How Many Fights Does an MMA Fighter Have? It depends on the type of sport he engages in. The popular combat sport known as “MMA,” or mixed martial arts, allows competitors to use a wide range of fighting tactics and skills from various other combat sports. Your favorite athlete may only compete for weeks or months in this sport. It might be over a year before you watch them fight again. But why do some UFC fighters compete more frequently than others, and why do they compete so infrequently? In this article, let’s learn the causes.
How Many Fights Does an MMA Fighter Have?
Fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC typically compete two to three times annually. Additionally, there is a distinction between top-ranked fighters and fighters who are unranked, low-ranked, or both. While the latter fights only occasionally, the former competitors compete up to five times annually. Various factors, including injuries, legal issues, and medical suspensions, cause the inability of fighters to compete more frequently.
Reasons for Different Times For Different Players
There are several reasons why champion fighters fight once or twice per year.
-Work outside the UFC
-Lack of PPV events
-High-level competition
Work outside of the UFC – well-known fighters is very busy developing their brands, launching their own companies, and working extensively in the media. The UFC hosts 12 pay-per-view events annually, and champions defend their titles at these high-profile events. There are 12 UFC champions in total, so it makes sense why most of them only compete once a year because there aren’t enough pay-per-view events.
High-level competition: Because top-level competition is much tougher and the chance of losing is much higher, top fighters prefer to take more time to prepare and avoid fights on short notice. Simply put, top-ranked fighters are much more cautious when deciding who to fight, which could cause their next fight to be delayed.
Why Do UFC Fighters Compete So Rarely?
Even though there is no specific reason that causes the delays and differences in competing that is common to each player, the following reasons are valid for the rarity of the competition.
Injuries
The most physically taxing combat sport might be mixed martial arts. To improve their skills and prepare for a fight, fighters must train up to three times per day, six days a week. The constant training and sparring of UFC fighters make them vulnerable to overtraining and injuries. They may be able to fight through the injury and appear on fight night in some instances, but in other circumstances, they will need to withdraw from the fight and take a break of a few weeks or months to heal.
The worst injuries are caused by vicious knockouts, which can cause CTE-like long-term brain damage. Another common serious injury suffered by fighters is:
Broken ribs, hands, legs, noses, jaws, and orbital bones are examples of fractures.
-muscle sprains or tears
-deep wounds
-ACL, PCL, or meniscus tears
-Dislocations of joints
-Weight cutting
Before a fight, every UFC fighter must endure a strenuous weight-cutting process that requires them to lose up to 20 pounds in one week. They compete in the lower weight class than their natural ones to gain a physical advantage. However, losing this much weight in a week is risky and extremely stressful on your mind and body.
Fighters need to take time to recover their bodies and minds from weight-cutting after the fight.
They cannot simply take a week off before beginning the weight-loss process again. This is extremely risky and may result in long-term health problems or even be fatal in some circumstances.
Matchmaking
Because there are over 600 fighters on the UFC roster, matchmaking is difficult. On the other hand, there are roughly 40 events each year, making it very challenging for matchmakers to offer each fighter more than three fights.
Many of the 600 fighters in this group deal with medical suspensions, contract disputes, or injuries. However, due to a lack of events, it would be mathematically impossible for matchmakers to give every healthy fighter a chance to compete 5 or 6 times annually.
Medical suspensions
Medical suspension is the most frequent cause of a two-month waiting period before a UFC fighter can compete again. Fighters receive medical suspensions ranging from 30 days to 6 months, depending on the seriousness of the injuries they sustained during a match. Each fighter is required to undergo a post-fight medical examination. The medical suspension in those circumstances can last between three and six months if the fighter is knocked unconscious or sustains serious head injuries.
They are not permitted to spar or compete during this period until the suspension is over. For injuries that are not as serious, they receive a few weeks.
Refusal to fight
UFC competitors frequently choose not to fight, especially the best of the best. Fighters who choose not to engage in combat typically do so because they believe their opponent is inferior to them and that they stand to lose. They have nothing to gain from that fight, but they risk dropping out of the top five in that division if they lose. Additionally, they could refrain from competing if they want to make more money or conflict with the UFC over a contract.
Personal issues
As with all people, MMA fighters have a variety of personal struggles to deal with. They occasionally need a break to deal with a loved one’s death, mend their marriage, spend more time with their families, or even recover from depression. Ray Borg, one of the competitors who struggled with depression, turned down a few offers from the UFC because of his condition.
First, there could be many good reasons for the fighters to back out of the fight. They might be coping with injuries, medical restrictions, or personal family issues. Once you recover and begin training, the UFC will look for another opponent and offer you another fight.
Fighters can turn down the match the UFC offers, and it happens frequently. Even though they have a contract with the organization, the fighters are not required to accept the match every time the matchmaker calls. After all, if a fighter doesn’t want to fight, no one can make them accept a fight offer. But keep in mind that declining the fight has a cost, particularly for unranked fighters still on the rise and have yet to establish their rightful place in the UFC.
However, some fighters might turn down a fight because they need more training time, want more money, or don’t like the opponent. In that case, the UFC would respect their choice and extend an invitation to compete again soon. However, the UFC might consider these fighters unreliable and treat them differently than other fighters who are consistently willing to fight.
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