The life of an up-and-coming mixed martial artist is not as glitz and glamour as some might suppose. There’s the two-a-day training sessions at various gyms and training centers, the strict diet augmented by supplements to aid recovery and endurance, and for most, in the middle is wedged a “day job” that pays for living and training like a full-time athlete. Ask any fighter why they do what they do and sacrifice what they sacrifice in the merry-go-round-like lifestyle they’ve chosen, nine out of 10 will tell you it’s to get the chance to get up in their saddles and extend themselves enough to reach for the brass ring. The brass ring of the sport for most is the opportunity to one day fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship – the sport’s pre-eminent promotion that has often been compared to the “Kleenex of MMA” as its root name “Ultimate Fighting” is often used as a misnomer of the sport itself. Making it to the UFC ensures more financial stability, which is a welcome change for most who struggle to make it in the minor leagues.
FundaFighter making “TUF” road to “The Ultimate Fighter” tryouts easier for three Canadians
One of the most popular avenues fighters navigate to earn a spot on the UFC’s roster is through the promotion’s competition-based reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Tryouts for the latest season of TUF are slated for later this month in Sydney, Australia and Toronto, Ontario, Canada and to help ease the financial burden associated with training, travel and accommodations to get to the open casting a trio of Canadian fighters have turned to the growing fighter crowdfunding site, www.FundaFighter.com for help.
8-0 middleweight Elias Theodorou (www.fundafighter.com/fighters/elias-theodorou), 13-8 welterweight Matt MacGrath (www.fundafighter.com/fighters/matt-macgrath), and 9-1 lightweight Jason Saggo (www.fundafighter.com/fighters/jason-saggo) all currently have FundaFighter campaigns running to help them get to the Toronto TUF tryouts.
Theodorou lives just outside of the host city, but spends “an obscene amount” in gas to get to his two to three training sessions per day, and pays his various gym fees, as well as his coaches for private lessons. Supplements and nutritious food aren’t cheap either, especially when supplement sponsorships for fledgling regional fighters are at a premium.
MacGrath is a chef in his hometown of Charlottetown, PEI, and does the bulk of his training at night after eating dinner with his wife and two young children. The proceeds of his campaign will help cover his training, flight, and hotel while he’s in Toronto.
A fitness and MMA instructor, Saggo, who trains with MacGrath in PEI, is also hoping to offset his travel expenses with the help of fans and friends.
In exchange for their various levels of financial support fans receive assorted rewards, including fight-worn gear, personal training sessions, and a professionally prepared meal by MacGrath. Theodorou has tongue-in-cheekly offered fans who pledge $25 a lock of his hair, which he claims gives him his “Spartan” strength. $40 will net fans this personalized Theodorou pillow:
In the 13 months since launching, FAF has raised approximately $65,000 for fighters training, medical, and travel expenses and has filled the MMA sponsorship gap, as it seems to be on the decline.
