Why is Thompson able to keep his hands down the whole fight?

[mommas homeboy]

Pretty much every fighter, minus Anderson, keeps their hands up when fighting.

Almost the entire fight, Wonderboy had his hands down, and he still did terrific. I don't fully understand how he does this while every other fighter must block....it was really impressive.

How come more fighters don't do the same thing?

 

[Peteyandjia]

Distancing. Karate guys have the best eyes.

 

[Platinum]

He hasn't been punched on the chin by Lawler yet

 

[TheRassler]

to defend them leg locks/heel hook attacks.

 

[Negative Zero]

Because the whole "hands up" thing applies significantly less in MMA.

 

[scorpipede]

He hasn't been punched to the chin by Lawler yet

neither have I. I still wouldn't be able to do what Wonderboy does.

 

[mommas homeboy]

Distancing. Karate guys have the best eyes.

Good call Modeldater....but aren't there lots of karate practitioners who still need to keep their hands up?

 

[Rico]

Keeping your hands up isn't the end all/be all to defense.

You can argue that distance control and positioning are much more important.

 

[Platinum]

neither have I. I still wouldn't be able to do what Wonderboy does.

I'd beat Wonderboy and Lawler at the same damn time. I'm 10 Degree Black Belt in knock the fuck out.

 

[mommas homeboy]

Because the whole "hands up" thing applies significantly less in MMA.

But most mma fighters still do it, at least to their chest, if not by their faces.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Keeping your hands up isn't the end all/be all to defense.

You can argue that distance control and positioning are much more important.

This.

This isn't boxing, where the zone of attack is only upper body and the methods of attack are limited to the hands. Plenty of guys have fought with their hands down in a number of fights, and often it's only for a particular opponent based on how the skills matchup.

 

[MayhemMonkey]

range, amazing reflexes and hand eye coordination

 

[GrantB13]

Machida and some others. It's a good plan until it stops working. It's a number's game and the longer a fighter sports a certain style the more chances a counter can find is way in.

 

[Rico]

A lot of striking based fighters (like Anderson and Wonderboy) use the hands down approach to be able to snatch an underhook for TDD easier.

When your footwork, positioning and distance control is good enough you can make that sacrifice.

 

[Red Ninja]

He knows how to control distance and it's hard to see his punches coming with his hands down like that.

 

[MayhemMonkey]

fighting with your hands down is also a counter fighters tactic, its bait for the opponent to attack to set up your counters

 

[Chain Saw]

Distance control and footwork.

Dominick Cruz hardly ever has his hands up as well, yet he doesn't get touched.

Footwork is the key.

 

[Repsac]

Fedor doesn't fight with his hands up either half the time. Of course, his reflexes are not what they used to.

 

[dontlaugh]

Gotta point out his outstanding footwork. Hard to see a welterweight being faster than Wonderboy, last night i was impressed by how fast that guy is. Is almost like he's 20 pounds lighter but still carries strength in every strike he throws. Deadly Combination. Still think low kicks are the key to beat him.

 

[Ube]

If you have a great sense of distance and agility (see Floyd) you don't need them up so much. But it really depends on how you fight.

If you want to be aggressive you're going to have to keep the hands up since you'll be coming in. But in wonderboys case, I think he wants to be elusive--so it's better down; to put it in perspective--if you're hands are up, the opponent has an easier time tracking a jab or a quick punch because it's coming from a spot close to the prime field of vision for a fighter.

I don't know, it's been a while since boxing/kick boxing classes. Don't take my word for it.