"Muay Thai is the clinch" - true or false?

[j123]

With takedowns allowed. Are they better off getting out of there and shoot for the legs or can they get the takedown?

Takedowns allowed but no groundwork? So Sanda ruleset?

Could work I guess

One kind of escape in MT is to pummel in, get a tight bearhug and stall til the ref breaks it (better if against the ropes), but in that range no one is getting any strikes off. It of course like all techniques has a counter. How you use it is up to your own personal skills and flair. If takedowns allowed, you'd just get the bearhug and dump over the knee or just shoot from there since you have double underhooks

Takedowns allowed, changes the game and equalizes it more

 

[spacetime]

Takedowns allowed but no groundwork?

I don't see how it matters. I'm curious if they can get the takedown from the clinch as complete noobs in Muay Thai but experts or brown belts in BJJ. Dick Rofus (or the brother) claimed that despite his wrestling background, he could not get the takedown in the clinch, which shocked me. I never believed the Thai clinch could stand up to wrestling.

 

[spacetime]

Although it could be the gloves that screwed him over.. So maybe Rofus was being misleading...

 

[j123]

I don't see how it matters.

It matters because if groundwork was allowed, more time in the round would be spent there instead of on the feet. Meaning the person with better wrestling and BJJ would control the fight more, instead of striking, takedown, reset, repeat. Exception would be if there was a time limit for groundwork. Like say 20 seconds tops.

I'm curious if they can get the takedown from the clinch as complete noobs in Muay Thai but experts or brown belts in BJJ. Dick Rofus (or the brother) claimed that despite his wrestling background, he could not get the takedown in the clinch, which shocked me. I never believed the Thai clinch could stand up to wrestling.

If they're complete noobs in MT, they have to know how to deal with and not shutdown from strikes in a clinch compared to a pure grappling environment. Getting hit from long knees and moving away, right outside of the clinch range is normal (given their heights are close). If their background in BJJ is more ground and little wrestling its understandable why they can't land it.

 

[4daLuLZ]

Some people say "Boxing is the jab", Karate "is the tsuki/straight punch" and TaeKwonDo "is the side kick". In that same spirit, a Muay Thai fighter told me: Muay Thai is the clinch.

and Sherdog is the spacetime.

 

[DoctorTaco]

I don't see how it matters. I'm curious if they can get the takedown from the clinch as complete noobs in Muay Thai but experts or brown belts in BJJ. Dick Rofus (or the brother) claimed that despite his wrestling background, he could not get the takedown in the clinch, which shocked me. I never believed the Thai clinch could stand up to wrestling.

its a cliche, (and yes I know that Silva’s clinch was rudimentary as best) But Anderson Silva ca. Rich Franklin showed the clinch vs. a fantastic wrestler.

 

[shincheckin]

I don't see how it matters. I'm curious if they can get the takedown from the clinch as complete noobs in Muay Thai but experts or brown belts in BJJ. Dick Rofus (or the brother) claimed that despite his wrestling background, he could not get the takedown in the clinch, which shocked me. I never believed the Thai clinch could stand up to wrestling.

in a MMA context, thai clinch does not stand up against wrestling. the Thai clinch is very tall and upright, its quite easy to get taken down, outside of MT rules that is.........Rick Roufus was a KB, I dont recall him fighting an MMA or what not? Rick had no clinch as he is a american KB from what the 70s or 80s. the Clinch under MT rules is a difficult thing to navigate if you dont know what you are doing.

An easy way to think of clinching, is neck wrestling.

Generally speaking, in US MT, the clinch is lacking.......even more so in MMA........as MMA changes the game of a already not well known or understood part of MT in the US. Things have changed with MT in the US in the past 10 years quite a bit. But I would still say overall, the US is still lacking in the clinch depratment.........oh yeah......mma guys are really easy and fun to clinch, as for the most part, they dont know what to do, do all the wrong things, and try to double forearm block, or duck their head out or what not, alot of them will get frustrated and wrestling slam you or takedown, which is illegal in MT.