The rest of the time, they're training, though not as hard as at training camp. Many of them teach. I know a couple of UFC fighters who teach MMA at local gyms near me (in Northern Virginia). Some, believe it or not, have regular jobs.
No, they don't have small fights that aren't aired. They're not going to risk getting hurt in one of those. A lower-level UFC fighter might make $5,000-$7,000 per fight--more with a bonus for winning. Good, solid UFC fighters might make $30,000 or more per fight. They're not going to risk that at some rinky-dink event. And, besides, imagine you were a decent local pro with a 5-1 record, something like that. Would YOU want to go up against a UFC fighter who might be 15-3? No way.
Yes, they have to wait their turn. The fighter does not choose when to fight; that's up to the UFC (and a guy named Joe Silva). But the UFC does listen to fighters, and if one really wants to fight, they'll try to make it happen. Example: Last summer, Donald Cerrone (who trains in New Mexico) wanted to get on the card of a UFC program in Denver. Cerrone is from Denver. He wasn't originally scheduled, but they fit him into the program.
Hope that helps.
Most high-level fighters don't NEED to fight more than that to sustain a living. Even those who can't make a living solely through fighting will make up for it by having a main job, and then train on the side.
How often a fighter trains is up to the individual. Many stay in shape all year, and simply ramp up their training when they get near a fight camp. Others just let themselves go and only do training when they have an upcoming fight. I'd say in this day and age, the former is more likely than the latter.
Modern fighters don't usually have fights that don't show up on their records. It's a much more professional environment now than it was fifteen years ago or so. After a fight, the fighter must be checked over by a doctor, and whatever medical restrictions are put on them (at least 30 days no contact, maybe more of they're injured) are respected by other athletic commissions that the fighters would have to get a licence from. So basically, the government in Nevada (for example) says that a fighter is too beaten up to fight for the next 45 days or whatever, and the government of all the other states will respect that and not let him fight.
If a fighter has an exclusive contract with a single MMA company, they may not have enough events, or have too many fighters, to allow him to fight more than he does. So in a way, this goes with the "wait his turn" theory.
And finally, it's ultimately up to the fighter as to whether or not they take the fight the MMA company offers them. They don't necessarily have to fight whoever is put in front of them, and a smart fighter will pick his fights wisely.
Things are different in Thailand. I don't know if fighters are bound to exclusive contracts, but I DO know that many fighters are supporting their family through fighting, and that Thailand doesn't have the red tape of an athletic commission to oversee fighter safety. So in that case, it's a combination of needing to fight frequently in order to keep the money coming in (something most Western fighters don't have to worry about) and the fact that they're not restricted from fighting by the government. It's also the reason they have relatively short careers.
Most UFC caliber mixed martial artists have training camps lasting 2-4 months for each fight. So if they are fighting 3 times a year they could be training cumulatively between 6 months to a full year.
Many also work at the gyms they train at and travel around the country to give instructions at various other gyms. They can also get work as sparring partners for fellow fighters.
Some guys also get injuries that they have to recover from. Here they are not training or fighting, they are just healing.
They don't fight much because they're always training. The guys in the UFC are professional fighters. They train 3 times a day, and when they aren't training, they're getting massages, acupuncture, etc. to heal up their body.
Most fighters make enough money to only fight those 2-3 times a year. Some fighters also have gyms that people come and train in which helps them make more money. They're also sponsored by different companies.
Normally when fighters are starting out, they just take any fight they can get. But if they're good, and they can stick around, they can choose when/who they want to fight. It's just no one wants to fight too often or they can seriously hurt themselves.
In the beginning the need to make a reputation and go as many fights as they can. But as they get that experience they only choose those high profile fights against the best contenders.
Just as most people go to the office, fighters go to the gym. They train 5-6 times/week, 8-10 hours/day. They need to keep up their fitness.
hi.. MMA fights are just tests of fighters. 3 tests year is pretty enough. And one fight requreis more preparation than you can think of. Fighters train from 20 years to 35 years constantly and keep progressing in every segment of fight. Every 4-5 months they get tested in fight. I think its pretty good. Because if fights were every month it would be too exausting with pre-fight interviews, media, and refocusing on other opponents
most fighters dont look for knockout any more
so they get banged up in a fight ,broken bones (like bones jones --foot)
they need time to heal so yeah fellow donald nailed it on the head
it might be any of the reasons you just listed.. Who knows.
Sorry of no fan of ufc. But i think those are the possible reasons
i was wondering, the professional fighters in MMA/UFC dont fight much (if u check their results) i mean that most fighters that i have checked on, fights about 2-3 fights in a year. so what do they do the rest of the year? training?
and do they have some small fights that are not aired (other than sparring)?
and is it because there r many fighters out there that fight, so they have to wait for their turn? or the fighter him self do choose when to fight?
because in Thailand, Mauy Thai fighters (specially teenagers) have more professional fights than those professional UFC fighters
