# which is harder boxing or mma?



## I WANNA BE THE WORLD CHAM (Sep 6, 2021)

which is Requires more skills and fitness? i like mma more but i think boxing. this sport is just amazing and Demands from you giving all you got even die for boxing


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## jmf552 (Sep 7, 2021)

At the beginning levels, I found Muay Thai and BJJ more difficult than boxing, just because there is a longer list of things to learn. But at the higher levels, it just depends on what you put into it and what level you're going for. Boxing has fewer basics to learn, but that means those basics require more perfection and nuance. But that is just my experience.

I would say becoming a world champion in boxing would be harder than doing the same in the UFC. but that's a guess.


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## Buka (Sep 7, 2021)

MMA


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## I WANNA BE THE WORLD CHAM (Sep 7, 2021)

Buka said:


> MMA


explain why


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## Buka (Sep 7, 2021)

Sure, just my opinion of course.

Boxing is a very specialized sport. There are very few punching techniques. Jab, cross, lead hook, rear hand hook, lead uppercut and rear uppercut. There are variations, such as the shovel hook (cross between an uppercut and a hook) and there are variations of the cross and different angles available to throw everything.

There’s footwork, of course, and various footwork patterns, and learning how to clinch, how to block, duck, bob and weave, how to use the ropes, learning ring generalship, escapes, including cutting down the ring. (And cutting down the ring is more difficult in MMA due to it’s shape.)

But all that's in boxing is in MMA, too, just done differently, specific to the sport of MMA. In MMA you have to be prepared for so much more than in boxing. There’s kicking, and learning how to deal with kicking. Leg kicking is specific to itself, and learning to defend leg kicking is very important….and at times very painful….and that’s just in training. Then there are takedowns. And then there’s takedown defense. There’s learning how to do things against the cage. And you really need a cage to train in. If you don’t have at least rudimentary takedown defense you are screwed.

You have to learn knee strikes in MMA, and how to deal with them. And elbow strikes. And ground and pound. You have to learn a top game and a bottom game.

Then there’s grappling. You can spend a lifetime learning grappling. In MMA you have to learn to deal with strikers, all kinds of strikers. And learn how to deal with wrestlers. Wrestlers are very difficult to fight against. And then there’s jits, you have to train with BJJ guys because you’re going to fight guys who are BBJ guys or at least trained WITH BJJ guys. You need to learn submissions in MMA, and how to get out of them or block them, every one of them.

There are different kinds of boxers, but in boxing you only need to be concerned with boxing. In MMA you need to deal with every God damn thing.

In boxing the rounds are three minutes long. In MMA there are five minute rounds. Those last two minutes can kill you, wear you down.

In boxing you can go down and get a nine second break. In MMA if you go down you might get mangled.

Having done both, I can tell you boxing is hard work, real hard work. But MMA is harder. And when you have a weakness in MMA and it’s found out…..oh man.


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## drop bear (Sep 7, 2021)

Mma is also tougher to train, sort of. This is because boxing you mostly can't spar 100% or you will get brain damage. 

You can grapple a hundred percent though. So you get these absolute grind fests sparring mma where you are less likely to boxing.


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## jayoliver00 (Sep 8, 2021)

If you want to be able to learn how to fight quickly from zero training, Boxing is the best & fastest route.

Much slower route would be MMA, but more encompassing.


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## JowGaWolf (Oct 27, 2022)

Boxing = Punching only
MMA = Punching, Kicking, Throwing, Grappling, Tripping, Kneeing, Choking,


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## Goosebumps (Oct 27, 2022)

I WANNA BE THE WORLD CHAM said:


> which is Requires more skills and fitness? i like mma more but i think boxing. this sport is just amazing and Demands from you giving all you got even die for boxing


I have competed in both sports as an amatuer heavyweight. Mma was more fun for me. Boxing seemed more discipline focus and a lot of getting punched compared to mma. Both require a tremendous amount of fitness I would say mma requires more of a durable and strong body because of the grappling aspect of the game. I would say the talent pool was deeper in boxing because it’s such a limited skill set. Lots of good boxers regionally everywhere.


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## Oily Dragon (Oct 27, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> Boxing = Punching only
> MMA = Punching, Kicking, Throwing, Grappling, Tripping, Kneeing, Choking,


There's a lot of grappling in boxing.  Clinching is a key tactic for a lot a situations.  Defense, recovery (as in you just got clocked in the face), even just taking a couple extra breaths.

Boxing is more or less an endurance sport.  Striking is important sure, but more important to last the full set of rounds.  Without grappling I don't think modern boxing would work very well.  People would gas out faster, get sloppier as they tired etc.

Nothing like hugging it out mid fight for a quick break.  Although if you ever saw what Floyd Mayweather did that one time...protect yourself at all times.  Talk about quiet eye...


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## wab25 (Oct 27, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> Boxing = Punching only
> MMA = Punching, Kicking, Throwing, Grappling, Tripping, Kneeing, Choking,


I think it depends on how you define "harder."

With MMA, you have to learn more styles of fighting. But, you don't have to be the best at any of them. You just have to be able to keep the other guy from going to his strength. (if the other guy is a striker, take him down... if the other guy is a ground fighter, keep it on your feet...)

With Boxing, you only have to learn Boxing. But, you have to out box the other guy. You can't take him down and choke him out... you have to land your punches.... while he is landing his...

With Boxing you have less skills to to learn, but you have to have greater mastery of the few skills that you do use. 

In Boxing, you have to go pretty close to 20-0 (or 19-1, 18-2 with good KO percentages) before anyone even decides whether you are a contender or not. Sure, there are guys that get through quicker.... but they usually have amateur experience, like a couple hundred amateur fights... 

As stated before, there are a lot of good Boxers out there.... they have had quite a few years to perfect the training, the strategies and the tactics. MMA is still going through rule changes....

I think both require a lot of very hard training. One has a lot more skills to learn. One has a lot more quality opponents to go through to get to the top. How do you define "harder?"


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## JowGaWolf (Oct 27, 2022)

wab25 said:


> I think it depends on how you define "harder."


For me the more options your opponent has to use against you the more difficult it will be. This isn't affected by skill level since it's a number issue.  But this doesn't mean that boxing is easy.  It's like asking me which harder to get hit in the head with.  An iron softball or a stone softball.  Both would be challenging to throw at someone's head. Both would take strength to throw. But only one can be shaped and reshaped to make different tools.


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## wab25 (Oct 28, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> For me the more options your opponent has to use against you the more difficult it will be.


But, you can turn that around.... the more options I have to use against my opponent, the easier it will be. 

If my opponent is really good at ground fighting, I don't have to get better at ground fighting to beat him.... I have to not go to the ground. With all the options the other guy has, he is not going to be equally good at all of them. I just have to be better than his weakest area, and be able to keep the fight in that area.

For Boxing, all I have to do is learn 5 punches. But, thats all my opponent has to learn as well. If my opponent is better at punching than I am, my only hope is to get a lucky punch... or to get better than he is, at punching. I don't have the option of shooting for a double leg, taking his back and choking him out.... I have to out box the guy.

Is it harder to get to a good - great level across multiple fighting disciplines or is it harder to get to a phenom level at one of the disciplines?

Is it harder to be the best Jack of all Trades, where you can switch up the style to give yourself an advantage or is it harder to be the best specialist against other highly skilled specialists?

I am not really trying to argue one over the other here... just trying to look at both sides. I think the real answer here will be an individual answer for each person.


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## Gyakuto (Oct 28, 2022)

Buka said:


> MMA


Boxing…no wait….


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## JowGaWolf (Oct 28, 2022)

wab25 said:


> For Boxing, all I have to do is learn 5 punches. But, thats all my opponent has to learn as well. If my opponent is better at punching than I am, my only hope is to get a lucky punch... or to get better than he is, at punching. I don't have the option of shooting for a double leg, taking his back and choking him out.... I have to out box the guy.


This is only if you and your opponent know boxing or is fighting by the rules of boxing.  This will be true if a person is doing boxing for the purpose of competing in boxing competitions.   System A vs System A are going to be similar across the board as this.   System A vs System B is where the options are going to have a larger impact.  So long as the person with the most options has the ability to use the majority of the options.



wab25 said:


> Is it harder to get to a good - great level across multiple fighting disciplines or is it harder to get to a phenom level at one of the disciplines?


I think being good or decent is something the average person can achieve in any system.  Being great at a system? That's going to be difficult.  In terms of applications and use of techniques, the majority of martial arts schools probably don't have a high number of people in that school who are good in the application of a technique.  When I was teaching Kung Fu, 4 people out of 20 students were at a decent level.  No one was at a phenom level or even a great level.  As kung fu that I'm able to do, I'm probably at the beginning of good.


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