The most important skill in MMA.

[Lou Reed]

When and if a high level Krav Maga practitioner decides to compete in the UFC, he will become champion of his weight class.

Krav Maga is a no holds barred form of martial arts, but if it can be tweaked to conform with the rules of the UFC, there's no doubt in my mind it is the ultimate skill-set to defend against all others.

I've seen high level Krav Maga experts in action, and there's no stopping them (literally).

LOL! Not sure if srs, but this made my night. Sherdog you never fail to crack me up.

 

[Alexandergreat3]

LOL@ the people defending Krav Maga with the belief of "illegal techniques = Krav Maga wins."

Put some more thoughts into what you're saying.

1. Have you guys heard of Vale Tudo with barely any rules? How come there are no Krav Maga fighters dominating these fighting competitions?

2. The early UFC tournaments did not have any rules. Where were the Krav Maga champions?

3. If the "deadly" Krav Maga techniques are eye poking/gouching, headbutting, attacking the testicles, etc., do you think MMA fighters cannot do the same?

You guys are speaking as if you have never seen an eye poke, a headbutt, or a groin shot happened during an MMA match :icon_chee.

 

[rdmize111]

They aren't dominating because competition isn't part of Krav Maga, like how it is with all other forms of martial arts.

It's the purest and most lethal form of martial arts training there is.

You put a MMA fighter up against a Krav Maga specialist on the street and I guarantee you, the MMA fighter will walk away with broken bones or seriously injuries if they're lucky, and if not, they'll end up dead.

This is the excuse for ALL arts that do not make a showing in MMA. "Aikido teaches to avoid conflict" "Shaolin monks do not fight for competition" "Bizarojisuz masters only fight for life and would be WAAAAY to leathel to compete in MMA."

Please keep in mind anything that works in Krav Maga would be adapted into MMA if it works for MMA. Some things take more time to get in then others but fighters will learn/master what ever works.

 

[georgwilhelm**]

sub defense

"Wrestling" - We saw what happened to Dan Severn (who is actually a really good wrestler).

Do we have to go over the evolution of MMA all over again?

 

[ib313]

When and if a high level Krav Maga practitioner decides to compete in the UFC, he will become champion of his weight class.

Krav Maga is a no holds barred form of martial arts, but if it can be tweaked to conform with the rules of the UFC, there's no doubt in my mind it is the ultimate skill-set to defend against all others.

I've seen high level Krav Maga experts in action, and there's no stopping them (literally).

Sniper
a10 thunderbolt
Stealth bomber
My mother in law

 

[knorut]

Textbook mythical thinking right here. If two guys fight, the better fighter wins. If the MMA fighter is better than the Krav Maga fighter, the MMA fighter will win. Same goes vice-versa.

To answer your question, TS -- wrestling has got to be the most important skill in MMA now. If you can dictate where the fight takes place, you can dictate when you want to punch or sub a guy.

First, thank you for debunking that myth. Second, thank you for focusing on the subject at hand. I disagree.

Having great balance normally equals great takedown defense. If you have great TDD then you will be able to determine where the fight doesnt go.

 

[xupacabra]

They aren't dominating because competition isn't part of Krav Maga, like how it is with all other forms of martial arts.

It's the purest and most lethal form of martial arts training there is.

You put a MMA fighter up against a Krav Maga specialist on the street and I guarantee you, the MMA fighter will walk away with broken bones or seriously injuries if they're lucky, and if not, they'll end up dead.

No. But keep dreaming

 

[xupacabra]

We have seen MMA change quite a bit over the years. BJJ did wonder for a while then some other techniques took over.

In the last 4-5 years, which technique do you see as an absolute must to master to a high degree in order for a fighter to reach the top ten or even the top?

That's among Muy Tai, wrestling, boxing and BJJ. You can throw in some less popular ones like judo or Tae Kwon Do who seem to get the job done for several dudes.

Of those techniques, which one do you think is the "fastest" to learn at a proficient level if you are a "late starter" and which fighter did you see add a new technique they were not associated with and that is getting great results within a relatively short amount of time (a few years)?

One of my choices would be TJ Grant. He had a great grappling background but his trips to Thailand are paying off in the sense that his Muy Thai is clearly catching some guys by surprise these days.

Another one would be Vitor. I am not sure under which category his kicks would fall as so many disciplines use kicks but his "new" kicking game is now something the other guys have to watch for big time.

What's your "must have" tech and which fighter impressed you the most with a technique they really started to master in the last few years?

Wrestling is the base.. Without wrestling skills, you're screwed as a top level MMA fighter. Ask Lyoto ;-D

 

[Lars]

still BJJ

 

[chubbman]

clinch fighting seems to be used to great effect at the moment. more so than I can ever remember.

 

[BigT503]

Kinda makes you wonder why they're not out dominating the world of MMA and instead are content to subsist on overpriced one-time seminars in which they mention kill techniques that they just can't show you.

hahahaha hit the nail on the head

 

[Armbars]

Avoidance

 

[Bokelj]

Mental stability

 

[Tchernobog]

LOL@ the people defending Krav Maga with the belief of "illegal techniques = Krav Maga wins."

Put some more thoughts into what you're saying.

1. Have you guys heard of Vale Tudo with barely any rules? How come there are no Krav Maga fighters dominating these fighting competitions?

2. The early UFC tournaments did not have any rules. Where were the Krav Maga champions?

3. If the "deadly" Krav Maga techniques are eye poking/gouching, headbutting, attacking the testicles, etc., do you think MMA fighters cannot do the same?

You guys are speaking as if you have never seen an eye poke, a headbutt, or a groin shot happened during an MMA match :icon_chee.

War Hackney

 

[Cowb]

There's probably no one single skill that is the most important in MMA. There are sets of skills that compliment each other.

To start off, you need at the very least either decent sub defense or very good takedown defense. If you don't have one or the other, anyone who's trained submissions (most MMA fighters, at least in a rudimentary sense) can and will beat you. Practically every MMA fighter trains sub defense; there are a few decent fighters with poor takedown defense, though less and less as the sport evolves.

And you need a way to hurt your opponent. That can be one of the various striking bases (along with either takedown defense or an offensive sub game), offensive BJJ alone (though this is fairly uncommon anymore at the highest levels of the sport), or wrestling along with either offensive submissions or ground and pound (which is essentially an MMA specific technique, though it is an obvious outgrowth of a wrestling base).

At the highest levels of the sport, it's uncommon anymore for a fighter not to have trained in elements of submissions, sub defense, striking, takedowns, and takedown defense.

If you want to beat up your friends in 'MMA,' learning BJJ is still probably the quickest and more guaranteed route to dominating the back yard. If you want to beat up competitive MMA fighters, you're going to need several skill sets. Sub defense and/or takedown defense are probably the least negotiable skills to learn, but they alone won't make a viable MMA fighter.

 

[Vividsbricks23]

LOL. Not even close.

I come from a striking background (Boxing, Kickboxing, TKD) and I’d be the first to tell you that BJJ or Wrestling are the best arts to start with.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Wrestling... second Muay Thai and then BJJ.

 

[ican2]

How about nope. Krav Maga is the most over hyped martial art in history. It is to MMA what diet pills are to exercise, a promise of something super sweet, where little work is involved, when in reality best case: you either end up just as fat as you were day 1, worse case: you end having a heart attack.

Only people who swear by Krav Maga are 35+ out of shape white guys who are bouncing between classes at curves, krava maga, and neighborhood watch patrols.

Agreed. The wife took 3 months of classes and stopped carrying her mace untill one day our wrestling session got out of control when we were playing around. She grabbed and twisted my good and plenties twice and I warned that shit aint funny. "Im Krav Maga" she says as I toss her and pin her down on the couch (Im like 100 lbs more than her lol) . I clutched her hands with one of mine and give her a couple small humiliating slaps as if i was trying wake her in the morning. She never went back to class and now she carries bear mace in her purse.

 

[Balzak]

First skill to learn is how to manage to get back up on your feet when you are on your back... if not you will loose every fight against wrestlers even if they are not making alot of damage. It's so sad to see a fighter on his back the entire round completely lost about what he has to do... an easy win for the opponent even if he's not good at GnP or subs

 

[MontrealMauler]

Elite level submission defense. Without it, you're going nowhere in this sport.