MMA training starts with a single martial art, for example, some MMA fighters were boxers, some were Karatekas, and some were Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners before coming into the Mixed Martial Arts field.
So everybody starts with one game and then mixes it up with other ones to participate in MMA. So whatever combat sports one wants to start the question is:
At what age should you start MMA? The answer is The earlier, the good.
It is the same as a running competition, after the gunshot, one who starts running earlier takes the lead from the others. Similarly, if a man comes late and joins when the others are already runny halfway, he must run too fast to meet or exceed them. So one who starts learning martial earlier arts takes the lead from others.
Let us see who started when.
If you are interested we wrote: best martial arts for kids
Age of when mma fighters start
Khabib The Eagle started at the age of 6
So I would like to start with Khabib, who is the greatest of all time in Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC.
Khabib, son of a great coach and army trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, The Eagle started practicing wrestling at the age of 6.
His famous childhood video is available on the internet, where we can see him wrestling with a bear at the age of 8 or 9.
He not only well handled the bear but also managed to score takedowns during that practice session.
It is only one available video, and nobody knows how many times he had wrestled with that beast.
It showed he was cleared about what he was going to do in life. And his directions were already settled by his father to pursue wrestling as a career.
That is why he has the best of the best professional and amateur career in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. His 29-0 as a professional and many gold medals as an amateur fighter shows it all.
Muhammad Ali started at the age of 12
Like Khabib is the greatest in MMA, Muhammad Ali is a superstar in Boxing. Without any doubt, he is the name and face of boxing.
And he had a big influence on the fighters in any combat sports.
Ali started his amateur training at the age of 12 and then, after winning the gold medal in Olympics, he turned professional and surpassed all the contemporaries by defeating each and every elite fighter of his era.
And he became The Greatest of All Time in Boxing.
Conor McGregor started at the age of 12
Let’s have some other examples from Mixed Martial Arts.
Conor Notorious McGregor started boxing at the age of 12, and his purpose was to tackle the bullies he used to face as a child.
Now, with his boxing skills, he dominated the UFC for a few years before being handled by the best.
Until Khabib was not in the limelight and he did not manhandle Conor, it was the Irishman dominating in the sports.
Khabib who started almost 6 years before Conor, not only out dethrone the former ruler but also humiliated him through the four rounds and mopped the canvas with the body of the trash talker.
Another example of starting early and ruling the field is George St- Pierre. The former three times two-division champion started at the age of 8 or nine because at twelve he was a 2nd Dan Karate Black belt.
The Canadian fighter ruled in UFC for a very long time.
He is the only fighter who lost twice and managed to avenge both the losses. He ruled in the UFC welterweight division for almost 9 years and defended his championship belt for a record 9 times before vacating it. He is regarded as the best UFC welterweight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Anderson Spider Silva started at the age of 12
The next exemplary fighter is Anderson Spider Silva. Silva started kickboxing at the age of 12 and then learned a few other martial arts before turning pro and making a statement in Mixed Martial Arts and UFC.
Daniel DC Cormier
Daniel DC Cormier is another fighter who started during the school age. But He has a different story.
DC kept fighting as an amateur fighter till 30 and turned professional in 2009. During his amateur career, he won a lot of medals and many championships. After turning pro.
He fought for 11 years only and became a two-division champion before announcing his retirement in 2020.
He has a record of winning the world title for any promotion company he fought under, like Strikeforce, King of Cage, and Ultimate Fighting Championship.
So there are two things which matter, Starting at an early age, and getting into the right hands.
Like Khabib started too early and got an in house trainer in his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
That gave him an upper hand over all others he faced during his professional career.
Hence, we saw those who started early kept dominating the sports during their career or during their prime times. So the answer to the question, What age should you start training is, As Soon As Possible.
Another other question pops up here.
Is there no chance for those who start late in mma?
No !!! They can also shock the world. Some exceptional fighters started too late and became world champions, or at least, they fought at the championship level and proved themselves, tough customers, to deal with.
Let us have a look at a few exceptional ones who started late :
Junior Dos Santos
Dos Santos started MMA training at the age of 21, which is too late for a fighter.
Because at 21, a lot of people are at the prime of their career. However, the late start of Brazilian made a statement by winning the world title in UFC heavyweight division.
Furthermore, he has defeated five former UFC heavyweight champions in this journey; the names include Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocis, Frank Mir, Fabricio Werdum, and Shane Carwin.
Donald Anthony Cowboy Cerrone
Donal Cerrone is the biggest example of being an exceptional fighter, He turned professional kickboxer at the age of 20; but the really strange news is, he started only 2 months ago.
Let me surprise you more because he stayed undefeated in Kickboxing after sharing the ring with 29 opponents.
Some more amazing facts about Donald Cerrone are, he has more wins in the Ultimate Fighting Championship than any other participants.
He surpassed Michael Bisping and George St-Pierre after winning his 21st fight. Furthermore, the “most victories by stoppage” award also belongs to Cerrone.
At the UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Henry Cejudo, in 2019, Cerrone stopped Alexander Hernandez in the second round and took his KO win number to 15.
That’s all for about 2 exceptional MMA fighters, but as we know, exceptions do not affect the generalization. So the point is the same: At what age should you start MMA Training? As Soon As Possible!
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Conclusion
Let me sum it up, it is not about martial arts only, it is about any sports, or any field in the world.
For example, former number one golfer Tiger Woods is mentioned in the list of the all-time great golfers along with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gery Player.
Woods, who is a 5-time winner of the Masters Open, started hitting the ball when he was around one year old.
And around 2.5 years, he was doing a complete golf swing, and that’s why he lifted the first Major at the age of 20 only.
There isn’t any age that can stop you to do anything on your life, of course early you will start and better will be.
Anyway if you are an adult and you want to know which are the best martial arts for adults feel free to take a look.