Why do HW UFC fighters have so much shorter reach than Boxers?

here's what a journeyman kickboxer accomplished in mma with some TDD
Cro_cop_Pehar.jpg
Journeyman kickboxer ? . He won every title one can win in kickboxing , the fuck ?
 
Top HW boxers would be terrible, they are far too tall. It is well known that it is easier to takedown tall fighters vs shorter fighters. Also generally speaking, applying the MMaths rule of thumb. A pure kick boxer beats a pure boxer, a pure wrestler beats both and a pure bjj artist trumps all. Hence the reason...

bjj > wrestling > kickboxing > boxing
*But when combined, i believe a wrestler is best*

Also Mark Hunt was a terrible boxer but a good mma fighter and fought for the UFC HW title.

Badr Hari was the greatest kickboxer ever but a terrible mma fighter.

James Toney was a decorated HW boxer but a terrible mma fighter.
I am not sure about that.
The one thing I can tell you from observation is that long arms in MMA tend to be advantageous, not detrimental in TDD (uppercut, underhook).
Look at 2 of the three UFC fighters that I can find with "RECENT" Boxing HW champion reach, and their MMA success.
Bones - Like him or not he has starched this sport with his reach!
Struve - Clumsy and slow, yet KO'd Stipe, OK
Francis Ngannou does not help my point, but just a handful of months ago, it would be like (slam dunk). That said, keep in mind, he just fought for the belt.
 
These arguments are irrelvant.

If reach was the end all and be all, C level athletes in MMA with long reach would replace those the existing C level MMA athletes with short reach.

Nope. In top level sport where everyone is an A level athlete the 1% of the 1% of 1%, sport specific body types shine through at the top.

In low level sports like MMA, where everyone is a leftover athlete, there is a much wider variance in athletic talent, and you can shine via either sport specific body type, or superior athletic talent, e.g. in a sea of C level athletes with longer reach,a couple of B and B- athletes with shorter reach will be able to dominate.

It's only in top level sports where you've exhausted athletic advantages do you see sport specific body types play important roles

For example, if the NBA is played at a much lower level, you will find far more shorter guys in the sport, because shorter guys who cannot cut it in the current NBA would all of a sudden become competitive. This applies to every sport. Marathon races at the highest level are dominated by Kenyan runners with a specific body type. Marathon races at low level can be won by members of any race. Sprints at the highest level are won by Jamaicans. Sprints at low level can be won by Asians who stand no chance otherwise.
 
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