How To Get Into The UFC

In today’s dynamic MMA landscape, there are a myriad of ways to successfully enter the sport. These paths are as diverse as the styles which the sport’s fighters employ. From being in the right place at the right time to being called in as a specialist, with the right skill and a little bit of luck, anyone can achieve their dreams of fighting for a major MMA organization.

Martial Base writer Ben Zeidler sat down with UFC fighter Drew McFedries to ask him about how he got his start. The beginnings are about as humble as they get. “Really, I don’t know how I got in. I had been training at MFS [Miletich Fighting Systems] for years. I was just coming out of my battle with Crohn’s disease and I was helping Sam Hoger train for Rashad [Evans] at that point, and somehow I managed to get into pretty good shape. I had a local show that was for an extreme challenge or something. My manager said “Hey, you’re doing well, lets look for more fights.” I didn’t know he’d be looking into the UFC. I was doing fights for 600 bucks, you know? He says “I got a fight for you. The guy’s name is Allesio Sakara.” I was thinking “Why would he come to Iowa?” And that’s when he told me that it was for the UFC. I asked him if he was serious…I couldn’t believe it. Here’s the kicker: he called me 17 days out so I only got 14 or 15 days of training. [I] fought Sakara [and] won that fight and it was just a great experience. I’ve never had [a] thrill ride like that. I was lucky enough to train with guys who are really good and I was just helping guys get ready for fights but I got into such good shape and the UFC opportunity came up.”

For guys like McFedries, and most of the non-household names in the UFC, simply being around some of the best trainers and consistently staying in shape is the best route to a major fighting organization. However, if you’re a specialist with existing talent in one field of MMA, you would be wise to follow the Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou route, who was originally brought into Team Quest to help Dan Henderson trains his Judo for an upcoming fight. When he was simply a Judo specialist, none of the majors were looking at Sokoudjou. But, with some Team Quest experience and Henderson’s word, Sokoudjou was a shoe-in for PRIDE FC and eventually, the UFC.

During an interview with Sokoudjou, he told us the following story: “I met him in November before his Nakamura fight. They were looking for a judo guy to help him train and they called me in and he beat me up bad. I was 240 and he was 183 and he still beat me up pretty bad. Then, they called me in again before Machida. I used to think that MMA was just a bunch of guys in their underwear in a cage, but after training with them, I really respect the sport.”

With skills like Sokoudjou or determination like Drew, any aspiring fighter can make their way to the big time.