Why is it so hard for MMA fighters to keep their hands up in the pocket ?

[Cat Biscuits]

Well boxing is a major component of MMA and it just a real basic principle, why would you neglect it when it is the one vulnerability that can cause you permanent brain damage and shorten your career ?

Because it's not pure boxing.

In boxing, it's necessary to develop a good guard because the gloves are padding that can absorb punches, and the size of the gloves can create a huge area which is extremely hard to punch through with a huge glove.

Watch Overeems defensive guard in K1 fights, then watch his guard in MMA. It doesn't work as well in MMA because the small gloves make it much easier for punches to find a way in through the guard, and provide no padding to absorb punches like boxing gloves do. If you've watched any MMA, you should know by now that punches can very easily find a way through the guard, or even hurt someone if it hits their glove.

Boxers can sit there and take unanswered shots because they have a huge padded glove slamming into another huge padded glove.

How about a real world situation: Go to a gym and find the hardest puncher there and ask him to punch into your guard for 20 straight punches...

When he asks you what gloves you want to use, MMA gloves or boxing gloves, which do you choose?

 

[The Bloody Nine]

Because it's not pure boxing.

In boxing, it's necessary to develop a good guard because the gloves are padding that can absorb punches, and the size of the gloves can create a huge area which is extremely hard to punch through with a huge glove.

Watch Overeems defensive guard in K1 fights, then watch his guard in MMA. It doesn't work as well in MMA because the small gloves make it much easier for punches to find a way in through the guard, and provide no padding to absorb punches like boxing gloves do. If you've watched any MMA, you should know by now that punches can very easily find a way through the guard, or even hurt someone if it hits their glove.

Boxers can sit there and take unanswered shots because they have a huge padded glove slamming into another huge padded glove.

How about a real world situation: Go to a gym and find the hardest puncher there and ask him to punch into your guard for 20 straight punches...

When he asks you what gloves you want to use, MMA gloves or boxing gloves, which do you choose?

He's a Sherdogger, you weirdo. NO GLOVES.

 

[Cat Biscuits]

He's a Sherdogger, you weirdo. NO GLOVES.

 

[rstringer]

Because it's not pure boxing.

In boxing, it's necessary to develop a good guard because the gloves are padding that can absorb punches, and the size of the gloves can create a huge area which is extremely hard to punch through with a huge glove.

Watch Overeems defensive guard in K1 fights, then watch his guard in MMA. It doesn't work as well in MMA because the small gloves make it much easier for punches to find a way in through the guard, and provide no padding to absorb punches like boxing gloves do. If you've watched any MMA, you should know by now that punches can very easily find a way through the guard, or even hurt someone if it hits their glove.

Boxers can sit there and take unanswered shots because they have a huge padded glove slamming into another huge padded glove.

How about a real world situation: Go to a gym and find the hardest puncher there and ask him to punch into your guard for 20 straight punches...

When he asks you what gloves you want to use, MMA gloves or boxing gloves, which do you choose?

So what should MMA fighters do then, not keep their hands up? What is the solution?

 

[PeacePipe]

I get that they have to be wary of a take down at all times but when you make a decision to enter the pocket not getting knocked the fuck out is more important than preventing the takedown.

If you rewatch most of the KOs you will see that it's due to a high chin and hands low in the pocket.

Even seasoned strikers like Aldo make this mistake that's why Conor knocked him out in 13 seconds.

Why is this so hard for MMA fighters to do? I don't get it.

Conor got countered, he didn’t just not have hands up

 

[rstringer]

Conor got countered, he didn’t just not have hands up

of course and that happens, even boxers with proper technique get countered and KOed. Noone is saying that hands up solves all your problems, but I don't get any argument that justsifies not having the hands up when you are entering the pocket as an agressor. I can count at least a dozen examples of UFC KOs for this particular scenario.

 

[snowbro]

Agreed but better to cover up with small gloves than not at all, don't you think ?

According to Fedor's book, when fighting with smaller gloves you have to have a more open guard. Big gloves against big gloves you can turtle up. With small gloves against small gloves there are larger openings and smaller torpedoes. So defense against punches in mma requires keeping the head out of the impact area and catching punches before the end of their attack.

 

[rstringer]

According to Fedor's book, when fighting with smaller gloves you have to have a more open guard. Big gloves against big gloves you can turtle up. With small gloves against small gloves there are larger openings and smaller torpedoes. So defense against punches in mma requires keeping the head out of the impact area and catching punches before the end of their attack.

Interesting, makes sense

 

[mkt]

Combination of things.

Grappling/takedown threat, more squared off stance meaning a larger target to hit, which also links back to the takedown threat.

Smaller gloves which makes a lot of the defense that boxers and kickboxers employ doesn't work in MMA.

Less time in training dedicated to pure striking, when you have to set aside time to train every aspect of MMA it's harder to become a master in any individual one.

That's why you see almost every successful kickboxer that transitions over to MMA basically all have ko/tko losses on their record to far inferior pure strikers.

Good post. It's always frustrating to see boxing or even kickboxing purists critique MMA striking and pretend the threat of TDs and other factors aren't real. You could say the same for wrestling, BJJ, judo and other grappling styles. The can be used effectively, but no one is ever punched, kicked, elbowed or knee'd in those sports. If you use a "pure" form of any art, you might be vulnerable to something that won't happen in your sport. Remember Mayweather turning his back on Conor as just one example.