Why are some fighters low finishers, and others are high finishers?

[fries in the bag]

This isn't a knock on those with low finish rates.

Examples of low finishers:
- Merab has a 21% finish rate (4 out of 19 wins)
- Belal has a 25% finish rate (6 out of 24 wins)

But they are world champions and obviously, great fighters.

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On the other hand, you have high finishers like:
- Shavkat: 95% finish (18 out of 19 wins)
- Aspinall: 100% finish (15 out of 15 wins)

Who are also good fighters.

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What determines if a fighter will be a low finisher or high finisher?

 

[Wreckless]

Genetics and the way they fight

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

High-level competition = low or no finishes
Low-level competition = high finishes

 

[13Seconds]

Genetics, different skillsets, different backgrounds, different mentalities. You work with what you have. Lean into your strengths and recognize your weaknesses basically

 

[Bork Neslar]

What determines if a fighter will be a low finisher or high finisher?

Luck.

 

[humdizzle]

as you move up in weight class power goes up, but chins can't cope.

styles make fights:
-KO's require alot of power, if you keep head hunting you will get tired. You can pace yourself with lighter shots and still win on points
-Trying to pass guard and apply a squeeze is draining, opponent can scramble out while you try to adjust position. But you can still be winning just sitting in guard with 50% effort in your shots.

 

[Tito Tapped]

Guys who hunt for the finish get them more but also lose more fights.

I don't know if that's actually true but it sounds good.

 

[rollthedice]

Same reason some people eat an entire bag of chips and others only eat half a bag of chips, it's all about approach my brother

 

[Sean Chowdhury]

Usually skill or physical attributes, if a fighter doesn't have good BJJ or ground and pound then they will be a blanket on the ground and just lay on their opponent, and if a fighter has good striking but never badly hurts or rocks their opponents then they just don't have natural power. Kind of like Volkanovski, he has perfect technique and is a big bulky featherweight but he needs to really beat you up before he can start wobbling you

 

[VAfan]

not all strikers have great power, and not all ground guys have killer subs. you've got guys like pereira and guys like oliveira and then tons of other guys who just have to win any way they can.

 

[Ares Black]

Fighting style, mostly

 

[Fahcough]

You named 2 stallers and 2 fighters

 

[El Panteron]

You named 2 stallers and 2 fighters

Love it when you folks act all tough about someone else's health lol

 

[pastamurk]

Because they didn’t have the privilege of being trained by Sensei Seagal, of course.

If they had been, they’d have a 120% finish rate.

 

[Preston broadus]

Low finishing rate= ugly (merab and belal)
High finish rate = good looking (shavkat and aspinal)

 

[nostradumbass]

And 3 of Merab's 4 finishes were against cans before he got to the UFC. He only has 1 finish in 14 UFC fights, and he got dropped in that one.

Some guys are willing to take more chances to get a finish, those 2 do not. Merab's whole strategy is to avoid any long stretches on the ground or in the standup so his opponents don't have enough time to set anything up on the feet or to work on the ground, so he doesn't get finished, but also doesn't finish anybody himself. Belal is the same thing but he can keep it on the ground for longer stretches but still doesn't gnp or sub anybody.

More interesting are the guys who were finishers who became decision machines after taking some damage. GSP was getting mostly finishes before the Serra fight, then turned into a decision machine. Jones was finishing most of his fights before taking a bunch of damage against Gus, then only fought once/year for the next 7 years, and his only finishes were the DC fight that got overturned because of steroids, and the Gus rematch where they had to move the event to another state because Jon couldn't pass a drug test.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

as you move up in weight class power goes up, but chins can't cope.

styles make fights:
-KO's require alot of power, if you keep head hunting you will get tired. You can pace yourself with lighter shots and still win on points
-Trying to pass guard and apply a squeeze is draining, opponent can scramble out while you try to adjust position. But you can still be winning just sitting in guard with 50% effort in your shots.

How many times have we seen a fighter go balls out trying to finish an opponent whether KO or sub and drain their gas tank and actually end up losing the fight?

Answer - a lot

 

[JKS]

I’ve always believed it comes down to skill and ability for the most and partly strategy. Fighters who can’t finish, just don’t have that skill set. They can be elite fighters, just not good at finishing.

 

[188912345]

Guys who hunt for the finish get them more but also lose more fights.

I don't know if that's actually true but it sounds good.

Makes sense, high risk = high reward.

We should all be thankful for the fighters who go for the finish, even if they sometimes end up getting finished in the process.

 

[Neck&Neck]

Some guys just love to bang