r/MMA Use App

x
r/MMA
swiminthroulife • 6y Join 

Is 18 too old to get into the sport

competitively?

I have no experience with martial arts, but have recently

looked into various martial arts and fell in love with the
potential to be able to train in one and compete. I'm
wondering if I'm starting too late. Most of the people I
know who are in wrestling and various martial arts all
started before the age of ten. I learn quickly and definitely
have the drive to do well, but is this enough to be
competitive? For a little background I'm fairly athletic I was
an all American swimmer and played lacrosse in high
school.

0 43 Share

u/questrade • Promoted 

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions

of your life. Let us show you how simple and
stress-free a mortgage can be.

questmortgage.com Learn More

43 Comments sorted by Best ˇ

Post is archived

desiiiigner I was dumb enough to bet on the … 6y 

It's never too late and you know it. Get off these
forums and follow your dream.

22 Reply

Jacked1218 GOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Booga… 6y 

Next week on r/mma....

Is 6 too old to get my boy started in MMA?

20 Reply

VinceOnAPlane happy new fucken ste… 6y 

Our son is being born in December. If he doesn't
armbar at least three other babies in the nursery,
he's not coming home with us.

21 Reply

[deleted] 6y 3 votes

awnh12 UFC 249: COVID vs. Dana 6y 

Congrats on the kid btw hope all goes well!

2 Reply

VinceOnAPlane happy new fuck… 6y 

Thanks, appreciate it!

2 Reply

TedWaltner 6y 
yep. give it up chump

53 Reply

[deleted] 6y 35 votes

[deleted] 6y 
You'll be using a walking stick in a few years, way
past your prime..

14 Reply

chemcm213 6y 
Yeah you washed up son.

17 Reply

dinosaurboy2005 6y 
i dont get it, how can u love the idea of train and
compete if you've never tried it? Do you like the
sound of "being a fighter" or what?

6 Reply

[deleted] 6y 
I love the idea of having a million dollars. Never
had it but bet I'd love it

3 Reply

dinosaurboy2005 6y 
thats completly different thou, you're
experienced using money and u realize what u
can do with a million dollars. There is literally no
way knowing if u will love mma before u try it.

1 Reply

[deleted] 6y 
That's a fair point

1 Reply

[deleted] 6y 
They're all joking, man. You're young enough to
start. Just stick with it if you do

6 Reply

Seamus_Duncan Team Ruthless 6y 

A guy who started at literally twice your age just
walked away with a half million dollars.

6 Reply

CarnalKid Oh, shit, the War-Boner is back 6y 

You heard Jogan, training during puberty changes
your body and turns you into some kind of super
person. You have to start when you're 8 or 9 at the
latest.

4 Reply

[deleted] 6y 
Go take BJJ classes.

3 Reply

spitfire9107 6y 
I am 27 and I don't train any discipline of martial arts
but how much bjj or muay thai training do I need to
win a fight on felony fights?

3 Reply

timothytandem United States 6y 

Maybe 1-2 years?

1 Reply

Fishlife13 6y 
Upvote for felony fights. Is that still a thing? I
remember downloading that shit on limewire. The
4 man brawl was the best

1 Reply

Jhate666 team cowboy 6y 

When I started training I was 20 and it was the single
best decision in my life. Yeah I regretted not
wrestling through high school and not pursuing
beyond my 2nd belt promotion in karate but I'm
telling you straight up doing it will change your life
for the better. You'll be more confident in yourself
and feel better about yourself more than anything in
the world pause you're learning skills that will help
you through every facet of your life for the rest of
your life. You're still very young and I think now
would be the perfect time and if you're diligent about
training and really put your life into it now who knows
by time you're 22-23 you could be fighting in the
UFC

3 Reply

chemcm213 6y 
Most serious and positive response in this thread.
Username ch... Wait a minute.

1 Reply

Xsafa Team Weidman 6y 

Yeah all those college walk ons, fighters, and clearly
over 18 Cubans who play baseball were too old.

2 Reply

chakabuku 6y 

He is too old. Yes. He is too old to begin the

training.

-Yoda

2 Reply

ShyGuy322 6y 
Nope

1 Reply

timothytandem United States 6y 

lol dude just start. There are people who start at like
30 and are still incredibly successful.

1 Reply

BabyGotSack 6y 
Go join a gym and see how you like it before you
start getting any grand ideas about your potential.
It's fun to watch, but until a purple belt is ramming
his shoulder into your jaw and you can't get out no
matter how hard you try and you're praying for the
clock to ding, you have no idea whether you really
truly want to pursue it.

1 Reply

jdewittweb 6y 
Apparently it's too young to use search.

1 Reply

RileySky 6y 
I see a lot of people making a joke of this question.
That being said if you are just starting now just know
you are taking a hard road. Be prepared to get your
ass kicked in the gym when you start. A wrestling
base helps tremendously, not only as a skill-set but
also as a way to prepare you for the grind of training.
Being athletic helps, being a quick learner helps, but
just know you are likely behind by at least one of the
following with most of your "competitive" peers. At
least 2-4 years of wrestling, years of bjj, years of
boxing/kick-boxing ext.... However if you decide that
this is what you love. That this is something you are
willing to sacrifice for. I would say there is no reason
you can't achieve whatever you want.

1 Reply

AlmostFamous502 6y 

fell in love with the potential to be able

Haha, what?

Just train kid.

1 Reply

MattR2752 SLIMY LITTLE RAT 6y 

Sounds like you've just got a pipe dream right now.
Try a few weeks of waking up at 6am to workout
everyday and see if it's still what you want

1 Reply

Fukushimadreaming 6y 
This question will never die.

1 Reply

[deleted] 6y 
Go join a gym and have fun. If you end up a fighter
then cool, but that won't be for a while anyways.
Baby steps, man.

1 Reply

Troiker Team Spider 6y 

How should we know? There are more than a handful
of high level fighters in the UFC who started later
than you. The only way you'll know is by giving it a
shot and seeing what happens.

1 Reply

TedWaltner 6y 
is OP UFC champ yet?

1 Reply

luj1 6y 
No

1 Reply

CerberusMMA MY BALLZ WAS HOT 6y 

i think 18 is to young to start competetivley if you
see people with 28 what is like the best age to be a
fighter (or the best age is even a bit older) are
already washed up because they have already like 11
years of a career. for example look at jordan mein he
did quit his career with 25 because he was to fed up
from a 9 year professional career (thank god he
gives his comeback now). now what you are going to
do is go train mma for 18-30 months and then if you
still want it and your trainer says you are good to go
make your first fights by then you are 20-21 what is
imo a better age to start then 18. and your concerns
about people doing wrestling, karate, boxing or
whatever as kid, yes it can be usefull for them but
the older you are the faster you learn and
understand what actully are the important points to
improve. who do you think has the better technical
understanding a 9 year old who wrestles since 3
years or a 20 year old who wrestles since 1 year. the
lead they have gets unsignificant if you just keep
training. and really a all american swimmer? wtf
congrats! there are many high lvl athlets who came
late in to the sport like travis browne who was high
lvl basketball player and didn't do any martial art
until he was 26.

1 Reply

swiminthroulife  6y 
Thanks for the serious and helpful reply I really
appreciate it

0 Reply

TedWaltner 6y 
forget fighting and check out the geek squad. but
honestly it's probably too late in life for the geek
squad. how do you feel about pizza delivery?

1 Reply

American__ United States 6y 

I can't say what I want about this post without
getting the banhammer for a few days so, EL-OH-
FUCKING-EL!!!

0 Reply

Top posts of September 16th, 2016

Top posts of September, 2016

Top posts of 2016