Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently addressed a common question from aspiring mixed martial artists during a podcast appearance on Show me the money pod. Many viewers were curious if their age might prevent them from pursuing a career in professional combat sports.
Bisping, reassured his audience that age isn’t necessarily a barrier to entry in MMA. He specifically mentioned that even at 26 years old, with limited martial arts experience, it’s not too late to begin training seriously.
“I always say to people, if you feel that you’ve got what it takes, because a lot of people ask me, like I did a live on my YouTube channel the other day, and people are like, ‘I’m 26, I’ve done a little karate or whatever, do you think it’s too late?’ And I’m like, no, it’s not too late. But you’ve got to be honest with yourself—are you that guy, are you a fighter?”
“Only they know that, you know, because a lot of people think they’re tough or whatnot. But as you know, Gil, it’s not about being tough. It’s about having the discipline, being willing to sacrifice, train, and work hard, and, you know, deal with the setbacks that will inevitably come along. Being mentally tough, you know?”
However, the British star emphasized that success in MMA requires more than just physical toughness. He stressed the importance of self-awareness and honest self-assessment. Bisping noted that while many people may consider themselves tough, that alone isn’t sufficient for a career in professional MMA.
This, of course, is in no way true as evidenced by the list of current UFC champions. Here’s a detailed breakdown of when each UFC champion had their first professional MMA bout, along with available information on when they first started training:
Jon Jones (United States, Heavyweight): Jon Jones had his first pro MMA fight in 2008 at the age of 20. He started training in MMA at around 19 years old, transitioning from a great career in College wrestling.
Tom Aspinall (England, Heavyweight, Interim): Aspinall made his pro MMA debut in 2014 at the age of 21. He began training in martial arts as a child, starting with jiu-jitsu, boxing, and later transitioning into MMA.
Alex Pereira (Brazil, Light Heavyweight): Pereira had his first pro MMA fight in 2015 at the age of 27. Before transitioning to MMA, he was a decorated kickboxer and started training in combat sports in his early 20s.
Dricus du Plessis (South Africa, Middleweight): Du Plessis began his MMA career in 2013 at the age of 19. He started training martial arts in his teenage years, with a background in judo and kickboxing.
Belal Muhammad (United States, Welterweight): Muhammad had his first pro MMA bout in 2012 at the age of 24. He started training in MMA at 21, focusing initially on wrestling and boxing.
Islam Makhachev (Russia, Lightweight): Makhachev made his MMA debut in 2010 at the age of 18. He began training in martial arts, particularly sambo, from a very young age, likely under 10 years old.
Ilia Topuria (Georgia, Featherweight): Topuria debuted in 2015 at the age of 18. He started training in grappling and jiu-jitsu as a young teenager, around 14-15 years old.
Merab Dvalishvili (Georgia, Bantamweight): Dvalishvili began his pro career in 2014 at 23 years old. He started training in judo and sambo during his teens and later transitioned into MMA.
Alexandre Pantoja (Brazil, Flyweight): Pantoja made his pro debut in 2007 when he was 17 years old. He started training martial arts at a very young age, reportedly around 10-11 years old.
The two “exceptions” seem to be Alex Pereira and Francis Ngannou. Both had severely difficult childhoods and did manual labor from early teen years. Ngannou was shovelling sand while Pereira worked at a tire shop. This primed them for martial arts becuase MMA is certainly easy in comparison. Pereira also caught a lucky break and was streamlined to a UFC title shot thanks to Israel Adesanya rivalry.
Considering that the only way to make a decent amount of money in the UFC is to become a champion and get a PPV revenue share – it’s not exactly viable to start at 26 and expect to have anything but lasting brain damage in the sport.
