Is it me or are we seeing less ground and pound ?

[Alpha_T83]

Yes because everyone is realizing that judges are still rewarding control on the ground. You take your opponent down and hold them there, you win the round.

We are also seeing fewer armbars, kimuras, etc. because those are disappearing for the same reason: opening up with ground and pound or most submissions requires giving up control and taking a risk. It is a safer strategy to just blanket your opponent and win the round. And as a bonus, if they try to stand up out of frustration, that is a mistake that opens up opportunities to take the back and submit them.

 

[Dirty Frank]

Fedor and Khabib's GnP was a thing of utter terror and beauty.

 

[JBJ was here]

One side-effect of the increasing emphasis on damage in the scoring criteria is that no one is afraid of losing a round-10-8 by playing defense on the ground. G&P isn't difficult to defend; it's just difficult to defend while also trying to improve your position.

 

[ExitLUPin]

To gnp you need to have a lot of control. People are too good at heisting and escaping. The ability to pin and strike is hard.

In the past fighters accepted being in bottom more. They tried to play Jiu-jitsu which is a mistake when strikes are involved.

The sport has evolved.

To prove this. Start in someone’s closed guard and try and just hold them down. Then add in strikes and see how fast they get up.

Here is Arman starting in Hooker's closed guard, and landing effective g&p, while being able to transition it via passing his guard when he creates the opening. "Evolution" is a poor excuse. The strategy changing doesn't change the fact that the overall level of g&p today is fairly poor. Tsarukyan is far ahead of almost every fighter today in terms of g&p, and he's effective with it in damn near every fight, even against arguably the best guard in MMA in Oliveira. And Charles doesn't just always play bottom; he's as effective as anyone sweeping and getting back to his feet (even did it against Islam).

 

[Tweak896]

I think it's all risk vs reward. I noticed fighters today don't generally land those long wind up damaging strikes like they used to.

If you teleported prime golden age GNP experts from back then into today, the opponents would scramble up better than they used to. Not only that but it's more taxing to be the guy on the bottom, and the little shovel punches are all that's needed to keep them there (Almeida just do some light taps to win next time or atleast sub attempts).

Probably the counters are now so ubiquitous, that it's not worth it any more. Now WMMA is in the stone age still, so I still don't know why some chick doesn't come in and mop up the division looking like an unbeatable superstar. But atleast for males, seems the competence is there.

 

[Conan the K-9]

It’s a shame how this has disappeared.
Good gnp also opens up better opportunities for submissions and dominant positions like back takes.

Instead fighters choose to lay in half guard and act like they throw something or go for lame half assed submissions that are never worked, just to seem active enough not to get stood up and ride the round winning by points.

 

[orca]

maybe some fighters are scared of using too much energy
but if you have guys like jones on top of you
its technique and skill
your doomed
some have mastered the gnp
some dont
its like saying hes just blocking my gnp
im using alot of energy il just stop the gnp
its not worth it

 

[italiamusica]

Fedor and Khabib's GnP was a thing of utter terror and beauty.

Agreed, seeing Big Nog's Noggin©®™ bouncing off the canvas over and over was amazing

 

[Doctor Grudge]

there is still gnp. "YEAH BUT NOT AS GOOD AS KHABIBS!" no one else had gnp as good as Khabib's during Khabib's time either.


Plenty of guys get their ass beat when on bottom still.