10 MMA Fighters That Need a Change in Training Camps

Before I start, I have a kind of odd confession to make.

I’ve been a boxing fan for about as long as I’ve been walking; it’s just how our house was, and I am grateful for it.

But while I followed boxing, I used to find myself deeply troubled when a fighter, such as Oscar De La Hoya, would abandon one trainer and jump to a new one.

In an odd way, it seems like some bizarre form of abandonment… but when MMA came to be, and fighters started leaving one training camp for another, I noticed I felt different.

Now, fighters spending time with many different camps during the course of their career is nearly the norm—the camps they depart from wishing them well and keeping a locker waiting and available should they return.

MMA is a demanding sport—the most demanding sport there is, really. There are no do-overs, no “well get ‘em next season,” no five seconds grace in the clinch before the ref breaks you up; no middle ground at all.

You are either all in or all out.

With those kinds of stakes, many fighters approach the “game” of MMA like one would approach the task of becoming a Rhodes Scholar—with a good pair of shoes, a love of travel and an open mind.

So, with an open mind, I have compiled a list of 10 fighters that could probably benefit from a change of scenery, because nearly all change forces some kind of evolution.

And in MMA, evolution is king of the jungle.

Josh Koscheck

While Josh Koscheck might have hated AKA, he did thrive under that banner, really measuring up as second best to Georges St-Pierre, which still put him above everyone else in the division (save perhaps for Jon Fitch.)

While no one doubts that the split was good for his soul (really, who should train anyplace where they dislike the conditions for any reason), he has since dropped his last two bouts.

When you look at how stacked the welterweight division is, another loss would put him on the outer fringes of the top 10, and two loses would drop him out of the top 10 completely.

Now training out of Fresno, California, Koscheck has options. No doubt he wants to establish his own gym and fighters, but right now, he’s only as good as his standing in the sport.

Koscheck is a great fighter in need of a new landscape, and he’d be a great fit at many gyms, but Xtreme Couture (where he knows many of the fighters) or perhaps even The Pit would be two camps that would augment the weakest links in his chain.

Jon Fitch

Much like Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch is experiencing what some might call hard times, having recently been released by the UFC after losing two of his last three bouts.

But Fitch has the kind of work ethic that you just don’t see every day, or most days for that matter, and his grappling game is incredibly sound.

Hitting the road with Koscheck and joining up with Chuck Liddell and everyone else at The Pit would really shake things up for both men, in all the right ways.

Jake Shields

The same that was said for Nick and Nate Diaz could be said for Jake Shields: he’s a man in need of a change, because it looks like he’s developed about as much as he can under Cesar Gracie.

What Shields really needs to do is find a camp that can help him uncover and maximize any hidden striking potential he has—he’s a wiz on the ground, but this far his striking has been token and uninspired.

A migration to Mark DellaGrotte’s Sityodtong could be just what the doctor ordered: a small classroom with intense instruction and a near claustrophobic atmosphere that demands you fight your way to any breathing room you get. 

Ed Herman

After his incredible bout against Kendall Grove in the TUF 3 finale, Ed Herman is a fighter long on rage and desire but short on the attention usually afforded a man with potential.

Tough and gritty, Herman is an often overlooked fighter that could really use some focused attention, and he could find it at a camp like the Wand Fight Team.  Being that Wanderlei Silva is there nearly every day, rubbing shoulders with a man like that on a frequent basis would enrich and enable his aggression with the kind of purity of motive and clarity of intent rarely found anywhere else.

Mac Danzig

As the winner of the TUF 6 plaque, Mac Danzig has seemed to struggle ever since, which is a shame considering just how talented a fighter he is.

He’s got considerable skills in many areas and legitimate KO power, not to mention dedication and self discipline—all attributes that should have seen his star rise much higher than it has.

As of now, he has lost six of his last nine fights, and if ever there was a man in serious need of new direction, it’s Danzig.

Moving to Tri-Star would be the perfect and would provide him with the kind of attention and coaches that could get him back to winning form.  

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

If there is anyone on this list who needs to have a career overhaul if they want to remain a fighter in the ever changing world of professional MMA, it’s Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Jackson is a bit of an oddity in the world of MMA, seeming to de-evolve as his career matured. As of now he seems nothing more than a heavy handed boxer with the strength to slam opponents silly if the opportunity is handed to him on a silver platter.

As much as he hates to admit it, he could do wonders for his career if he re-dedicated himself to his chosen profession and was willing to work hard under the tutelage of men like Wanderlei Silva, Demian Maia, Rafael Cordeiro and Cristiano Marcello at the Wand Fight Team.

It would be a reunion of two Pride FC stand outs who know each other very well, and Silva could help Jackson rediscover the joy he once found in hard competition.

And his striking and jiu-jitsu game would rise considerably.

B.J. Penn

As a man with such a storied past, it’s always been hard to reconcile the idea of B.J. Penn training anywhere that he wouldn’t be the top dog, calling all the shots.

But if he’s going to continue fighting, perhaps it is time to revisit the mindset that helped him earn his first UFC belt.

Leading up to his first bout with Matt Hughes, Penn trained with Randy Couture, and it helped him in many ways.

Now he needs help again, and while many may laugh, I firmly believe he should swallow his pride, commit to returning to the lightweight division and go train at the Tri-Star gym in Canada.

The biggest obstacle to this is Penn himself, because the powers that be would love to have “The Prodigy” step into their gym. They welcomed Dan Hardy with open arms, and they would do the same for Penn, especially if he was dedicated to the lightweight division.

And if that didn’t suit him, he could always go train with Anderson Silva in Brazil. They’d make it quite a homecoming for him, because Silva loves Penn.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

It’s hard to believe a man as talented and experienced as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is on a skid that’s seen him lose three of his last five bouts, especially when you consider just how much the former Chute Boxe stand-out has going for him.

Power, aggression, improvisation, true grit, skill and desire, all coupled with what used to be excellent technique.

He was really his best when he was fighting out of Chute Boxe; some of that might also be due to his youth at the time, but much of it was his camp.

As tough a patch as Rua is having right now, the former Pride & UFC champion still has time to rebuild himself, and what way would be better for him to get back to that old and glorious form that to reunite with some of the men who helped shape his career?

Rua could easily reunite with Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva, spending time at both camps and rekindling that fire that saw him tear through the light heavyweight division in Pride.

And that would be a sight to see, even without knees and kicks to the head of a downed opponent. 

Amir Sadollah

Times have been “tough” (*ahem*) for TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah, who has lost two of his last three bouts.

When Sadollah won the show, his was a Rocky/Cinderella story that endeared him to the hearts of many, with his humble demeanor and warrior spirit.

But that was quite a while ago, and the more time that passes the less we seem to hear about him, which is a shame because the man knows how to fight.

Perhaps it is time for him to take a feather from the cap of Randy Couture and shake things up by exploring a different camp.

Couture was well known for expanding his knowledge base by training with many different people, and we all know how well that worked out for him.

Sadollah could spend some time at Tri-Star while never losing his home base at Xtreme Couture, and such a change might invigorate his outlook on fighting and give his career the kick in the pants that it needs.

Nick & Nate Diaz

The last 5 months have not been kind to Nick and Nate Diaz.

Both men lost their bids at UFC gold (with both hardly winning a round), and Nate endured another setback by suffering his first ever KO/TKO in his bout with Josh Thompson.

If there were ever two fighters who could use a change of scenery, it’s the brothers Diaz. Both are great fighters, but they’ve risen about as high as they are going to from their perch in the 209.

Ideally, I’d like to see them cross the country to Florida and start training with the likes of the legendary Kenny Monday, Rashad Evans, Mario Sperry, Tyrone Spong, Alistair Overeem, Rashad Evans and others at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center.

If that wouldn’t work, there’s always Black House or Wanderlei Silva’s team, as both camps could seriously raise their stock in both striking and takedown defense.