You have joined a Mixed Martial Arts gym and your goal is to become the next GSP but you have a lot to learn before the UFC is going to snap you out of that small time gym you’ve been training at. A Mixed Martial Arts fighter is a person who fights as an amateur or pro in a boxing ring, octagon or a cage. You win the fight against your opponent by knocking them out, a decision by the judge or by putting them in a form of submission hold that forces them to “tap” out.

There are many phases to a fight and they can include take downs, ground grappling, clinching, kicking, punching and stand-up grappling. Here are some tips to becoming an MMA fighter.

Improve Your Natural Strengths

Everyone is good at something and you might not be the best striker but on the ground you are king of the cage. So play off of the strengths that you have. If you are a solid puncher then focus on striking, but if you have a background in wrestling then you are probably going to do well in grappling. It’s important for you to learn both because you don’t want to be caught unaware in a fight but a lot of big names are known for their strengths.

Know Your Weakness

You have your strengths but you also have your weaknesses and you need to be aware of what those are because your opponent may be able to sniff them out pretty easily. If you have problems standing up then keep the fight on the ground so you don’t get knocked out. The same goes for your opponent watch for weakness and use them against him.

Make Sure The Gym You Chose Has Experience With MMA

The gym you train at has to have some experience in MMA, if not you can also do well by studying Muay Thai, boxing or kickboxing. Find out what techniques your gym specializes in and work with it. You can get those grappling skills you need by taking Judo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Practice All The Time

Don’t get discouraged with downfalls or failures. If you have to tap out or get punched in the face a lot, you are still learning. The more you practice the better you will get at it. As long as you love doing it, it will all be worth it in the end. Just train to the fullest and improve your strength and conditioning.

Get in The Cage

Get into some competitions and amateur fights as much as you can. Try out kickboxing and grappling to get your feet wet. Sometimes you have to lose to get better at the game so don’t take any losses to heart. It will just give you an excuse to bring your game to a higher level next time.