The popularity of MMA has absolutely exploded within the past 5 years. With this, there has been a large increase in the number of trained MMA fighters. There are so many different ways to train, different styles to train in, etc. How confident are you in knowing what you should do next to become a better MMA fighter? Before you head to the gym for another training session, first take a look at this list of tips.

1. Don't focus on just strength training! Many MMA fighters have a training routine which consists of nothing but strength training. Yes it's nice to be able to have enough upper body strength for a major knockout punch, but what if the fight goes to the ground? You need to rely on more than just upper body strength. Train EVERY part of you. Develop your lower body strength, improve your running speed, your hand eye coordination, etc. This may sound like an obvious tip, but you'd be surprised how many people don't follow this tip and spend all of their training time focusing just on developing a better punch.

2. Focus on training in more than just one style. This kind of goes with the first tip. This isn't boxing, this is MMA. There are all different styles and you need to be prepared for them. If you rely mostly on boxing skills and you face someone who is skilled in submissions, you're going to be in big trouble. Try to have an understanding of wrestling, judo, leg kicks, etc.

3. Train for ground fighting. This is so important. Like I've said, you need to train in many different styles and parts of your body. But if there is one area to focus most of the time on, it would be ground fighting. Seriously, watch an MMA event. You'll notice just how many fights go to the ground. You need to be prepared for this. You need to know how to escape if someone has the mount position on you. You also need to know how to force a submission if you have the mount and you are losing energy after throwing multiple punches. DON'T skip ground graining!

4. Don't bother spending too much of your time with punching bags. Use your time to train with a live partner and focus on takedowns. If you can master the art of the takedown, you can easily take your opponent down and finish the fight. Remember, when it comes to ground fighting, the person who ends up in the mount position is usually the one who went for the takedown. Don't wait for them to take you down. Make the move.

5. Recognize your weaknesses and don't fret over them. If you have a weakness for kicks, don't obsess over trying to fix your weakness. Every fighter has a weakness in some part of their fighting style. Sure, it's good to practice and try to improve your skills in your weak area. But, you can also make up that lack of skill with skill in speed and takedowns.

Hopefully you have learned something from these 5 tips. If you didn't notice, these tips generally have the same theme of technique over power. If you don't believe this is true, just take a look at some of Royce Gracie's older fights. Back when there weren't weight limits, Royce Gracie sometimes fought against fighters that were 200+ pounds bigger than him, but Royce Gracie would still get the win. Royce knew how to take them down and he knew how to make them submit. Follow his example. :)