Do MMA fighters need an offseason?
Michael Chiesa: “You can get three fights in in nine months. That’s not unrealistic, especially if you have three months off where you’re sharpening your game.”
In a thought-provoking piece on MMAJunkie, Ben Fowlkes asks if, in a sport without an off season, fighters should create one for themselves? Fowlkes interviewed several prominent figures to find out.
In the OH HELL NO category was Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who fought five times in the UFC his debut year of 2011, and will fight for the fourth time this year vs. Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178 on September 27.
That’s the problem I have with most fighters, is they think they can take off, said Cerrone I like to keep going, stay active, and fight five or six times a year. Why a lot of guys think they need to take all that time off, I’ve got no idea.
When I don’t have a fight to prepare for, I feel like I’m just wasting time. I feel like I’m unemployed. It’s a weird feeling.
Cerrone has very clear goals in the sport, and summed up both succinctly: Kick ass and make money.
UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa on the other hand argues that fighters should carve out an off season of their own. The off time need not be spent on the beach or watching TV, but rather can be used to sharpen general skills, maybe go do gi in Brazil, rather than training in camp with hard sparring for a specific opponent.
Donald Cerrone, he’s a very talented fighter, has a bunch of wins, and is obviously in a very good groove, said Chiesa. “But also, his mindset is to make money. For me, I’m not a very money-oriented guy. People who know me know that I still drive the same old car, still live in the same average apartment.
This sport isn’t just physical. You can mentally burn yourself out, and we’ve seen that. We’ve seen guys burn themselves out mentally, and then we’ve watched their careers go to crap. I’m not going to be one of those guys.
I mean, you can get three fights in in nine months. That’s not unrealistic, especially if you have three months off where you’re sharpening your game, staying active, but letting your body recharge so that you can go through another training camp. For me, I feel like I’m not the best fighter on the roster right now, but my goal is to become a champion. I feel like for myself, my path to become a champion, I need some time off to sharpen my skills.
I feel like my life is flying by. I love my job, and I’m living my dream, but I also feel like, holy crap, where did the last three months go? I live my life by what UFC (event) number it is. My family can tell when I have a fight. I talk less, I laugh less. Sometimes when they see me, mentally, I’m not even there.
I just think you have to take some time to enjoy this sport, because what else are you doing it for? You don’t get a chance to enjoy everything you’ve worked for if you’re constantly in training camp.
So what do you think UG, you on Team Cerrone or Team Chiesa?