Competed for the first time in MMA — here is what I learned

After 10 months of training MMA I entered my first competition. I lost. It was the best thing that's happened to my development in the sport.

Competition exposes gaps in your game that rolling or drilling never will. My guard passing fell apart under pressure. My understanding of transitions was theoretical, not instinctive. I came home with a specific list of things to fix, which is more valuable than any win. how everything connects into one system was what I took away from the experience beyond the tactical lessons. If your gym trains you for competition, do it. It will accelerate you.