MMA's Full 38’ 10.03.07: 7 Ways to Making a Name in MMA

[HEIDENREICH]

Ето една забавна статия от 411 мания.Автор е Sid Needelman

While the best way to become an MMA star is to have great skills, sometimes that alone, is not enough to get yourself noticed. You may have to go by a nickname like Cro-Cop, or work a crowd like Jason “Mayhem” Miller, or just get the right management. Here are 7 ways MMA fighters have made names for themselves.

The most obvious way to make a name in MMA is to be like "Cro-Cop," a man who does not even use his real name in order to better promote himself. He started as an amazing, top of the line striker and demolished several opponents in K-1. He made the transition to MMA while continuing to knock people out with a huge missile high kick, earned a title shot in Pride FC, won a tournament, and even his upsets in the UFC get him huge publicity.

For those who are not a top five heavyweight K-1 striker, there are ways to make a name for yourself in a sport where training "a little of everything" has made people less unique and harder to spot in a crowd.

So the obvious answer that needs no more than one line:

The #1 way to get noticed as an MMA fighter is to be very, very good. But what else would work? [The rest in no particular order]

#2: Stand Out in the Crowd

Indeed, just like getting someone's attention at a bar, you have to get noticed. Appearances are one of the easiest ways for people to notice a fighter. Prejudices will be formed quickly, and no matter if it is positive or negative, if people prejudge you, you have been noticed.

No longer will Chris Leben's red hair do the trick, as everyone from Lil Evil Pulver to Jason Miller, have multi-colored, or crazy styled, hair. A fighter could wear a mask into the ring like Cro-Cop victim, Dos Caras Jr., but I would ask that everyone refrain from such action. How much hotter is it in a mask, and wouldn't it obstruct your view if it shifts only an inch?

But maybe "Mayhem" Miller is onto something. While his hair does not stand out as "crazy" anymore, maybe his entrances still will. How about that one for the WFA, break-dancing and fake money included? And for those who cannot dance, how about an outfit like Nakamura's, at the last UFC? That got my attention, at least for a moment to explain to a "UFC-only" fan watching, who the Pride star was.

I am still waiting for Eminem to walk out with Tito, performing live at a PPV.

#3: Be Very Skilled in One Unique Style

Speaking of Nakamura's last fight, one also has to think about his opponent, Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida. He is not a perfect example of getting noticed these days as his fights have not been at the level they should be, but he has something to offer. He was training Karate, yes, the laughed at step-son of the MMA world. While most people cannot translate their karate skills into a victorious MMA bout, Ryoto has done just that. With victories over Rich Franklin and BJ Penn, be sure to take a look at his fights. Another MMA star whose high level of skills in a unique art is His Judo skills are so far beyond many other MMA fighter's, that people watch his fights just for the Judo throws. Other skills that will get you attention is having a past in another sport, fight sport or not. Cung Lee was pushed into MMA and handed decent money because of his flashy San Shou techniques, and Bob Sapp used his former football fame to move into K-1 and then MMA. Johnnie Morton did the same, but he was such a disappointment, in skill and for his drug use.

4: Train with the Best

If you cannot be great, or cannot work an interview, train with someone who can. Think about how many people hung onto Ken Shamrock's coattails in early MMA, and how many join up with a team like Miletich to get access to the public.

5: Gender?

In most cases your gender is already set at birth, and I am not sure how an athletic board would view a person who surgically attempts to change. However, if you happen to be female, it may be to your advantage. First of all there are very few opportunities for female fighters. That is even more of the case if your name is not Gina Carano, or Tara Larosa. But if you are great at what you do, you are put in star status. Though I honestly do not think that if it was not for how great Gina looks, she may not be on the main card of half of Showtime's events.

BodogFight also spotlights female fighters, including Jessica Aguilar. I spoke with Jessica this past weekend as she was attending a boxing event. She started her career just because they needed a female to fight when a female had to drop off the card. She turned pro, literally because she was female. And about 18 months later, she has amassed a record of 4-2, and is scheduled to fight again for BodogFight when they return to Russia on November 30th. I guess that means any rumored "burnt bridges" have been mended by BodogFight. Jessica fights at 115 lbs. or 120 lbs. and because stars like Gina weigh much more, Jessica is considered one of the best in her gender and weight. And on a side note, this girl can punch, she trains with Olympic Gold Medalist, Howard Davis Jr. And because of her female charm, I was convinced to make sure to note in this article that she wants to thank Primal Chaos Fightwear, Fight Zone, Boca Tanning, Flashpower and Padilla + Sons Kimonos.

6: Be liked, or Hated

Often female fans of MMA can be heard talking about how nice the guy sounds, how dedicated to his family he seems in a promo, or how much of a jerk he sounded like in his post-fight speech. Women, maybe more so than men, notice the personality of a fighter. But they are not alone. I am a huge fan of Jeff Monson, even though his politics are a little extreme. It is because though he is a beast of a man, he is the nicest guy to speak with. I have spoken with him on multiple occasions and he is always happy to answer questions and talk about life. Shortly after his fight for the UFC title with Tim Sylvia, he was seen at an event having a peaceful conversation with his former opponent. That was even after, Tim unfortunately for everyone, fought not to lose, rather than to win that fight. I also have seen Jeff lift up his shirt to expose the tattoo of his daughters hand for a female fan to put her hand up against it.

But if you cannot be respected, you might as well be hated. Wes Sims was happy to be the loud villain when he stomped his way to a disqualification against Frank Mir. He even seemed to be able to make himself the bad guy when calling out Sylvia, one of the more disrespected of fighters who still can win fights.

#7: Get an Agent

Let your agent do all the work. Let them get sponsors who will brag about you and shirt companies to put your face on a shirt. There are management companies who organize English lessons for their foreign fighters to make them more marketable, and those agents who train with their clients. There is a management team or agent for every kind of need.

If you have any questions or comments on any of the above including, how to not annoy people in post-fight comments, how to find management etc. feel free to email me at: SidNjustice@aol.com

**********

And for those of you wondering what is the MMA's Full 38'

An octagon is 30 ft across with 4 feet extra on each side, for cornermen, doctors and camera crew. To know MMA, sometimes one needs to make sure they cover some of the lesser know aspects of it, and 38' represents a number a lot of hardcore fans would not recognize. But be warned, do not try to set up an arena without knowing how big the octagon really is, or there will be problems.

Sid Needelman