Let's talk about the evolution of point-fighting in MMA

[Eric Silva 2.0]

In the beginning, point fighting was hard to do because the rules were so crazy and the sport so new. Fighters just got stuck in positions or couldn't match an opponent's movement.

Then Miletich came along and fighters started specifically training to win on points. MFS fighters were notorious for this, but I think Tim Sylvia benefited the most from this training. It's what allowed him to be one of the UFC's HW greats (by title defenses) for a decade.

Various strategies had their time in the limelight: lay and pray, wall and stall, the Machida era, and probably others.

i'll be honest: this isn't a part of MMA I ever really paid attention to and I know damn little about it.

What dominant point-fighting strategies emerged? Which fighters pioneered them or took them to new heights? Who looks like they're going to be the next great point fighter?

Belal?

 

[SeattleFightFan]

Without getting too far into it, I will generalize and say that the first several generation of fighters fought to finish. Grapplers like Hughes could LnP or fight to win rounds, but it just wasn't in their MMA upbringing to do so.

It changed around 2003. A decade into the experiment. And though it's certainly not the first, many fans point to BJ v GSP 1 as the first time they realized just how much winning rounds as a technique is, was, will, and already did start taking over the sport.

 

[TheMaster]

In the beginning, point fighting was hard to do because the rules were so crazy and the sport so new. Fighters just got stuck in positions or couldn't match an opponent's movement.

Then Miletich came along and fighters started specifically training to win on points. MFS fighters were notorious for this, but I think Tim Sylvia benefited the most from this training. It's what allowed him to be one of the UFC's HW greats (by title defenses) for a decade.

Various strategies had their time in the limelight: lay and pray, wall and stall, the Machida era, and probably others.

i'll be honest: this isn't a part of MMA I ever really paid attention to and I know damn little about it.

What dominant point-fighting strategies emerged? Which fighters pioneered them or took them to new heights? Who looks like they're going to be the next great point fighter?

Things go full circle...we started with point fighting and now we have come back to a version of it.

 

[Hypetrainofthemonth]

Most MMA fans do not know what they see or how to analyze a fight.

GSP was not a point fighter. That is not the proper criticism if you are looking for one, which is that he did not have an elite finishing game to match the rest of his skills. That was GSP's issues.

GSP could have easily implemented the dominant wrestler LnP game to win every fight without much risk, such as the games that Fitch and Sonnen would employ. Stay in guard or half guard and just focus on keeping the opponent down and landing mostly meaningless shots to the stomach and run out the clock. GSP never fought that way. NEVER.

In fact, GSP set records passing to dominant position where he would attempt a sub, which then created openings for him opponents to get back up and try to KO him. He did not have to take those risks but he always did.

You do realize I legitmately have GSP as my GOAT, right? I was tongue in cheek criticizing the ones who have/will claim GSP as a fighter who couldn't, or actively didn't look to finish fights.

 

[Mark McMichael]

You do realize I legitmately have GSPA as my GOAT, right? I was tongue in cheek criticizing the ones who have/will claim GSP as a fighter who couldn't, or actively didn't look to finish fights.

Ya I thought you were being sarcastic but I used your post to reply to the notion that how he fought was LnP when it was not.

 

[jjjjjjjjjjohnny]

I thought Anderson Silva was going to become a point fighter back when he was the least popular fighter in the sport because he wouldn't engage hesitant fighters and would fuck around in the cage to pass the time. Dana and co did some heavy lifting to reinvent him as a fan favourite considering that at one point Dana was apologizing for Anderson's shitty fights and promising to make it up to the fans (which he never did, of course -- thanks Dana).

i think chael reinvented and made anderson famous.