You can get into MMA journalism, or MMA writing, with little to no experience It's a misconception in the industry that new starts requi...
You can get into MMA journalism, or MMA writing, with little to no experience
It's a misconception in the industry that new starts require years of experience, or a degree befitting the field, in order to guarantee entry-level positions. The truth is, combat sports journalism is heavily gatekept, and heavily competitive; two qualities that go hand-in-hand to make it a nightmare for hopeful writers to find good work.
However, it isn't all doom-and-gloom, and you don't need to rent out your work for pennies- or for free -in order to make a mark in the industry.
The most typical advice would have you interviewing regional scene fighters and MMA promotions, but this isn't what I did, and you can follow these same steps.
Who am I?
I'm the current MMA lead writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's dedicated website. I've also written for Heavy on Sports and Bloody Elbow. Quickly approaching five years in the industry, I don't have a journalism degree, and never worked in journalism before scoring my first MMA writing job. Here's how I did it.
The important reality of MMA writing
Skill can only get you so far in a job that requires 24/7 attention. Yes, you get time off, but especially for those of us in the UK and Europe, you're up late and hitting events that stretch into Sunday morning. This isn't conventional journalism, it's mostly a 24-hour news cycle where you're likely going to be asked, or forcing yourself to hit stories you don't necessarily want to hit.
Unfortunately, the demand isn't quite there yet in MMA for the hardcore journalism you'd find in real mainstream sports, and this isn't helped by the UFC's stranglehold on media relations. PR and network connections come slow, especially if you're a reserved individual who doesn't want to plunge themselves into the influencer scene.
How to access the industry with no experience or qualifications
1. Make your own blog as a portfolio
Build a personal blog where you can develop a portfolio of work to offer potential employers. I did this with my (now defunct) Fight Fanatic page, which accrued more than 100,000 followers across socials, and dozens of my own work online.
A blog will cost you roughly £26 upfront, plus £15 a month to maintain domain registration on service providers like GoDaddy or SiteGround. This is important because experience with WordPress is quintessential, it's the industry-standard tool.
Plus, you never know, your blog might just become one of those big websites in the future.
2. Familiarize yourself with SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the number one thing separating good authors from great ones. You can have a standout article, but if it isn't optimized for Google search, then it's no good in the eyes of many managing editors for the biggest MMA websites around.
Reddit is your best friend, use forums like r/seo or r/bigseo to tune up on your SEO best practices, and put yourself a step ahead of everybody else in the race. I'll get you started on what to look at:
- Headline optimization
- How to structure headings
- Keyword research and optimization
- Meta Data optimization
- Effective use of images and file types
- How to use Google Analytics and Google Search Console
3. Cold outreach
You won't be headhunted by your blog alone, unless it goes viral. Otherwise, it's best to look for a website you like (with realistic expectations), and reach out to their managing editor by email or through LinkedIn and give them your proposal and portfolio for review.
It can take time, but if you do good work, with working knowledge of WordPress (your own blog), and SEO bonus points, eventually something will stick.
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