These so called "strikers" need to learn the jab

[Pain4Pain]

To be fair GSP had a reach advantage over his opponents and he was usually the better wrestler, making his jabs more effective and he did not need to worry about the takedown.

Taller fighters who throw jabs but don't manage the distance well can eat an overhand right or get taken down.

Even if fighter's are the same height, fighter A can throw a jab while fighter B changes levels for a takedown, when fighter A postures forward to sprawl fighter B counters with an overhand right that they didn't see coming.

To the posters recommending fighters to use jabs to smash the eye socket like GSP did to Kosh...

A smashed orbital needs surgery and months to heal, and it can potentially cause permanent eye damage if the fighter keeps taking shots to a broken orbital in a fight. This is just like those saying oblique kicks should be banned because they cause fighters knee damage.

As someone who is primarily a boxer, I train and use jabs as my most frequent punch in MMA training, but IMO the trouble comes with managing the distance in MMA. If I am the one coming forward I am fine, but if I am fighting the outside then I am prone to a leg kick or high kick, and usually I disengage in time when I spot a high kick coming.

 

[emax]

Not gonna deny the inherent value of an effective jab but this isn't 2010 where a properly thrown jab can leave even title contenders completely baffled. Just as fighters adapted to the introduction of American wrestling, Muay Thai and of course Jiu Jitsu during its onset in the 90s, they've adapted to jabs as well. For the modern title contender, simply sending out more waves of jabs is not gonna help the way it did the more talented strikers 8 years ago.

 

[emax]

To be fair GSP had a reach advantage over his opponents and he was usually the better wrestler, making his jabs more effective and he did not need to worry about the takedown.

Taller fighters who throw jabs but don't manage the distance well can eat an overhand right or get taken down.

Even if fighter's aren't the same height, fighter A can throw a jab while fighter B changes levels for a takedown, when fighter A postures forward to sprawl fighter B counters with an overhand right that they didn't see coming.

To the posters recommending fighters to use jabs to smash the eye socket like GSP did to Kosh...

A smashed orbital needs surgery and months to heal, and it can potentially cause permanent eye damage if the fighter keeps taking shots to a broken orbital in a fight. This is just like those saying oblique kicks should be banned because they cause fighters knee damage.

As someone who is primarily a boxer, I train and use jabs as my most frequent punch in MMA training.

This is true in a lot of cases but it's also true that GSP's opponents were not conditioned to contend with frequent jabs as modern title contenders are. GSP Koscheck 2 is naturally the critical example, which is why it was already brought up here. Baffling Koscheck with a correctly thrown jab was GSP's primary way of dismantling him. He wasn't beating Koscheck in any kind of pure wrestling match so he spend the first few rounds just breaking him down with waves of jobs before getting to the point where Koscheck was no longer able to fend off takedowns. Koscheck was as good a pure wrestler as anyone back then but he had exactly nothing for GSP's properly thrown jab and overall movement. That kind of strategy, at least in UFC title fights, would by and large be obsolete.

 

[Pain4Pain]

This is true in a lot of cases but it's also true that GSP's opponents were not conditioned to contend with frequent jabs as modern title contenders are. GSP Koscheck 2 is naturally the critical example, which is why it was already brought up here. Baffling Koscheck with a correctly thrown jab was GSP's primary way of dismantling him. He wasn't beating Koscheck in any kind of pure wrestling match so he spend the first few rounds just breaking him down with waves of jobs before getting to the point where Koscheck was no longer able to fend off takedowns. Koscheck was as good a pure wrestler as anyone back then but he had exactly nothing for GSP's properly thrown jab and overall movement. That kind of strategy, at least in UFC title fights, would by and large be obsolete.

I agree. Putting in work with a legit boxing trainer early in the game also paid off dividends for GSP.

 

[PancraseForever]

Bas Rutten says don't throw a jab unless it's a knockout punch. I guess this is what he means.

 

[gono btw]

Bas Rutten says don't throw a jab unless it's a knockout punch. I guess this is what he means.

Was talkin´in a streetfight situation IIRC...

 

[IsNormal]

Stefan Struve's jab is the best.
So fast I can never even see it.

 

[IsNormal]

Struve has got a mean jab.
It's so fast we've never even seen it.

 

[Quietus]

It's easier said than done. You can't compare MMA to boxing and say 'why don't they Just Jab LOOOOOOL'.. in boxing you don't have to worry about kicks, knees, elbows, takedowns, etc so theres less risk in throwing jabs, you can sit there with a high guard and pop a jab and be pretty safe from head shots. In MMA every time you throw a jab you risk being countered by a number of techniques that boxers don't have to worry about.

 

[IsNormal]

Seriously though. We just recently saw Moicano drop Cub with a jab.
TJ and Aldo have got some decent jabs too.

But yeah, I must admit few use it often enough.

One guy with a good body jab that isn't mentioned a lot yet is JDS.

 

[Shinobi]

Anyone who posts that gif exposes themself as someone who really doesnt understand boxing

That was simply a feeler jab to gauge range and measure his distance. There was never any intention on that jab to do damage

Here was Conor with actual intention popping Floyd's head back with a jab

For someone who thinks he understand about bocing, you don't seem very aware of the concept of rolling with the punches. None of those punches landed flush. Floyd roles with punches. That's why the amount of pictures you can find of Conor's fist tagging Floyd's face is very, very, very, very small. Like close to zero.

 

[Brock-B-level-Athlete]

It's easier said than done. You can't compare MMA to boxing and say 'why don't they Just Jab LOOOOOOL'.. in boxing you don't have to worry about kicks, knees, elbows, takedowns, etc so theres less risk in throwing jabs, you can sit there with a high guard and pop a jab and be pretty safe from head shots. In MMA every time you throw a jab you risk being countered by a number of techniques that boxers don't have to worry about.

most boxers/strikers in mma cant even do the basics