Striking in MMA

[Mongoosemk12]

Here's some footage of a true striker vs UFC level athletes. I'm sure this will devolve into a Men's MMA vs WMMA discussion, but here's a video of Zhang Weili training with Saenchai. Obviously you can't port all of this over to MMA, but goddamn if he doesn't have some fluid striking and trips. This would give most people fits. She has some nasty teeps too, can't wait to see her continue murking folks with traditional Muay Thai.

 

[Lukn4trbl]

She will not "Murk" anyone, that's Nate's job.

 

[Fatback96]

Most UFC fighters still don’t know how to jab.

Not surprised.

 

[TheSpider]

Anderson Silva in his prime is the GOAT MMA striker

 

[IsNormal]

Most UFC fighters still don’t know how to jab.

Agreed.
But still, they can get very far - even to the very top.

To me that's NOT a sign that MMA is filled with low skilled fighters, but rather that MMA offers such a vast variety of ways to win, that you can be a great fighter even if you have major holes in certain areas of the game.

When theoretically superior strikers have switched to MMA we have seen mixed results.

Sometimes a striker with poor ground game wins, sometimes a grappler with laughable striking skills wins, sometimes the jack of all trades wins, etc.

 

[Bald Eagle usa]

A high school wrestler would maul that guy. Striking is not that important in MMA. There is a reason why Khabib, Usman, Jones, GSP are not KO artist. Wrestlers' muscles are different.

 

[poor form]

Working with best in all disciplines can only improve a fighter. Hopefully she is learning and taking it all in.

 

[ConorFacts]

Agreed.
But still, they manage to get very far.
And when theoretically superior strikers enters MMA we've seen mixed results - it's never a given that a great striker from another sport will succeed in MMA, even when given proper preparations.

To me this shows that MMA requires such a diverse skillset that you can be a great MMA fighter even if you have major holes in certain areas of the game.

Young and hungry strikers/Boxers will dominate MMA.

old fighters dont Count.

 

[Iron Nick]

Young and hungry strikers/Boxers will dominate MMA.

old fighters dont Count.

Only as long as they're at least good defensive wrestlers as well.

I think we'll see mainly two types of fighters in the future; wrestling-allrounders who have solid striking and on the other hand anti-wrestling strikers.

Plus maybe wrestlers with sick submission skills

 

[IsNormal]

Young and hungry strikers/Boxers will dominate MMA.

We've heard variants of these types of claims thrown around the past decades:
* "wrestling-based fighters with decent striking will dominate MMA"
* "as soon as pure team sports athletes enter MMA they will dominate"
* "well-rounded fighters will dominate MMA"
* "BJJ guys with decent striking will dominate MMA"
etc.

It changes as quickly as the direction of the wind. If we see 2-3 young guys beating some veterans we'll see "new breed" threads. If we see some kimura wins in a row sherdog will be littered with threads about BJJ is the most important skill, then a wrestler will come along and dominate and we'll see threads about how wrestlers will dominate. Rinse and repeat.

I don't hate it. I kinda enjoy it.
I think the age old question "Which style is the best?" is one of the cornerstones driving the MMA debate forwards, and one of the things which makes MMA so exciting

 

[ConorFacts]

Only as long as they're at least good defensive wrestlers as well.

no shit sherlock.

Boxing is actually the reason why Aldos TDD is godlike.

just a matter of time
{<Mcgoat}{<Mcgoat}{<Mcgoat}

 

[ConorFacts]

Most UFC fighters still don’t know how to jab.

Not surprised.

Forget teh jab.

shit Boxers and some street fighters here understand distance and how to Control, but it is still super rare here.

lol

 

[Iron Nick]

no shit sherlock.

Boxing is actually the reason why Aldos TDD is godlike.

just a matter of time
{<Mcgoat}{<Mcgoat}{<Mcgoat}

Don't be rude Tyson Fury!

How do you attribute his TDD to boxing btw?
Genuinely interested.

Cause of footwork?

 

[Squall Leonhart]

OP, did it ever once occur to you that what works in a limited sport like Muay Thai won't work when there are more variables at play? You remind me of people who say "the jab" is the most underutilized tool in MMA.....this is MMA, not boxing, clearly through the years we have yet to see as much a use for it as there is in that sport.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

As long as there is long periods of clinching, and TD’s of every variety allowed, striking will always look elementary to the purists.

Thats what makes the sport exciting, its the unpredictability, well at least most of the time.

 

[Mongoosemk12]

Some of ya'll don't understand Thai clinch. It is extremely similar to Greco-Roman in a lot of ways. A lot of wrestlers would get shucked off or tripped by high level Thai clinchers.

 

[jx820]

This is a weird reference for comparing MMA and pure striking sports. You can watch K1 fighters doing MMA and MMA fighters doing K1 in the same weight class, same sex, same rules, etc...

The MMA guys have done pretty well stiking with K1 stikers in the past. It's not as clean and sharp looking, but they can often find a way to win.
Examples:

 

[vladimirvlad]

There are some good strikers in MMA, for a female MMA, I'd call Weili an elite striker...

 

[Mongoosemk12]

This is a weird reference for comparing MMA and pure striking sports. You can watch K1 fighters doing MMA and MMA fighters doing K1 in the same weight class, same sex, same rules, etc...

K-1 is not Muay Thai. It's limited striking. No clinch. Basically a sport made so Europeans could be semi-competitive vs Thais in striking matches. Don't get me wrong, there are some fantastic European Muay Thai fighters now, but they are just arriving.