Longview3

Hi guys...I'm planning on having my first cage fight (UFC ruleset) in approximately 4 months. I have no experience of competitive fighting in the cage. My gym does have a cage, however, so I have sparred in one.

Here are my vital stats:
Age: 24
Height: 5'10.5
Weight: 180 pounds (low fat, 6 pack build)

Experience:
Muay Thai (Red Prajeed/Blackbelt) - 4 years exp. Have fought here and in Thailand with a 10-2 record.

Judo: Black Belt. Have adapted this for non gi fighting where necessary. Especially use this in the clinch against MT fighters.

Shotokan Karate: Black Belt (2nd Dan)...I use kicks from karate in my style. Occasionally I will use karate kick blocks as they can lead nicely into MT kicks. This is rare cause I despise putting my guard down and getting lamped lol :P.

BJJ: Top level in gi BJJ. Also 2 years of non gi BJJ experience. Do a lot of sparring.

My training schedule is like this:

Monday - Saturday
9am-11am: 2 hour run.
11.15 - 12.15: Pilates for core body strength.
1-9pm: At the gym sparring in judo, BJJ and MT.
9.30pm - 10.30pm: 1 hour run

Sunday: This is Judo day. I do Judo/BJJ all day on Sunday except for when I run.

Does anyone here have some tips about gaps in my style etc. that I could try to fill? Maybe some kyukushin karate or something? Not totally sure what my weaknesses are. Am expecting to go to clinch/ground fast as I am strongest there.

Also, I have never watched a UFC fight in my life so would be nice if u could refer to episodes etc. so I can try to watch. Not essential though.

Thanks guys!

nbf79

Hey Buddy, sounds like you're more than competent in all areas, The only problem I see is I don't see any specific MMA training in there. Do you train specific MMA? If not don't even think of having an MMA fight.

I was the same as yourself. My stand up was decent, My ground game was good and my clinch was alright. Then I went to an MMA class at a full time MMA gym. We did drills from guard where you are trying to submit your opponent or sweep them and your partner can try to keep control and can use strikes.

Just by adding in strikes my ground technique went out the window. We did the same from full mount, Side control and rear mount. Adding in strikes while grappling is a total game changer.

As the saying goes - punch a BJJ black belt once he becomes a brown belt, hit him again he becomes brown, again and he's purple and so on. I didn't realise how appropriate that was till I grappled with strikes. Im usually totally calm on the ground. When strikes are added in I was using so much strength, went into panic mode and survival mode your fitness is sapped. Takes a good few times to get your composure under that type of pressure.

Saenchai

Before i read the first reply from nbf79, i wanted to ask you the same question he did. Do you train MMA? This is very important if you wanna fight in MMA cus there are things you will learn that are almost impossible to learn in individual martial arts unless your coach is expert on MMA aswell and mix a single martial arts with others during your judo training or whatever.

"Adding in strikes while grappling is a total game changer." - THIS!!!



Also...

"Monday - Saturday
9am-11am: 2 hour run.
11.15 - 12.15: Pilates for core body strength.
1-9pm: At the gym sparring in judo, BJJ and MT.
9.30pm - 10.30pm: 1 hour run"

1-9 pm ... find yourself an MMA gym that do transitions on standup-ground game and include it there...you can replace it for that 9.30pm run aswell, doesn't really matter but it's important that you actually attend MMA classes aswell, you have enough time to get used to it if you're dedicated.

What else to say...train hard, learn quick and good luck.

Longview3

Hey guys....

Thanks a lot for your responses. Probably wasn't totally clear so my fault! I train at an MMA gym and have done so for two years. I attend two cage fighting classes per week, and the non gi BJJ class covers the transitions between stand up and grappling + striking on the ground.

The guys I spar with have all been in the cage at least like 5 times... So I'm getting good experience from them. There's a few national/international champions in the various individual martial arts I train so I get good opposition there too.

The only time I don't use strikes in my grappling in my sparring is on the Sunday "Judo" day. My friend is excellent at the ground work + clinch work so I find this time really useful. He doesn't like the punchy/kicky stuff, which is why we don't incorporate that :P

Sorry for not being clear and thanks again!

kantowrestler

My first question is what weight are you going to fight at? Cause that should influence what all you are going to consume. If you are fighting at welterweight (170), start eating low carb, high protein, small meals throughout the day, and drink plenty of water. Otherwise your workout routine looks good!

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Longview3

Thanks .... again I was not clear...

I will be fighting at middleweight... So my weight is ok right now...I will increase it a bit as the fight approaches.

I eat and shit fighting these days...lmao...forget these little details. But I swear I've done so much that I see the chest muscles tensing before a punch so I can dodge it (in a hook anyway). Weird how 9 hrs per day does that to you. lol!

Thanks again.

kantowrestler

Well if you are 180 and fighting middleweight I suggest you start to eat a little like weightlifters. That is a similar diet to what I suggested except they eat alot more protein. So things like lots of boiled eggs and protein shakes!

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mawrestler125

Ahh!?!? Where's your wrestling at buddy?

Prepare to be taken down like you get paid to do it.

kantowrestler

Well technically judo is a type of wrestling and so is BJJ. However, judo can neutralize wrestling. Or it can help it!

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Longview3

Thanks for the responses.

RE: Diet... This is a very good point and the main reason I am delaying the cage fight for 4 months is because I have a 5k cross country run in two months that I have a large bet on (about 7.5k dollars). This is also the reason why I incorporate so much running into my training atm. Not that being in great CV shape is a bad thing for any MMA system!!

After that run I will eat more protein/carbs/creatine and incorporate more free weight training into my time at the gym. Based on past experience I will easily be able to add 5lbs of muscle - and cut any unwanted fat - in the 2 months I will have.

RE: Wrestling. Very good point - I have never done any Greco-Roman style wrestling in my life. One of the guys I train with is part of the Greek Olympic Wrestling team though so I pick stuff up with him. At least 5 of the others have wrestling experience so I am somewhat familiar with the techniques. I might look for a good wrestling place nearby and see if I can add a few hours per day of that till I feel comfortable. Does that sound like a good idea?

I'm sure I have a decent knowledge of it already...even if I don't know which parts are wrestling. Just like I show some of my MT expert buddies bits of judo which might **** them over in the clinch if they aren't ready for it.

Thanks again for all ur advice!