western boxing or mt?

I've got to go with both. The problem with focusing only on Muay Thai is that you may over emphasize kicking which can lead you to being taken down easier. If you focus on boxing only you have a hard time defending kicks. I can tell you having done amatuer boxing for so many years I struggled very much just to block the simplest kick.
 
If you're going into MMA, you have to at least learn how to defend kicks. You can specialize more on boxing, but you will have to take some MT for the kicking and knee defense.
 
People like to point out that the dearth of kicking by many of MMA's top fighters means that kicking isn't nearly as effective in MMA. This isn't neccessarily true.

Rather the truth is the dominant striking style in US based MMA is boxing, and that includes most of the gyms that cater to muay thai rules in America and so naturally things take a boxing oriented mindset. As a result there are greater resources to improve your hands here than there are to learn proper kicking. Truthfully a lot of fighers can rely completely on hands without being punished for it because they face mostly opponents with little to fear in terms of kicks. Punches in MMA are a dime a dozen but effective kickers are still rare which creates a side effect that most MMA fighters aren't used to absorbing damage from someone who can really kick. Take for example Antoni Hardonk's leg kick KOs, Hardonk is a strong kicker for an MMA fighter but isn't great by say K-1 standards same to a greater extent for guys like Kieth Jardine. Now consider guys like Crocop who rack head kick victory repeatedly in MMA whereas in K-1 Crocop rarely scored a head kick KO and never as cleanly. Why? Because K-1 fighters know how to see a kick coming whereas MMA fighters aren't nearly as seasoned in that respect.

Kicks are effective and just as useful if you know how to use them and if you do you'll face a lot of opponents who aren't used to dealing with them from someone good.
 
Even if your primarily learning boxing, you should at least learn to defend against kicks and knees if your going to compete in MMA.

One thing, you should at least be able at least learn the basics of throwing a knee or a low leg kick into your punch combination. Even the likes of Fedor, Gomi, BJ Penn, and Big Nog, who rarely throw high or middle kicks, will work in a knee or a roundhouse into their combos.

You may not need to go to a traditional Muay Thai gym, but Im sure you could learn that from primary MMA instructor.
 
IMO, throwing kicks isn't a necessary part of MMA (especially if you have dynamite hands) but it is an aspect that should be developed for the average fighter if only for the abilty to mix it up more. If your opponent knows you aren't going to throw kicks and knees thats one less way you can set up your hands or your grappling etc etc.

Also kick defense, and to a lesser degree knee defense are something that is essential. Only a fool wouldn't work that into their training...
 
Rayrobinson#1 said:
I've got to go with both. The problem with focusing only on Muay Thai is that you may over emphasize kicking which can lead you to being taken down easier. If you focus on boxing only you have a hard time defending kicks. I can tell you having done amatuer boxing for so many years I struggled very much just to block the simplest kick.
Click to expand...

Muay Thai also has less effective footwork and defense. A lot of great MT fighters how pretty limited mobility and evasion.
 
IMHO, You should train Muay Thai because kicks, knees and elbows are legal in MMA.
 
See this thread willl accomplish nothing for you, Make your own mind up.
On here the people who take Boxing will tell you to take Boxing and the people who take Muay Thai will say take Muay Thai.

It doesnt really matter which one you take because you can always do Basics in the other one later on after you are advanced in the one that will be your base. I;d say go for the one with the best gym in your area to start with.
 
The main reason I favor Muay Thai over boxing in MMA, is stance. The Boxing stance hold the lead leg way out in front leaving you more susceptable to leg kicks, and takedowns.

Train both is a great response, boxing 1 day, muay thai another.
 
Train MMA, and no I'm not just being a smartass.
OK maybe a little. But if you train pure competitive MT or boxing you will pick up idiosyncrasies from that art that don't apply to MMA. For analogy some of the guys I play baseball with who play football tend to run the bases like they are playing football, ready to throw a shoulder or tackle someone. If you train pure boxing/MT you will pick up little tics like (potentially) too much/little head movement, too few/many kicks etc.

To try to bring that all together no striking art is perfect for MMA except studying MMA strikers. There's a reason the first word is "MIXED".
 
I've always been an avid fan of southern boxing mixed with crane style mantis gung chuan fu.
 
I think the best thing to ask yourself is..

What do I want to do, boxing or Muay Thai? The one you like better you will excel at because you enjoy it more.

I train Muay Thai & love it, I like have a bigger arsenal of kicks, elbows, knee's and punches.

Try them each out, see which is best for you
 
I would go for boxing. Make sure you know that your opponent will be kicking, etc. You must be able to defend all.

IMO, Take boxing, but know defense for all, and control the pace of the fight. Don't give him kicking distance, so you need to make sure your cardio is fast and get after it. IF you know boxing/dirty boxing and clinchwork you can control that fight.
 
^ defending kicks isn't all that simple. a good high kick will blast right through a boxing style guard if he doesn't use both hands to block it.

And thai boxers intentionally kick the upper arm as hard as possible in a certain area, to damage the tissue and stop their opponent from being able to use punches, let alone keep they're guard up.

I suppose you could learn to defend leg-kicks though, but that would take a stance change.

on the other hand, it seems pure muay thai guys are lost when it comes to pugilism. ALot fold under heavy barrages of punches.

I say train both. Just my two cents.
 
join muay thai, they work standup as well as kicks and knees and elbows
 
Find which club has the better fighters and trainers and go there. MT will make you better prepared against Knee's,elbows ect...Boxing has it obvious advantages but pure boxing will take you years to master.Go where you get the best quality sparring.
 
I would go MT for MMA. Its not like you aren't punching. I know at my club we do alot of hands. It better to get less hand work then no knees, elbows and kicks.
 
Definitely Muay Thai. I did train in Boxing for a long time, but now that I've done Muay Thai for a while, I realize that it's easier to blend it with some of my other disciplines (I also practice Wing Chun and Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut). The stance, positioning, and weight distribution is much better I find. Western Boxing is the best if it's only punching, but for a real life situation or competition, Muay Thai is more well rounded.
 
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