Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
New Miami graduation 2012
learning to cope in the cage
Amateur career helpful training ground in MMA
'You should make mistakes and lose,' says an MMA insider on the importance of amateur ranks.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
New Carlisle's Todd Smart is pinned inside the cage by Jack Tolley during their fight at the Ohio Xtreme Fighting Holiday Havoc III Mixed Martial Arts show Dec. 14 inside the Coliseum building of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. SPRINGFIELD — Unlike nearly every other sport in the United States, wrestlers don't have pro ranks to join after their collegiate careers are over.
Mixed Martial Arts gives them an athletic future they may have not been able to pursue otherwise.
"They have nowhere to go, even if they're at the top of their game," said Dann Stupp, the founder of MMAJunkie.com. "They're stuck in that position. (MMA) is going to give them a second chance."
But that doesn't mean you can jump straight into the professional ranks. That's why, said Greg Swanson, the promotions and marketing manager for Extreme MMA in Iowa, all fighters need a long amateur career before turning pro.
"Boxers would fight 40 to 50 amateur fights before turning pro," Swanson said. "They want to learn how to get cut or how to get knocked down. Nobody remembers anybody's amateur record.
"You want to learn the sport," Swanson said. "You should make mistakes and lose. It takes time and seasoning. It takes learning to cope with all those little things that happen (in the cage)."
