Working the body in mma

Imagine a guy like DC mixing body shots and headshots with knees and takedown threat against the cage or in the clinch.

That's the definition of a nightmare.

But I'm pretty sure it's very tough on your energy level to mix up body and head shots, most guys only do 2-3 strikes combos to not get burned out. This maybe the reason we only see Holloway and the Diaz brothers doing it.
 
Under-utilised for sure but we are seeing more and more of the top guys starting to use them
 
SCTwins said:
Body shots are way underutilized in MMA, unless you are Nick Diaz.

Sooooo many times guys burn themselves out punching an opponents arms against the cage. I would love to see more body shots. They are debilitating and can easily change the course of the fight. Everyone wants the big overhand KO punch.
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Nick was who came to mind for me too. I'm a big fan of body shots as part of combos but not a lead body shot for MMA. You end up going nightie night like Chuck vs Rampage.
 
xHeadx said:
Nick was who came to mind for me too. I'm a big fan of body shots as part of combos but not a lead body shot for MMA. You end up going nightie night like Chuck vs Rampage.
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Chuck’s body shot was a lazy execution against rampage. It’s not that body shots are inherently bad as an initiating attack.
 
Because this isn't boxing. You have three rounds, 5 tops to make something happen. Your opponent can even take you down and it can become a grappling match. Working the body takes time one may not have.
 
Oooxente said:
Body work is a very high risk low reward when you have at best 25 minutes ti end the fight and the only thing the adversary needs to do to rest is LnP/WnS on you for 10 minutes without worrying.
Ask RDA.
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On the same note body work is what helped him wilt Robbie.
 
Also, Nam Pham was an awesome body puncher.

When Jordon Mein goes for it he is a vicious body puncher
 
kflo said:
Chuck’s body shot was a lazy execution against rampage. It’s not that body shots are inherently bad as an initiating attack.
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Yeah, I agree. Didn't mean to imply the lead body shot is bad, just not a preference for me. I've seen it executed nicely.
 
Serra landed his punch on GSP after bombing the ribcage a bit
 
I think body work in MMA has an application in terms of lowering the opponent's guard, but fatiguing them in a three round fight can be a tall order. To do that, you'd have to commit to the body very early and keep it up. Sort of like how leg kicks pay off over time in limiting the opponent's mobility, yet I often see fighters throw their first leg kicks midway through the last round.
 
Oooxente said:
Body work is a very high risk low reward when you have at best 25 minutes ti end the fight and the only thing the adversary needs to do to rest is LnP/WnS on you for 10 minutes without worrying.
Ask RDA.
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Its not high risk low reward if you're an expert at it. One way of doing that is when you hurt your opponent with a head shot and they cover up. You flurry to the head then sneak in a nice body shot or 2. With full power. Body work can also be done with kicks and even knees. The front snap kick is a low risk medium reward technique that becomes low to medium risk high reward when landed repeatedly, especially to a tiring opponent. And when you're opponent gasses, more body shots will become easier to land. You so need ti start early if you can or wait till they waste energy. If done properly (if you're opponent wastes energy even better), you can gas someone who has decent conditioning in under 2 rounds.
 
fortheo said:
It's too bad RDA couldn't get off more. I re-watched him vs. Nate recently and after 4-5 kicks Nate could barely walk. I wish he had more space to work, but Colby smothered him.
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We're talking about body work, not leg kicks.
 
Body shots are great, but you leave your head exposed when you drop your hand(s) to land it. As such, there's an inherent risk to throwing them, which is why you don't see them as often as other "wear-you-down" strikes like the leg kick.
 
caesar said:
Fuck 'Curt Hennig' was the best, he can sell a move like no other, just like Bret Hart.
The only problem with body shots,...hard to commit to them because you leave yourself open for a counter,....I think its why fighters shy away from using it more often.
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Give him 180 he’ll give you 540

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GBJohn said:
I think body work in MMA has an application in terms of lowering the opponent's guard, but fatiguing them in a three round fight can be a tall order. To do that, you'd have to commit to the body very early and keep it up. Sort of like how leg kicks pay off over time in limiting the opponent's mobility, yet I often see fighters throw their first leg kicks midway through the last round.
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If you're opponent likes to throw heavy shots constantly and you avoid those, you've done half the job by getting them to waste energy on their own. Body work becomes easier. STUFFING TAKEDOWNS CONSTANTLY is a bonus. If you watch Maldonado vs Villante, Maldo lost round 1 and only started his body work midway through the 2nd round and Villante was the walking dead in round 3. Maldo started walking him down and throwing whatever he wanted without even worrying about being hit back lol.
 
Quebec Nick said:
Imagine a guy like DC mixing body shots and headshots with knees and takedown threat against the cage or in the clinch.

That's the definition of a nightmare.

But I'm pretty sure it's very tough on your energy level to mix up body and head shots, most guys only do 2-3 strikes combos to not get burned out. This maybe the reason we only see Holloway and the Diaz brothers doing it.
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If you're DC and load up on the body shots, you're too short for knees. If you're Anderson Silva and load up on the knees, you're too tall for bodyshots and inside boxing. There's no perfect style because there's no perfect body.

As much as I hate to say it, there's no perfect body except Brock's. Average height at HW -- center of gravity not too low, not too high. Good for any kind of striking. Fucking 280, strong as an ox. Somehow fast, co-ordinated, and has 5 round cardio. Unfortunately, he just has shit skills. Put Fedor or DC into that body.. holy fucking shit.
 
Squintz said:
Give him 180 he’ll give you 540

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Repeated front snap kicks to the solar plexus do the job and they're low risk for the most part. They're hard to catch and if you try to counter with your own punches, you leave your body open and all they have to do is move their head off target area whilst kicking. You can go for punches later after they've lost some stamina. Also, by now every one should be mixing in head and body punches when they've rocked an opponent anyways. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't.
 
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