50 cent "If your a fan of boxing you should like mma"

[XCuTioNeR]

Hopefully pro Boxer KJ signs with Bellator.

 

[Seano]

Did he win based on a couple takedowns a round?

I guess he got points for heart and a good chin.

I don't know whats going on here, why is this the last strikeforce show?

 

[XCuTioNeR]

I guess he got points for heart and a good chin.

I don't know whats going on here, why is this the last strikeforce show?

Yes, contract finally ended.

 

[consortium11]

I guess he got points for heart and a good chin.

I don't know whats going on here, why is this the last strikeforce show?

Zuffa and Showtime fell out; Strikeforce wasn't getting the ratings Showtime wanted and Zuffa kept taking the few name fighters Strikeforce had and bringing them over to the UFC. Strikeforce's roster kept getting thinner and thinner, shows got weaker and weaker (or just cancelled), ratings got lower and lower and by the end it simply wasn't really a going concern.

 

[Seano]

edit

 

[Kuggk]

I enjoy both. I started off with boxing.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Boring fighters with the same styles. The sport has evolved into something I dont want to watch anymore.

There are many legitimate criticisms of MMA. This is not one of them.

How can anyone who watches the sport honestly try to argue that guys like Nick Diaz, Demian Maia, GSP, or Dong Hyun Kim have remotely similar styles. (Just randomly picked guys from one weight class.)

It is the biggest myth about MMA that the progression is towards more well rounded clones.

 

[Seano]

There are many legitimate criticisms of MMA. This is not one of them.

How can anyone who watches the sport honestly try to argue that guys like Nick Diaz, Demian Maia, GSP, or Dong Hyun Kim have remotely similar styles. (Just randomly picked guys from one weight class.)

It is the biggest myth about MMA that the progression is towards more well rounded clones.

You definitely don't have the diversity in MMA that you did 10 years ago. Fighters found a formula that works and 90% of them train that.

 

[EndlessCritic]

I would argue you had less diversity in the past. In the past, all you had were guys who were mediocre to good at one aspect, and sucked at everything else.

Today, guys tend to be good at everything in varying degrees, and tend to "specialize" in whatever they hold a comparative advatnage. The key point is that not all "specialists" are the same. Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Junior dos Santos, and Nick Diaz are all arguably "strikers", but their striking style is completely different. Demian Maia, Roger Gracie, and Joe Lauzon are all arguably "jiujitsu" fighters, but their jiujitsu is completely different. Dong Hyun Kim, Georges St. Pierre, and Ben Askren are all arguably "wrestlers", but their takedown games are completely different.

The formula that works is training with other elite fighters, and imposing your own game. It just so happens that the vast majority of fighters have completely different games.

 

[Sunfish]

I would argue you had less diversity in the past. In the past, all you had were guys who were mediocre to good at one aspect, and sucked at everything else.

Today, guys tend to be good at everything in varying degrees, and tend to "specialize" in whatever they hold a comparative advatnage. The key point is that not all "specialists" are the same. Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Junior dos Santos, and Nick Diaz are all arguably "strikers", but their striking style is completely different. Demian Maia, Roger Gracie, and Joe Lauzon are all arguably "jiujitsu" fighters, but their jiujitsu is completely different. Dong Hyun Kim, Georges St. Pierre, and Ben Askren are all arguably "wrestlers", but their takedown games are completely different.

The formula that works is training with other elite fighters, and imposing your own game. It just so happens that the vast majority of fighters have completely different games.

Boxing has many styles within it. When you multiply the various facets of mma with the various techniques there is far more room for variable styles which is why it is astonishing that so many of them follow a similar formula.

 

[EndlessCritic]

But what formula are you referring to...

All of the UFC champions have completely different styles.

Demetrious uses in and out boxing to set up his double legs.
Cruz uses highly unorthodox footwork to set up his knee tap.
Aldo is a technical, highly explosive Muay Thai striker.
Henderson imposes his leg kicks to set up takedowns and ground and pound.
GSP times his double legs off of his boxing and gameplans to control opponent's on the ground.
Anderson is a sniper.
Jones uses his reach and sets up takedowns when his opponents are hurt.
Velasquez constantly pressures takedowns to wear his opponents down with cardio.

Are there similiarities? Sure. Is there a formula all of them are following? Absolutely not.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

But what formula are you referring to...

All of the UFC champions have completely different styles.

Demetrious uses in and out boxing to set up his double legs.
Cruz uses highly unorthodox footwork to set up his knee tap.
Aldo is a technical, highly explosive Muay Thai striker.
Henderson imposes his leg kicks to set up takedowns and ground and pound.
GSP times his double legs off of his boxing and gameplans to control opponent's on the ground.
Anderson is a sniper.
Jones uses his reach and sets up takedowns when his opponents are hurt.
Velasquez constantly pressures takedowns to wear his opponents down with cardio.

Are there similiarities? Sure. Is there a formula all of them are following? Absolutely not.

Holy shit....

an intelligent post. Well said sir.

 

[Sunfish]

But what formula are you referring to...

All of the UFC champions have completely different styles.

Demetrious uses in and out boxing to set up his double legs.
Cruz uses highly unorthodox footwork to set up his knee tap.
Aldo is a technical, highly explosive Muay Thai striker.
Henderson imposes his leg kicks to set up takedowns and ground and pound.
GSP times his double legs off of his boxing and gameplans to control opponent's on the ground.
Anderson is a sniper.
Jones uses his reach and sets up takedowns when his opponents are hurt.
Velasquez constantly pressures takedowns to wear his opponents down with cardio.

Are there similiarities? Sure. Is there a formula all of them are following? Absolutely not.

I watch every UFC so I'm not being a dick here, but I agree it was more fun when specialists fought specialists. Being ok at most things and good by mma standards at a couple is what I was meaning.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

But what formula are you referring to...

All of the UFC champions have completely different styles.

Demetrious uses in and out boxing to set up his double legs.
Cruz uses highly unorthodox footwork to set up his knee tap.
Aldo is a technical, highly explosive Muay Thai striker.
Henderson imposes his leg kicks to set up takedowns and ground and pound.
GSP times his double legs off of his boxing and gameplans to control opponent's on the ground.
Anderson is a sniper.
Jones uses his reach and sets up takedowns when his opponents are hurt.
Velasquez constantly pressures takedowns to wear his opponents down with cardio.

Are there similiarities? Sure. Is there a formula all of them are following? Absolutely not.

Great post.

And this is why it's hard for me to believe that a boxer can compete with a MMArtist in a real fight. Styles make fights and when you outnumber your opponent in styles, you not only have the style edge, but the mental one as your opponent is unsure of which style you will use as he only has his hands.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Honestly there was never a time when specialists fought specialists.

Royce Gracie's jiujitsu, while underrated by some, is not at the level of today's best.

Some great wrestlers/judokas competed in the past, but there are plenty of today with D-1 NCAA titles and olympians.

The level of striking is actually still fairly weak today, but it is a vast improvement over where it was.

 

[Sunfish]

Honestly there was never a time when specialists fought specialists.

Royce Gracie's jiujitsu, while underrated by some, is not at the level of today's best.

Some great wrestlers/judokas competed in the past, but there are plenty of today with D-1 NCAA titles and olympians.

The level of striking is actually still fairly weak today, but it is a vast improvement over where it was.

Ok, let's rephrase. Not specialist, but with one heavily emphasised skill.

 

[EndlessCritic]

The whole point is though that you don't get into uniqueness of style until you hit the specialization stage.

GSP, Dong Hyun Kim, and Ben Askren have unique takedown styles BECAUSE they're specialists. You're only going to have the unique game once you hit the specialization stage. Until then you're just going to be playing around with the basics, which describes about 99% of striking in MMA.

Then again, being a master of the basics is a style in and of itself: see Roger Gracie.

 

[Seano]

I would argue you had less diversity in the past. In the past, all you had were guys who were mediocre to good at one aspect, and sucked at everything else.
.

I agree. And it made for better fights. Less predictability.

 

[Reinhard]

Great post.

And this is why it's hard for me to believe that a boxer can compete with a MMArtist in a real fight. Styles make fights and when you outnumber your opponent in styles, you not only have the style edge, but the mental one as your opponent is unsure of which style you will use as he only has his hands.

KK, cuz a double-leg takedown is what you should use in the streets.