Former professional strongman Brian Shaw revealed he would only consider returning to train for a potential MMA fight if he could get a guaranteed payment up front this time. Shaw had spent around 6 months preparing for a blockbuster MMA debut in 2023 before the event fell apart.
“If something were to happen there, it would need to be upfront,” Shaw said in a podcast episode. “I’m not willing to [take that risk] because it was a big sacrifice to be like ‘I’m going to do all this work’ and then not get paid.”
Shaw, a 4-time World’s Strongest Man champion, admitted the grueling 6-month training camp to try to crossover into MMA was a major commitment that took him away from his main business ventures like his Shaw Strength podcast and classic strongman competition he runs annually.
“I was very good with both arms on that event so I was only able to use uh um at that point it was my left bicep was torn off so I use my right arm and did it got second place in that event,” he joked about the high intensity of training.
The 40-year-old spent a lot of time not just strength training but doing MMA skills like grappling and striking to prepare for the challenge. However, the financial uncertainty caused him to re-evaluate risking going through such an extreme training camp again.
“If something were to happen there it would need to be upfront right like I’m not willing to because it was a big sacrifice to be like I’m going to do all this work in escrow.”
Shaw says he was grateful for the experience overall and learning new skills like grappling. But he made it clear he would only entertain doing it again if he could get guaranteed payment to make the intensity of training worth it for him.
