Derrick Lewis: mma is easier than boxing

WildWestWhoopAss said:
Derrick Lewis on UFC Unfiltered podcast says he chose mma over boxing because mma is easier.

He believes the grappling aspect gives "resting" phases not allowed in boxing. So one does not need to train as hard as boxers do.

Do you believe he is on to something?
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Grappling is very well-known to require the most intensive cardio. I wouldn't expect Derrick Lewis to know this.
 
Look, MMA is easier to get into because it has so many aspects into it. It allows for your athleticism, speed, toughness, all those things to shine. In boxing its just talent and technique. Sure you get your occasional guy who is fun to watch and throws bombs but, that isnt often. MMA will alwawys be easier to get into because there are various martial arts people can do better in. If you can't box you just cant box. In mma if you can't box, maybe you can wrestle, maybe you can kick. There are so many aspects which makes it easier to get into. However, MMA is exponentially harder. More aspects to learn, more aspect to go against, more ways to lose. MMA is the harder sport overall, boxing is the harder sport to get into.
 
MitMcl said:
He's right but for the wrong reason. Boxing is more popular and there's more money in it. As a result, way more people attempt boxing than MMA and the talent pool is deeper.

Wrestling is way more physically exhausting than boxing though.
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The sport of boxing overall is more competitive and widely practiced with a much richer history, but I think that's more because of Amateur boxing which has a deeper talent pool and more participants than professional boxing even does. As for professional boxing vs MMA which one is more competitive? I think it's debatable either way. Which is more difficult is relative to the individual and many different circumstances.

If you look at MMA, you find a lot of it's beauty in that people with lesser wrestling backgrounds or no wrestling backgrounds can manhandle and outgrapple Olympic wrestlers and National Champions. People with no striking background can outstrike and knockout Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Boxing champions. People with no black belt level jiu jitsu competition experience can submit elite black belt competitors. MMA is taking pure human combat and showing you what is really possible under the most open rule set, it's truly profound and beautiful at the higher levels.

As for the argument that you can't just "jump into boxing and become a world champion" well, no one ever just "jumped into MMA" and became a champion without at least a few years of training either. There's a fallacy in boxing that it's so elite and technical that you must train from a young child to have a chance at the higher levels. I will name you a large slew of boxers who reached the highest level within 2-5 years of training or crossed over in adulthood from Kickboxing to become world champions and Olympic champions.

Mike Tyson - Started Boxing at 15, by 19 was world champion

Vitali Klitchko - Crossed over from Kickboxing in his 20s

Marco Huck - Longest reigning Cruiserweight champ in boxing History, Crossed over from Kickboxing at 20

Deontay Wilder - Started Boxing at 20-21 years old, in 3 years was an Olympic Medalist

Sergio Martinez - Started Boxing at 22 years old, became all time great Middleweight

Dmitry Bivol - 8 fights into pro career, world champion

Bernard Hopkins - Began Boxing in his mid to late 20s, became an all time great

There's a lot more examples of this too, one reason why boxers don't become Champions after " jumping right into boxing " is because you need a marketable record, so they beat up 20 bums, go 20-0 and then challenge for a belt. It doesn't mean they weren't good enough when they were 7-0 however. That's a difference in Marketing/Culture often times moreso than a skill differential. Anyways it's debatable.
 
JayE said:
That's not really true across the board. Indeed, some of the best credentialed wrestlers in MMA history have actually struggled with their cardio in MMA.
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As in who?

And it really is more difficult to keep a dude down all the time struggling with all his muscles with all your muscles instead of jabbing him. Kicks will tire you more. And a traditional BJJ match is tiring but it isn't wrestling tiring.
 
They are both hard/easy in their own unique aspects but in terms of competition boxing is far more difficult. Wrestling is the most tiring shit you can do but the number of body shots you take in boxing is fucking ridiculous. Both have their own merits.
 
Thug Rose said:
Tyrion_slaps_Joffrey.gif
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haha, so you admit to not training, not lifting but only slap fighting like a girl?
 
Where was Sherdog when Black Beast BTFO of the MMA world???


#REDPILLED

derrick-lewis-ufc-fight-night-86-post.jpg
 
HuskySamoan said:
The sport of boxing overall is more competitive and widely practiced with a much richer history, but I think that's more because of Amateur boxing which has a deeper talent pool and more participants than professional boxing even does. As for professional boxing vs MMA which one is more competitive? I think it's debatable either way. Which is more difficult is relative to the individual and many different circumstances.

If you look at MMA, you find a lot of it's beauty in that people with lesser wrestling backgrounds or no wrestling backgrounds can manhandle and outgrapple Olympic wrestlers and National Champions. People with no striking background can outstrike and knockout Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Boxing champions. People with no black belt level jiu jitsu competition experience can submit elite black belt competitors. MMA is taking pure human combat and showing you what is really possible under the most open rule set, it's truly profound and beautiful at the higher levels.

As for the argument that you can't just "jump into boxing and become a world champion" well, no one ever just "jumped into MMA" and became a champion without at least a few years of training either. There's a fallacy in boxing that it's so elite and technical that you must train from a young child to have a chance at the higher levels. I will name you a large slew of boxers who reached the highest level within 2-5 years of training or crossed over in adulthood from Kickboxing to become world champions and Olympic champions.

Mike Tyson - Started Boxing at 15, by 19 was world champion

Vitali Klitchko - Crossed over from Kickboxing in his 20s

Marco Huck - Longest reigning Cruiserweight champ in boxing History, Crossed over from Kickboxing at 20

Deontay Wilder - Started Boxing at 20-21 years old, in 3 years was an Olympic Medalist

Sergio Martinez - Started Boxing at 22 years old, became all time great Middleweight

Dmitry Bivol - 8 fights into pro career, world champion

Bernard Hopkins - Began Boxing in his mid to late 20s, became an all time great

There's a lot more examples of this too, one reason why boxers don't become Champions after " jumping right into boxing " is because you need a marketable record, so they beat up 20 bums, go 20-0 and then challenge for a belt. It doesn't mean they weren't good enough when they were 7-0 however. That's a difference in Marketing/Culture often times moreso than a skill differential. Anyways it's debatable.
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Mike was champion at age 20 and Bhop boxed since he was a kid. He boxed in prison when he was in his 20's and that's what your thinking of.
 
Isn't that the exact opposite of what Rogan says when fighters are clinching against the cage?
 
ItsTimeToShrekYouUp said:
Mike was champion at age 20 and Bhop boxed since he was a kid. He boxed in prison when he was in his 20's and that's what your thinking of.
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Yeah, I thought Hopkins took up boxing in Prison and then start training and competing for the first time when he got out.
 
HuskySamoan said:
Yeah, I thought Hopkins took up boxing in Prison and then start training and competing for the first time when he got out.
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He really got into boxing when he was in prison but he was boxing growing up. I don't think he was as serious about it before he went to prison. I could be wrong tho.
 
Somewhat relevant questions: what's harder folkstyle/freestyle/Greco-Roman? What's harder powerlifting/bodybuilding/weightlifting? Rock climbing or rope climbing which is more difficult?
 
From his POV, he's practically correct, almost completely. He's a HW in MMA Vs a HW in Boxing. He'd look like Dada in the 1st round if he were boxing...
 
Man the state of mind in HW grappling and the things they can get away with........
 
Boxers can rest in the clinch. If you sit there and lay on your opponent yeah you can have an easier time but against a skilled grappler you are going to have trouble. Plus MMA has everything that Boxing has and more with all of the different striking and grappling techniques. MMA is harder they just make less money than Boxing at the top level.
 
Because you are a 260lbs dude who just trains striking for MMA since you are so big that you don't need BJJ to get up when someone takes you down.And you wrestling is shit.

If you had to train wrestling and BJJ like crazy you wouldn't be saying something stupid like this.

But hey what can you expect from someone who calls himself a Black Beast, just some dumb shit like this. So so so Well Spoken
 
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