MMA Fighters: 5 Ways to Generate Additional Income from Your Training

Are you a fighter?

Here's how to generate additional income from your training!

As a fighter or athlete in the martial arts world, financial returns can be quite difficult at times. We invest a lot in our coaches, equipment, supplements, medical needs, etc. And not to mention competitions! When competing, you have to pay for travel, hotels, food, etc. The bills can quickly add up and even if you win, there isn't much left.

Fortunately, today with the Internet and social networks, there are several methods to generate more additional income from your training. Thus, money becomes less of a worrying factor and you can better focus on your training.

So here are 5 ways to generate additional income from your training, no matter your area of ​​expertise.

#1: Sell custom gear (merch)

Selling gear (merch) is often a very attractive option for athletes. Merch can usually be T-shirts, hoodies, caps or any other type of clothing.

With good financial planning, with your community, it can quickly become profitable if you have followers on Instagram, TikTok, etc. and you regularly communicate around your new clothing brand.

With a unique style around your fighter name, you can create a unique clothing line and quickly generate income. Many online platforms allow you to create your own clothing line without having to manage inventory, production or shipping. In Canada, platforms like Printful exist. The only disadvantage is that the profit margins are sometimes very thin, unless you sell the equipment quite expensively.

#2: Participate in an ambassador program

Ambassador programs are a quick, easy and effective way to generate additional income from your training because they require very little effort and, over time, can add up to big profits.

What is an ambassador program? You may not know it, but many companies offer this type of collaboration.

It’s a partnership you make with a brand to act as a brand ambassador. The brand sends you material, usually for free, so you can talk about it, take pictures, share videos on your Instagram/TikTok page, etc. In exchange, the company gives you a commission for any sales that come from your content.

It's a win-win form of sponsorship. Not too risky for you, not too risky for the company. This is how many athletes operate to finance themselves, with time and effort, it can become very profitable!

An ambassador program can quickly become profitable if you take the trouble to create content regularly. It can allow you to get $100-200-300 or even more sometimes, depending on the brands and their products. The ideal is to select a brand that you like, that represents you and that you will have no difficulty in presenting their products.

Moreover, Solar currently has an ambassador program to allow you to generate additional income from your training. We currently collaborate with about ten fighters and are often looking for new athletes to collaborate with. You therefore have the opportunity to collaborate with a Quebec company and generate money with your Instagram publications. If you would like to know more about our ambassador program, write to us here.

#3: Sell training and techniques online

A bit in the same style as BJJ Fanatics or all the platforms in which one pays to obtain techniques of combat, jiu jitsu, muay thai, etc. it is possible for you to monetize your knowledge in certain martial arts by selling training courses or instructionals on certain aspects of your art.

You can partner with an existing platform or you can also create your own website and sell your own training courses. Several tools exist to facilitate the taking of payments and the sharing of your online training courses such as Patreon, Simvoly, Systeme.io, etc.

 

This can be a very profitable solution in the long term and requires very little work once the trainings are filmed and published.

#4: Find sponsors

Finding sponsors can be another way to generate income. We see a lot of famous athletes using this method and it is honestly an excellent method when you start to have several thousand subscribers and you fight in leagues with greater notoriety.

However, it can become difficult, unpredictable and requires constant work, because it requires doing research, approaching companies, but also creating a lot of content on social networks so that these sponsors can also gain visibility in return.

The beauty of working with sponsors is that there is nothing stopping you from combining multiple methods and using the above methods in addition to doing a sponsor search. You can work as a brand ambassador, organize courses, sell trainings and still have sponsors!

 

By the way, if you are a fighter and looking for sponsors to support you in your career, contact us. At certain times, we have sponsorship opportunities that open up and, who knows, maybe we could collaborate together.

#5: Organize courses or seminars

Many jiu-jitsu schools or MMA schools hold seminars with fighters. You can arrange with the owner of an MMA school, select a theme for your class or seminar and schedule a date.

This avenue can be a great alternative if you have excellent skills in a particular area and are starting to gain a good reputation as a fighter. Some schools will pay you a flat fee, others will split ticket sales with you, it's up to you how you want to proceed.

This is a great opportunity to contact MMA or Jiu Jitsu schools to offer your services and make a good income in a few hours of work.