUR prime any more….but that doesn’t mean that you can’t train and fight. Who knows…you may be one of those guys who CAN stay competitive into your late 30s/40s…..but you know what? You won’t know unless you get up off your butt and quit asking “am I too old”........
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