What sets pro fighters apart from the rest of us?

[Frost]

So I am lucky enough to train at a gym that has several professional MMA fighters, a few of whom have contracts with the UFC, for those of you that have trained with pro fighters (or are one yourself) what for you sets them apart from the other people in your gym?

For me one of the biggest differences is their physical abilities, they tend to be extremely strong and explosive in comparison to others I train with. I have sparred and rolled with guys that compete under 77kg (I am about 100kg and fairly strong and fit) and the strength and power these guys have Is unbelievable. And it tends to be something they are born with, several of the guys I know started out in the gym after me and even on their first sessions you could feel there strength and explosiveness

Secondly for me it’s their determination and willingness to withstand pain I could never take. I remember watching one of our guys second fight where he dislocated his knee when his opponent pulled guard, it popped back in as he hit the floor and he continued to fight for another round before his opponent through in the towel. He had to rehab the leg for months after that. I also know so many of them that have second and third jobs as the pay in MMA is so little, yet they are willing to do those jobs in order to try to make it.

Another trait I have seen among them (although this trait is in all the guys that train) s they actually enjoy training, they are always smiling and joking and willing to help/train with other students not at their level. When fight time nears it changes and they become more focused, but generally I have yet to meet one of them that is actually anything other than nice and helpful and who has any problems being tapped out in training. I remember once rolling with a visiting pro and having his back whilst the rest of the class stopped and watched me try to choke him out, there was no ego or insecurity from him, he worked at the same methodical pace he had been working at and worked out of the choke secured side control and tapped me, then we continued to roll.

So for me there determination, physical skills that set them apart from others, any thoughts?

[sanjuro_ronin]

People who excel in a physical endevour to the point that they are professional ( athletes not teachers) are the creme-de-la-creme, the genetic freaks.
But that is only part of the picture.
There is a drive to be the best and to be the best you truly have to BEAT the best.
As our good buddy Ric Flair used to say:
To be the MAN you have got to beat the MAN !

The elite know this and even if it is not realistic for them to be the "elite of the elite", that continues to be their drive.

The elite also KNOW themselves, you won't find any 100 meter sprinters doing 5k runs, they know what they are good at.

Pro's also understand ego and know how to focus it, at least the smart ones do.

For us mere mortals, the factor that sticks out th emost is the physical one, but when it comes to reaching that "wall", which all athlete do, it then becomes a mental one and truly, in the elite levels, the difference is mental more than physical.

[Frost]

People who excel in a physical endevour to the point that they are professional ( athletes not teachers) are the creme-de-la-creme, the genetic freaks.
But that is only part of the picture.
There is a drive to be the best and to be the best you truly have to BEAT the best.
As our good buddy Ric Flair used to say:
To be the MAN you have got to beat the MAN !

The elite know this and even if it is not realistic for them to be the "elite of the elite", that continues to be their drive.

The elite also KNOW themselves, you won't find any 100 meter sprinters doing 5k runs, they know what they are good at.

Pro's also understand ego and know how to focus it, at least the smart ones do.

For us mere mortals, the factor that sticks out th emost is the physical one, but when it comes to reaching that "wall", which all athlete do, it then becomes a mental one and truly, in the elite levels, the difference is mental more than physical.

yep as i said that fight where my friend dislocated his knee yet continued to fight and win really for me showed the difference in the mental part of what it takes to be really good, i knew then he would make it (he has since gone onto have a couple of fights in the UFC)