Today, we’ll cover some of the realities of the fight game no one talks about. So, yes, it hurts, of course. What did you expect? I get this question quite often. Even had it once after a fight. My left leg was twice the size of my right leg. I was shaking my head in confusion at that point. I couldn’t figure out what was worse. My leg hurting, or the headache I got after that question.
There are many beliefs out there about fighting that are just not true. And there are many things people don’t realize until it’s way too late. Today we’ll focus on the latter.
Let’s dive into it.
Reality #1: You can only win half the time
Everyone wants to win when they fight. Yet you only have a 50% chance of winning before the bell rings. At least in theory. Accepting this reality puts things in perspective.
You can’t win them all, and for some people, that is a hard pill to swallow.
Reality #2: There is no perfect moment
I hear this all the time, and this doesn’t only apply to fighting. When the time is right, I will…..
- Start a fight camp
- Start my own business
- Start losing weight
- Get into a relationship
- ….
There is no such thing as the perfect moment. Waiting for the perfect moment means you’ll never start to begin with. To me, it sounds like an excuse that the majority of people are willing to accept. They see it as a person not being ready. To me, it sounds like an excuse to avoid the work you’re supposed to be doing.
Waiting to build something in life is backward thinking. You build or work towards your goals and adjust along the way. You build now and become a better version of yourself along the way. By following that process, you eventually arrive at what you wanted.
Many people have wasted golden opportunities simply because they thought they weren’t ready. And many have never tried what they wanted because the perfect moment never came. Put in the work, and opportunities will come.
This applies to fight offers and life.
Reality #3: Fighting doesn’t last forever
We live in a different era now. Athletes have longer careers than before, thanks to sports science. This doesn’t take away the fact that you can’t fight forever. At one point, you’ll have to do something else. Sure, you could assume you’ll retire rich from fighting.
But even millionaires go broke. So play the long-term game as well. Develop a set of skills you can monetize after your fight career. And preferably pick a set of skills that’s closely related to fighting. In that way, it’ll never feel like you work a day in your life.
Reality #4: You’ll fight for pennies
The pay for Muay Thai has increased a lot post-COVID. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get rich fighting. Most paychecks just cover the cost of your whole training camp (gym fees, cut for the trainers, food, etc.).
It takes a long time before you’ll make life-changing money in the fight world. Sure, you could go fight in One Championship and get a knockout bonus. But One doesn’t book fighters frequently, so the money is good, but how long do you have to wait before they book you again? You could run out of money before you get booked again.
The people who don’t fight on One are less fortunate. The paychecks are lower, and it takes quite some time before you make a paycheck where you cover all your expenses and actually keep some money for yourself.
Don’t let this discourage you, though. Find other ways to generate income and keep working towards your dream.
Reality #5: Your coach can’t do everything
In most gyms, your head coach will try to take care of everything. This is a recipe for disaster. The S&C and nutrition advice are mostly very outdated and do more harm than good.
I know of a coach who told one of his student that it was fine to eat fried chicken wings post-weigh-in (bad idea). He ended up puking during his fight due to stomach discomfort.
When it comes to the S&C, it’s mostly useless, adding volume on top of already hard training sessions. Not workouts that are backed by science.
For S&C, I recommend Don Heatrick’s heavy hitters program. It’s a one-time payment, and you can use the program for life.
As for nutrition, I obviously recommend yours truly.
I work with fighters to build nutrition strategies that support performance across an entire camp. Not just the sessions that feel good in the moment.
If you have a fight booked and want structure instead of guesswork, you can sign up on Gumroad or reach out via Instagram or Substack.
Until next time
Alex
