Cornermen: How important are they?

[Crazyced]

First off, I'm not implying that they are useless. But I would like your opinion on how important they are exactly and how much they can possibly affect the outcome of fights.

Of course some fighter needs corners more then others and not all cornermen are made equal. But lets say for every fight, on of the 2 fighter is randomly selected to not have a corner. All he has is a stool/water bottle setup for him (and a cut man if needed).

How skewed (if at all) would the winning ratio be in your opinion?

 

[ABC]

cornermen are very important. When you are on the ground, having somebody who knows what they are doing really helps because they can see their opponent setting things up that the fighter might not be able to see. They also provide feedback and helps the fighter cool down and focus in between rounds.

 

[CI]

i believe they are important. the see things at a different angle that could help a fighter.

recognize patterns from the opponent and bring that to the attention of that fighter, etc.

 

[velvet goldmine]

I just know if you've got Penn's cornermen in your corner, you're fucked...plain and simple.

 

[BrazilianDude]

At the gym I practice there are some pro fighters. One of them, which I think will be the most successful, says he is all lost without the corner. He says he just stays defensive and if he does not get instructions he just gets insecure to attack. Good thing is he follows the instructions perfectly, so it has been working for him. So far he's 5-0.

I think cornerman are important, but some of them screw fighters. One great example is Murilo Ninja cornering Shogun. He ALWAYS tells Shogun he won the round. It's incredibly annoying and misleading.

 

[spid3yo]

Everybody is different, it depends on the fighter.


Some guys tune out everything during the fight, others are conditioned to hear their corner amongst the noise.

In between rounds also depends on the fighter. Some need more general motivation, others want detailed feedback. A good corner will know what a fighter needs and provide it.

 

[Danas Mom**]

Well, BJ Penns corner(yes)men probably do not help him at all. They never offer technical advice. Only emotional support and things like "kick his ass." ect.

Some cornermen can really help. Even though I cant stand his squierrely voice, Greg Jackson always seems to have useful information for his fighters between rounds.

It all comes down to whether or not the fighter will listen to his corner or not though, because if they arent listening, it doesnt matter what is being said.

 

[joeyjoejoe]

If you have a good second they can be what wins you the fight. Some seem useless I know

 

[TheSauce]

i like when they shout, "YOU GOTTA WIN"

 

[Threetrees]

Cornermen see things the fight can't, they're not in a position that is as stressful so they can think clearer - among other things.

Good cornering is a must in high level MMA, even if the fighter doesn't listen to strategy, having a calming voice between rounds, or a motivating one if that's what you need can be a godsend. It really makes a difference. However a lot of MMA coaches aren't great cornermen, so sometimes it doesn't make a difference.

 

[Cutty]

They are very important.They know about the individual fighter's power level.They know how much more a person can give, how the figthers can get back from adversity, how to motivate them, plus when it's necessary to change game plans because things aren't working they can tell the fighter, from an objective standpoint.


Sure, some are so great they don't really need a lot of guidance but, the majority do.Guys like BJ penn could be so much better with a proper cornerman.

 

[sturmgeist]

Cornermen are as important as the fighter lets them be. Get a good one that you listen to and respond to his instructions, and he may be your key to victory. Tyson would have been nothing without Cus d'Amato playing him like a Nintendo game. And it follows that if you don't listen to them, they might as well not even be there.

Of course you want a Matt Serra in your corner if you're smart, and not a Jorge Rivera. You can only listen to "Make him pay!" so many times before you wonder WTF it means...

 

[Rollotomassi]

They can help or hurt or have no effect, depends on fight and fighter. JDS's corner was horrible and broke golden rule of cornermen during his fight.

 

[Geordie "Shadow" Munro]

A good corner is very important. They see things you may not, obviously we have seen many times in the past how some corners can be detrimental to a fighters success in a close fight. (i.e. telling a fighter he is up 2 rounds when he is clearly losing or 1-1 or a toss up).

 

[Cygnus-X]

John Danaher: Extremely important.

Whoever corners BJ: Extremely unimportant.

 

[axewand]

Without cornermen, they would go into the fight alone, walk alone from the locker room to the cage with no people wearing same shirt they wear, put their own banner on the cage by themselves while being introduced, and sit on the corner alone during end of rounds. Imagine how awkward that would look like?


Not to mention the hugs and the slaps before going inside the cage

 

[Crazyced]

Without cornermen, they would go into the fight alone, walk alone from the locker room to the cage with no people wearing same shirt they wear, put their own banner on the cage by themselves while being introduced, and sit on the corner alone during end of rounds. Imagine how awkward that would look like?

That's pretty much what tennis players do (minus the banner thing). :icon_lol:

 

[swirldog]

A good corner is a big asset. Fighters get used to the voices during sparring.

 

[Mooner]

THey are important, but not as important as everyone make it out to be.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

They're as important as the information they give the fighter. Also if the fighter listens to the advice. If they don't then even the best cornerman is useless.