By Jillian Bullock

When many people look at mixed martial arts fighters they tend to think that these people make a living with their hands, knees, elbows, and feet because they are uneducated thugs or bar brawlers who can’t make a good living doing anything else – meaning any white collar type job or one that calls for a college degree. However, those same people would be very surprised to find out that many MMA fighters do have formal education under their championship belts. In the UFC, 70% of fighters have college degrees.

Some media outlets still paint a picture as mixed martial artists being nothing more than street fighters. It is a stereotype many fighters and MMA organizations are trying to change in order to gain more acceptance as a legitimate sport with real athletes.