Chris Wing’s Journey to Professional MMA Fighting
by Ben Zeidler on June 07, 2010
In Malcolm Gladwell’s most recent take on statistics, fortune, and future, Outliers, he highlights what is now known as the 10,000 hour rule. In short, one needs to put in roughly 10,000 hours of practice before achieving what Gladwell defines as “the key to success in any field.”
Unfortunately, in the sporting world (and MMA specifically), by the time an athlete reaches 10,000 hours, he is typically no longer at his athletic peak. Rather, he is usually well past it.
However, there are a few examples of fighters who started so young that they were able to reach the benchmark during the prime of their careers. One such as example is Lyoto Machida, who was trained by his father, a Shotokan karate master, at the age of three.
Another example is Georges St. Pierre, who began his training in Kyukushin karate at age seven.
A final example is Chris Wing, who aims to make his pro debut on June 11, 2010, and who could very well reach his 10,000 hours before Machida or St. Pierre did.
To understand Chris, and his transformation from amateur champion to professional fighter, it is necessary to go back in time. When Chris was just five years old, he began taking karate with the support of his father, Jim Wing. This initial experience blossomed into a love of martial arts, which saw Chris train for his first amateur fight at the young age of 19. Chris expounds on what he knew at the time as his destiny: “I knew I wanted to be a professional fighter before the first fight. It was just a question of testing the waters.”
Chris succeeded in his first fight, and many fights after that, racking up an 8-2 amateur record with three different titles in three different weight classes in the popular promotion, New Breed Fighters. While these accomplishments are certainly impressive, there are amateur fighters all over the country with similarly extraordinary resumes. So the question remains: what makes Chris Wing different?
For starters, he trains with the best fighters in the world, a luxury that few can boast. Aside from training at his home camp, Wing’s Martial Arts Academy (wingsmartialarts.com), Chris spends two sessions per week at AMA Fight Club (amafightclub.com) in Whippany, NJ. AMA is home to UFC veterans Jim and Dan Miller, as well as UFC newcomers Charlie Brennaman and Ricardo Romero. The story of Chris and his introduction to AMA is a good one.
Mike Constantino, head coach of AMA, tells it best: “Chris Wing came in with (UFC veteran) Chris Liguori. We usually don’t let outsiders into pro team training, but Chris just kind of stuck.”
Chris tells it a little bit differently: “When I first started there, it was definitely a shock. But now, I’m keeping up with the guys there. The caliber of training partners there has really brought me to the next level.” For those hoping for an easy transition from amateur fights to the pros, Chris embodies a different approach. “I train full time for 5-6 days in a week: strength & conditioning, wrestling, MMA, everything.”
Chris has remained humble throughout his career, but perhaps he shouldn’t be. Constantino offers only glowing praise for the young prospect: “He’s an untapped resource. He’s 22 years old and is already doing his first show. He has a great support system and his…
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