Not every fighter on the card aspires to be the next GSP or BJ Pen, some are just weekend warriors wanting to push themselves to see what they are made of. How do I know this, because I am one of those weekend warriors.

While the aspiring career fighter or pro fighter lives to fight, a weekend warrior most likely has a career as his main focus. At face value most people see fighting through the lens of a video camera, they think that if it was them they would be like Rocky Balboa, up before the sun rises and training until the sun goes down but that is not reality, there is no montages in real life, at least not for a weekend warrior. When your day starts at 5am brewing some coffee so you can get on the road and make it to a job by 7am that does not leave much time for a morning job. When you are getting home from work just in time to make it to sparring or BJJ training at 7pm, that does not leave much time for weight training before bed. Working a schedule such as this some times 6 days a week can really wear someone down, especially when you mix some life into the mix. When a fighter is has a family, leaves for work before they are awake, and gets home from training when most of the family is asleep it causes more problems then one might first consider.

• This schedule is mentally daunting and emotionally draining. Missing spending time with ones family is hard enough, intensified when a wife is unhappy with having to take care of the whole family alone with no help.
• The Diet is damn near impossible, while eating 2 out of three meals while on the road or at the office, it is very difficult to find something healthy to eat every day. When getting home from training late and exhausted trying to piece together a healthy meal can be even more difficult then eating out.
• Being human is the hardest part, when one is sparing hard 3 days a week and working 5-6 days a week, simple tasks at work can be very painful. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) alone while it can be extremely painful is the least of your worries. When you are getting punched and kicked it wears on your body. It also wears on your body to do the punching and kicking. That one kick you landed into your training partners elbow that injured your toe, that on leg kick your training partner landed on your leg all wear on the human body. Going to work limping and with a bruised body can make a regular work day just miserable, of course all of this is intensified by the fact that a fighter is constantly trying to lose weight.
• The mental aspect can make or break you, This is magnified when a Weekend Warrior trains with pros and career fighters. When a Weekend Warrior begins to notice in the gym that he is having trouble keeping up with the pros, he begins to doubt if he will be able to keep up with his opponent. This can be the worst part of all, a fighters confidence (or lack their of), is one of the most important attributes needed.
• The unconsidered factors are another huge contribute, but to be fair this can affect the Pro as well as the Weekend Warrior, but the effects are more felt on the Weekend Warrior. Remember, fighters are regular people they: Are asked to be a best man or godfather, get promotions or lose jobs, have deaths in the family, get sick or get injured, get married or become parents, jury duty, get arrested, I mean the list is endless.
• The financial effects are hard felt as well especially when one counts on overtime hours as part of their income, giving it up to train can be financially burdening.
  The point being if a persons life revolves around fighting, especially someone young who does not have to support themselves or other for that matter, has a huge advantage against someone who has to deal with the other obstacles of life. While it is possible early on for a Weekend Warrior to compete in MMA or BJJ, it is not impossible but extremely difficult to compete in the more advanced levels of competition. As a matter of fact, it is a bit arrogant for a Weekend Warrior to compete with a full time fighter and even mildly insulting to the full time fighters to have to face a Weekend Warrior.
  In the below video you will see the Weekend Warrior, Frank "The Bully" Aiello 33 at the time, vs Tyler Feist 22 at the time. As you can see Aiello was not in the shape that he is normally in due to career commitments and the birth of this third child.
  While his young opponent on the other hand was in excellent shape. This video is the third round of this title fight. While Aiello deeply regrets this loss, he understands that having a big and healthy family, is the only title he will ever need. Hats off to Tyler Feist for putting the work in at the gym that Aiello was unable to, Feist in better shape was able to edge out the decision in the third round.
  

Final Thought: Yes, in the beginning level a Weekend Warrior can compete, however in the higher levels of competition, unless the Weekend Warrior has tons of free time to dedicate to training, he will not be able to compete against people who's soul goal is to be a champion. A person who travels to train with the best trainers, eats, breaths and sleeps training, now while there may be a super gifted person who can, they would be the exception not the rule.
I hope you enjoy this article and I would love to hear what you all think about this third round, your comments would be greatly appreciated.

By:
Frank Aiello