When it comes to the most challenging job to do for a living, being a martial arts fighter is easily one of the dangerous professions in the world. UFC holds some of the best fighters from all around the world, the brute nature of sport cataracts millions of people to buy the pay-per-view to enjoy the show.
All the fighters go through rough training every day to survive and hopefully knock down their opponent on the stage. The grilling hours they spend on training make them closer to the goal that they want to achieve.
How Often Do UFC Fighters Fight? UFC fighters get to fight 2-3 times a year. The professional mainstream fighters get to fight 1 or 2 times a year. The lower-ranked fighters have to wait before they will get their biggest spot in the paper view. Normally fighters have to go through 6 or 8 months of the training period with their teammates to better their game plan. If the fighter doesn’t suffer from any injuries, they will fight more than 5 times a year. The reason such as injuries, medical suspensions, payment, all can impact the decision of a fighter to get into the ring.
How long fighters wait for another fight?
If the injuries are low and the paycheck is high, then you will see fighters taking a challenge 2 or 3 months after their last bout in the ring if their body is ready with no significant injuries, which sometimes is a deciding factor. As sometimes fighters take huge blows to their chest and kick to their knees, injuries like these often pop up after the fight. The seriousness of these injuries makes the fighter take a huge break before trying their hands on another fight.
Timing for find the right opponent
Another deciding factor lies in finding the right opponent, this can take a while if the other contender in the fight division ranks wants to get a shot at the title. They have to get to the top of their ranking board to earn the match for the titles. Each fighter in the martial art event has their game plan and style, learning about their style and figuring out their weakness takes time. This is why fighters take huge breaks when they learn about their next challenge.
Lower ranked fighters function differently than the professions ranked fighters. Where in professional matches, where the payment is high, lower-ranked fighters have to put their body in line more times a year to gain respect and money from their match. They have to work twice as hard to earn the popularity of people and faunas of the show. This is the only way they build their name in the market.
How long fighters have to wait for serious injuries?
The game of mix martial is not a comfortable ride to be on, most of the items in the match will end up with broken limbs to severe abdominal pain. Some of the effects of the injuries can only be felt after the match. And some items a match ends with significant injuries to the fighter’s body. In these cases, the fighters will have to take 30 to 120 days out of a year to get ready for the octagon. It all depends on the seriousness of the injuries, some injuries can be recovered quicker than others.
This is why some matches fighters try their best to avoid as many attacks as they can. The defensive game is the key to survive in the ring. Avoiding blows will keep more fuel in the tank and make the body run for a longer time without showing signs of stagger. The more damage a fighter avoids in the ring, the more they will be able to get the next fight without taking out months to recover the injuries.
Some injuries have dedicated time intervals compared to others. If a fighter gets knocked out cold in the ring, then the medical suspensions will last for six months. A brutal knockout will leave a severe concussion in the head.
Why do MMA Fighters fight so rarely?
Medical suspension, finding the right opponent is why the fighters from the professional ranking to the lower ranking take a huge amount of time before getting themselves involved in the octagon. If a fighter holds a lower number in their fight division, they will get themselves involved in more matches to earn the name and popularity among the audience.
A high-rank fighter doesn’t have to go through all that, they will be able to sell a fight on their name alone. That is why they get more shots at the title than fighting matches for money. People are drawn to a fighter that can sell themselves and sell their match, which requires years of training and making a name in the game. This is how lower-ranked fighters get to the big stage.
On the following table you will see the frequency of fighting for some of the most famous ufc fighters :
| Fighters | Time of Fight Per year Before Success | Time of Fight After Success 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Conor Mcgregor | 5 (2015) | 1 |
| Max Holloway | 4 (2014) | 1 |
| Dustin Piorer | 5( 2009) | 1 |
| Chabib Nurmagomedov | 7(2011) | 1 |
| Justin Gaethje | 4(2012) | 2 |
| Tony Ferguson | 7 ( 2009) | 2 |
Why do lower-ranked fighters fight often?
A lowered-ranked fighter has to earn the respect in the game, which only comes from winning fights and marketing. Winning matches in a row will make them a precious fighter with an unbeatable winning streak. This will help the fighter garner more attention to their profile and the attention of the fighter on breaking the streak. Most of the well-recognized MMA fighters have had a winning streak.
A winning streak is a key to grab the attention of fight lovers in the UFC. The name has to weigh a lot in the game, getting more wins than losses will make the fighter ready for the next stage in the martial art event. A continuous winning streak requires the fighter to be at their best position without any sign of weakness. So they will be ready for the center stage. In a way, MMA is related to other sports in the world. The more they show their power, the more money they will make money in return.
More Popularity less fight : The MMA Theory
Popularity is the key to shine in any business. In the world of MMA, the rules remain the same. If a fighter garners more attention to their record, more people will start to pay interest in the fighter and their overall record. When a fighter makes their first MMA bout, they will need to get themselves in a lot of fights to build a solid resume. This requires the fighter to take any fights as they can for their record. It is all about building a higher winning record.
Another way to grab the attention of people is by spectacularly winning the match. If a fighter holds the record of more knockouts than judge decisions, then this will make people switch to the show more often. More people will be interested in a fighter with knockout records. Adding that with more matches will help the fighter make more money and grab more attention from the people.
The goal is to sell more tickets, a newcomer will not generate enough enthusiasm in the audience as they will be unknown to all the fans. This is why lower rank fighters get involved in more fights than professional-ranked fighters. Fights rely on their promotion to sell more tickets to people, if the paper-per-view card has fighters with recognizable faces, then it would sell more copies and more people will remember who was in the card. This is the primary reason why unpopular fights take more fights than professionals.
Real life example based on Khabib Nurmagomedov
Frequency of Fighting per Year Khabib Nurmagomedov
Why do professional fighters take fewer fights?
Most fights take place once or twice a year, but most of the time they are professional fighters out to even earn more name for themselves. But some professionals even push for a 3rd time, which is a rather rare sight to see in the octagon. The game is different when it gets played by professionals. Not only do they make more money per fight, they indeed take more risks. The risk is attached to their name. Lower rank fighters don’ even any name for themselves, so have nothing at stake besides the winning record.
The game is different when a professional takes the center stage, as they have more things on the line than a lower-ranked fighter. If a professional loses, then the popularity of the fighter will go down faster. It is a more risk more reward scenario for a professional MMA fighter. The things can be said the same for fighters who are just starting in the game. When you combine the winning streak, fame, popularity, records on the line for a fight, you will soon begin to understand why a professional picks his or her fight carefully before proceeding with their fight.
They have to be very careful on who they can pick for their fight, on the other side if they lose they will lose the confident mindset and some of the popularity on the line. For a fighter to make more money and garner more attention they need to stay above the world. This means an unbeatable record and winning streak. They only pick a fight, where they have the confidence of winning.
How Often Should a UFC Fighter Fight a Year?
Fighters who hold the championship belt fight for the belt more often than any professional fighters. Most of the fighters who have the belt of their division are at their top of the game, they also have the perfect shape of a fighter. This is where they start to build the record for the other who held the belt for the longest time. Winning streak, unbeatable knockout record, belt carrying time, all these elements of the fighter resume makes them stand out amongst the rest. If a fighter holds the championship belt for the longest time.
The fans and the audience will see that person as one of the best fighters in the game. Every championship match will generate more viewers and more eyes to the fighters. This is the dream of all the MMA fighters on who they want to be in the future. On average a professional fighter gets into the ring less than twice. For a fighter who holds the championship belt, the math is different.
Things such as medical injuries also impact the fighter’s performance. When everything is on the line, a fighter will refuse to take the fight if they feel they are not at their 100%. Most professional matches are brutal, as both containers are fighting for higher fame and belts. Compared To lower ranked matches, professional matches gain more risk for both of the fighters and also open them up for serious injuries.
Does fighting often lead to making more money?
Yes, that is why lower-ranked fighters take more matches than professional athletes. As they want the money endgame that they need to make into the championship rounds. They live a very grilling life to make their record heard for the fans. The Fans need to see the fighter that has everything going for them. For that to happen, a fighter needs to participate in as many matches as possible. Many young fighters get into the ring with that motto, so when they get to their prime, they will have the belt and make more money in one match than they could make in 3 or 4 years as a lower-ranked fighter.
In short, it is true fighting often will result in fighters getting more money. But the end goal is not about that for lower-ranked fighters. They know they can always make more if they move to the big league. The money taken in lower card matches will hold nothing compared to one professional fight.
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Conclusion
The martial arts life is not meant for everybody. People here walk the hard path of staying relevant in the world while maintaining proper body health. A proper balance between the right mindset and proper physical element makes the fighter enter the championship world. The journey is brutal, but fighters are persistent in making a dent in the big league.