So in the first blog it was about the goods and bads of exclusive contracts in MMA. All in all it was a positive. It clearly it doesn’t suit everyone but at least it put a bit of light on why they are good too.

This week I mentioned I would take up the matchmaking topic but a discussion I had with someone regarding young fighters this week got a little heated, so I’m gonna talk about up and coming young fighters instead..

(The fighters training at The MMA Clinic)

What do you do with them? How do you guide them? Do you rush them or hold them back? Keep them ammy or send them pro? Are they here for the t-shirt or do they really want the dream? Who are you to say who, what and when anyway?

There are kids that have no talent or skill but are tough as hell. There are kids that are very skilful, kids that have both and then there are the special ones; the ones you look at in the gym and you know if this motha f***er commits he is going to do big things.

So what do you do as a coach or as a gym owner with all the above ?

Say yes to everything, stick your head in the sand and hope that everything just takes care of itself when a member or fighter comes and tells you he’s fighting on a show? Ohhh ok then, haven’t you just joined the gym though? Haven’t you still to turn up to a conditioning session never mind a sparring session? And you got a fight lined up have you?

Or you get the new member in the gym reception who comes to join the gym because he has “a fight in the cage in 3 weeks time”. Err, see that door you just came through pal? I suggest you use it again and leave.

A gym is a place of respect, it’s your second family. In some cases it’s your only family. If a fighter doesn’t have one gym that he calls home then you don’t really have a team, you don’t have that family. You have associates.

For the young guys coming through, the gym owner/head coach is the one who takes control of the team. He says who and he says when, based on your performance in training. He’s there to protect you and make sure you don’t make the mistakes he’s seen in his time in the game. If you’re a pro and have a number of fights behind you then it’s not as simple as the head coach telling you what to do. It now becomes a discussion between you and your coach. “How do you feel about this fight?” Both sit watch tape and make a joint decision.

If you’re a seasoned pro then you’re in a different league of discussion again (another topic).

So when is the decision made to go pro for a young up and comer?

Everyone will have their own views on this. Our views are that no ammy in the club even mentions a pro fight without a minimum of a couple of grappling comps, 5 ammy MMA fights and 5 straight wins. Then, and then only, will that discussion be had. If the coach/gym owner feels another 1 or 2 fights are needed then that’s it, end of discussion. That’s the target we aim to have, but there are circumstances where we have a guy who, after 4 fights, can’t get matched anymore at ammy and is messing up pro fighters in the gym so, if we feel it’s time for him to now step up, we’ll have that talk too.

There are rare circumstances that would question the above, but as a guide it’s a pretty good base and a safe one that protects the young fighter wanting it all NOW.

This is why having that gym, that family, is good for the younger fighters because they have a coaching team that knows them inside out and can make the right decisions for them until they gain the experience to know where they are really at in the game.

Any young fighter that doesn’t have the above will either a) not last very long in the fight game or b) get very hurt.

Young fighters are the future of this sport and they need solid, no-nonsense, well run gyms to help them reach the best of their abilities.

There’s no “I” in team, and without a solid team you’re going nowhere.

If you are a head coach or gym owner, you are responsible for the future of this sport as much as a fighter or promoter is for bringing the sport to the public by creating the show and fighting on the show.

ALWAYS think of the bigger picture when guiding the future talent of MMA.

Life is a marathon not a sprint.

I’m outta here. Next week I’ll hit the topic of matchmaking.

If you agree or disagree with the above or want to send abuse or a thumbs up, get me on Twitter: @grahamboylan.