Becoming an MMA fighter takes a life of sacrifice and hard work.
To make it to the big show requires a lot of dedication and training. If you’ve ever wondered what aspiring fighters do to make cash before they can fully support themselves through fighting payouts and sponsorships, here is a list of MMA fighters and their current or previous second occupations.
Trevin “The Problem” Giles (11-2-0)
The 27-year-old middleweight from San Antonio, Texas is a patrol officer for the Houston Police Department.
Roy “Big Country” Nelson (23-17-0)
Heavyweight Roy Nelson’s last UFC bout was in 2017. He now fights for Bellator, however Nelson previously worked as a substitute teacher and as an after-school program volunteer with Clark County.
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (23-7-1)
The featherweight from Toms River, New Jersey previously worked as a plumber for his Dad’s company.
Weili “Magnum” Zhang (20-1-0)
The strawweight from China has a list of previous jobs on her resume. Zhang worked as a receptionist, kindergarten teache, and a bodyguard for a female oil boss.
Elias “The Spartan” Theodorou (16-3-0)
The middleweight from Mississauga, ON. Canada has a B.A Degree in Creative Advertising from Humber College. He used to model, act, and do stunt work before starting his career as a fighter.
Now you can catch him as a Ring Boy for Invicta FC.
Stipe Miocic (19-3-0)
The 37-year-old heavyweight defeated Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 in August. Miocic still works part-time at the Valley View Fire Department in Cleveland, Ohio.
His main responsibility is as a paramedic working on medical calls.
____
Make sure to follow The Scrap News (@thescrapnews) on Twitter.
The Scrap’s Caroline Romero is a journalism graduate and has 3 children involved in combat sport. Make sure to follow her son Simon Romero on his Behind The Grind podcast on YouTube.
About Post Author
1 thought on “How fighters make cash before making it to the big leagues”