Has watching MMA made you a better fighter?

[Rea_ctor]

How many of you untrained lunatics have tried pulling off a move you've seen in MMA?
Anyone tried throwing an cheeky elbow, maybe a takedown, or tried some BJJ when things hit the floor?
Any success/failure stories to share?

 

[MescalineDreams]

absolutely, though I can't speak for the untrained.

Depends on the person

Some are very visual and can learn a lot / absorb data from watching more than others. Others need to actually feel / experience It first hand.

I feel like every event I pick up some subtle thing that I apply to training the next day.

 

[TGArthur]

i'm an expert UFCer without ever training just by watching

 

[Dillashaw's Monkey Kick]

Never done any of that stuff in a real fight, but I've been trying out the switch jump TJ does while throwing a jab and it usually gets most people confused, at least for a couple of times. And then they're widely open for a straight right

 

[Gorkle]

After watching MMA for just 60 days, I became the undefeated champion of the world.

Thanks Dana.

 

[Rea_ctor]

absolutely, though I can't speak for the untrained.

Depends on the person though

Some are very visual and can learn a lot / absorb data from watching more than others.

I feel like every event I pick up some subtle thing that I apply to training the next day.

I always thought watching MMA would make me decent, I then went and trained MMA and remember having the wide karate type stance, hands down a little trying to move in and out and be elusive, everything was going well until I got punched in the face.

 

[wilKO]

Sort of. Although when I joined a bjj club after 5 years of watching UFC I couldn't do shit. Even though I knew every submission etc going. Same when I did boxing. Watching something gives you knowledge of it. It doesn't give you the skills to do it.

 

[Rea_ctor]

Sort of. Although when I joined a bjj club after 5 years of watching UFC I couldn't do shit. Even though I knew every submission etc going. Same when I did boxing. Watching something gives you knowledge of it. It doesn't give you the skills to do it.

Hahaha same experience as me then.

 

[Lawblaw]

Of course,
I'd probably run through everyone from WWs to FLW

 

[MescalineDreams]

I always thought watching MMA would make me decent, I then went and trained MMA and remember having the wide karate type stance, hands down a little trying to move in and out, everything was going well until I got punched in the face.

definitely not that simple

you can absorb a lot amount of information through watching

I've seen a fair few guys who were able to initially mirror what they watched surprisingly well even with zero training.

but It's all subjective, everyone learns differently.

 

[Daweed]

My left hook to the body actually got legit meaner after watching a few Albert Tumenov's fights.

After Aldo-Stephens I practiced it so much its now my best weapon.

True story

 

[Rea_ctor]

definitely not that simple

you can absorb a lot amount of information through watching

I've seen a fair few guys who were able to initially mirror what they watched surprisingly well even with zero training.

but It's all subjective, everyone learns differently.

I reckon I looked pretty good up until the point i threw a punch and realised I had no idea how to actually defend myself when somebody threw one back.

 

[Qwerty1]

As much as people hate on this opinion, yes. I would not know how to use my guard on the ground or even know what a triangle or guillotine choke is. Even if my technique is not perfect it doesnt matter because someone that doesnt watch MMA or train has no idea even how to get out of it without panicking.

Maybe for certain people like me its easier to pick up on then others. It is easy for me to watch something and then replicate it. Me and my buddies will mess around and try different shit but iv never actually been trained but i definitely have an idea of what to do because of MMA.

And to be clear iv never actually trained for real a day in my life. Most I have done is box with my buddies or wrestle around trying out different subs and shit. Nothing serious.

 

[MescalineDreams]

As much as people hate on this opinion, yes. I would not know how to use my guard on the ground or even know what a triangle or guillotine choke is. Even if my technique is not perfect it doesnt matter because someone that doesnt watch MMA or train has no idea even how to get out of it without panicking.

Maybe for certain people like me its easier to pick up on then others. It is easy for me to watch something and then replicate it. Me and my buddies will mess around and try different shit but iv never actually been trained but i definitely have an idea of what to do because of MMA.

And to be clear iv never actually trained for real a day in my life. Most I have done is box with my buddies or wrestle around trying out different subs and shit. Nothing serious.

there's a few stories out there of martial artists / boxers or experts In various crafts who actually learned from watching others and taught themselves.

I'd say It's the exception not the rule though

 

[275others]

Shit, I don’t think watching it could make me a worse fighter...

 

[Rea_ctor]

I remember I'd been grappling maybe 2/3 weeks and went against a young lad, I was 26/27 and he had to be 15/16, I had no idea what I was doing but simply overpowered him as its all I had, I went for an arm triangle and obviously got it completely wrong, I just ended up squeezing his head as hard as I could until he tapped hahaha

 

[Moral Victory]

I usually only play around a bit wrestling with friends but I totally benefit and use techniques I've seen from watching fights, I beat a judo brown belt from just hanging in there and exhausting him because I could defend enough.

The kimura feels fairly natural now, guillotine is always there, rear naked is tight, and arm triangle works most of the time, even if I've had to resort to a crude can opener before lol.

Not that I get to use it often, but I have a decent high kick thanks to Mirko, did them every day on the bag in the past haha.

 

[Exemplar]

Jon Jones watching recorded fights and emulating techniques with no training seems an applicable addition to this thread.

 

[dawzz]

I pulled out all kind of submissions in my casual friends even made a 4th dan black belt in wing chun look foolish without even doing any offensive stuff to him lol (Wing Chun is bullshito) . Also sweeped people heavier than me in wrestling practice and also take their back.

Im a black belt in UFC fighting bro

 

[cevo]

Jon Jones watching recorded fights and emulating techniques with no training seems an applicable addition to this thread.

He saw a video about how to cycle steroids and emulated it perfectly for a long time before Uncle Usada came around.