Self-Defense???

[sinthetik_mistik]

The WEC began in 2001 and used a pentagonal cage. Was purchased by the Zuffa in 2006 and did use a modified (smaller) octagon until 2010 when the WEC was merged with the UFC.

oh ok, good to know thanks

 

[Steve]

I agree with what you say for the most part, but aren't there people who only strike, and people who only grapple? I saw a match between a kick boxer and another guy, and the announcer said the kick boxer had no grappling skills. he lost due to a submission grab btw. but i don't want to get back into that, i'm not trying to say that striking is weak or something. i mean my martial art is Taekwondo, a striking martial art, although there is some grappling in TKD, the emphasis is most definitely on striking, or kicking in the case of TKD (although we do a lot more punching than most people would think a TKD dojang does)

Maybe in a local promotion, particularly at the amateur level. But even a guy with "no grappling skills" in the UFC (or any other elite level organization) will have above average grappling skills. At that level, with that degree of physicality and fitness, and the intensity of their training, a blue belt in BJJ who is also a professional MMA fighter is going to be a handful.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Maybe in a local promotion, particularly at the amateur level. But even a guy with "no grappling skills" in the UFC (or any other elite level organization) will have above average grappling skills. At that level, with that degree of physicality and fitness, and the intensity of their training, a blue belt in BJJ who is also a professional MMA fighter is going to be a handful.

so in order to be a good MMA fighter at the UFC level, you have to master grappling and striking both? i'm not trying to disagree with you but in my opinion no two fighters have the exact same skill sets. Some UFC fighters are superb boxers, some are superb grapplers, and so on and so forth. everyone tells me that all UFC fighters are total masters in all areas... and i'm not entirely trying to disagree, but i think each individual UFC fighter has his individual area(s) of expertise

 

[Dirty Dog]

so in order to be a good MMA fighter at the UFC level, you have to master grappling and striking both? i'm not trying to disagree with you but in my opinion no two fighters have the exact same skill sets. Some UFC fighters are superb boxers, some are superb grapplers, and so on and so forth. everyone tells me that all UFC fighters are total masters in all areas... and i'm not entirely trying to disagree, but i think each individual UFC fighter has his individual area(s) of expertise

Not in the least, and anyone making such a claim should be subject to a grand round of finger pointing and laughing.
MMA competitors need to have a solid grounding in striking and grappling. But each one will have their own personal preferences and areas with greater expertise. Some are known as strong punchers. Some as strong kickers. Some as strong grapplers.
Masters in all areas? That's absurd.

 

[Steve]

so in order to be a good MMA fighter at the UFC level, you have to master grappling and striking both? i'm not trying to disagree with you but in my opinion no two fighters have the exact same skill sets. Some UFC fighters are superb boxers, some are superb grapplers, and so on and so forth. everyone tells me that all UFC fighters are total masters in all areas... and i'm not entirely trying to disagree, but i think each individual UFC fighter has his individual area(s) of expertise

Master of both grappling and striking... Yes. Relative to most people, they are proficient at all ranges of the sport. Relative to each other, some are better at some ranges. The worst ufc fighter is still top 1%.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Master of both grappling and striking... Yes. Relative to most people, they are proficient at all ranges of the sport. Relative to each other, some are better at some ranges. The worst ufc fighter is still top 1%.

I see the above as self-contradictory. There is a vast difference between mastery and proficiency.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Not in the least, and anyone making such a claim should be subject to a grand round of finger pointing and laughing.
MMA competitors need to have a solid grounding in striking and grappling. But each one will have their own personal preferences and areas with greater expertise. Some are known as strong punchers. Some as strong kickers. Some as strong grapplers.
Masters in all areas? That's absurd.

maybe if you train 20 hours a day for 50 years lol

 

[Steve]

I see the above as self-contradictory. There is a vast difference between mastery and proficiency.

It's relative. A professional MMA fighter at that level is at a completely different level of proficiency than Just about anyone else.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

It's relative. A professional MMA fighter at that level is at a completely different level of proficiency than Just about anyone else.

people are probably going to attack me in droves for saying this, but this is just my opinion, nothing more. Agree to disagree. i have watched a decent amount of UFC and i think their mastery might be a little overstated. yes, they are great fighters, but (once again in my opinion) they are not grandmasters by any stretch. one thing to their benefit is a lot of them, especially the heavier weight classes, are quite muscular. it is a no brainer that being muscular increases your fighting proficiency by a *lot*. so they are all around great fighters, i am not trying to say that they are not... and once in a while i'll see a UFC move that makes me go "woah" but maybe i'm wrong. i'm really not qualified to talk on this subject, as i have no background in MMA, so i hope no one executes me for saying this

 

[Steve]

maybe if you train 20 hours a day for 50 years lol

Nonsense. If you combine the genetic tools these guys have with the hours they put into training each week, it isn't a stretch. Think about how many hours you train.

people are probably going to attack me in droves for saying this, but this is just my opinion, nothing more. Agree to disagree. i have watched a decent amount of UFC and i think their mastery might be a little overstated. yes, they are great fighters, but (once again in my opinion) they are not grandmasters by any stretch. one thing to their benefit is a lot of them, especially the heavier weight classes, are quite muscular. it is a no brainer that being muscular increases your fighting proficiency by a *lot*. so they are all around great fighters, i am not trying to say that they are not... and once in a while i'll see a UFC move that makes me go "woah" but maybe i'm wrong. i'm really not qualified to talk on this subject, as i have no background in MMA, so i hope no one executes me for saying this

lol. No ones going to get on you for stating your opinion.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Nonsense. If you combine the genetic tools these guys have with the hours they put into training each week, it isn't a stretch. Think about how many hours you train.

lol. No ones going to get on you for stating your opinion.

yeah the whole training for 50 years thing was just a dumb joke.

I'd be lying if i didn't see people on this site going at it with each other due to the fact that they have conflicting opinions. maybe its just the way people talk on this site: harsh

 

[Tez3]

people are probably going to attack me in droves for saying this, but this is just my opinion, nothing more. Agree to disagree. i have watched a decent amount of UFC and i think their mastery might be a little overstated. yes, they are great fighters, but (once again in my opinion) they are not grandmasters by any stretch. one thing to their benefit is a lot of them, especially the heavier weight classes, are quite muscular. it is a no brainer that being muscular increases your fighting proficiency by a *lot*. so they are all around great fighters, i am not trying to say that they are not... and once in a while i'll see a UFC move that makes me go "woah" but maybe i'm wrong. i'm really not qualified to talk on this subject, as i have no background in MMA, so i hope no one executes me for saying this

I have seen thousands of MMA fights live on many different promotions, the MMA fighters you see on the UFC are professional fighters, they do nothing else but train. This will be conditioning, tactics, ground work and stand up several hours a day. They aren't grandmasters of any style other than MMA, it's what they do after all isn't it? You don't compare what they do to other styles, they are professional MMA fighters, they are masters of MMA.
You don't see 'UFC' moves btw you see MMA moves, to keep saying that the fighting you are watching is UFC when you mean MMA is misleading, those moves will be done in MA fights all over the world on many different companies fight nights. it's a running joke in the MMA world that the wannabes say they 'train UFC'

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

I have seen thousands of MMA fights live on many different promotions, the MMA fighters you see on the UFC are professional fighters, they do nothing else but train. This will be conditioning, tactics, ground work and stand up several hours a day. They aren't grandmasters of any style other than MMA, it's what they do after all isn't it? You don't compare what they do to other styles, they are professional MMA fighters, they are masters of MMA.
You don't see 'UFC' moves btw you see MMA moves, to keep saying that the fighting you are watching is UFC when you mean MMA is misleading, those moves will be done in MA fights all over the world on many different companies fight nights. it's a running joke in the MMA world that the wannabes say they 'train UFC'

yeah its interesting i always wondered how UFC fighters, many of whom are not from wealthy backgrounds, can afford to train on such a high level. I had a former champion kickboxing friend training people one on one for 70 dollars an hour. I was looking at some TKD one on one trainers and they were like 100 dollars an hour. maybe there is some obvious answer staring me in the face and i'm dumb not to see it, but yeah... the impressive thing about MMA fighters is just that, mixed martial arts, getting one black belt is hard, but getting 4-5 black belts is 4-5 times harder. maybe i'm unclear on how MMA fighters train, i'm no expert in MMA, do they blend all the styles together while training or do they alternate?

 

[Buka]

Watching anything is an interesting hobby, as observers we tend to put ourselves into the action scenario mentally. It's fun and when done subconciously we sometimes build up enough "watching time" to feel like we know what we would do. It's like watching a good Tae-kwon-do kicker if you've never fought and thinking "I'd block that kick, it wouldn't hit me." Then, if you were actually standing there and the damn kick came down on you instead of up at you, you wouldn't even realize it because you would have already been kicked a couple times and things would look funny.....and everyone would seem taller....because you'ld be on your back and not even realize it.

Or watching a good grappler if you've never grappled and thinking "why doesn't that guy just do such and such, I would." No, you wouldn't, you might want to, but when you moved to do it you'ld place yourself right into that ugly submission that you haven't had the pleasure of watching yet from your couch. Or watching a wing chun guy trapping a guys arm and thinking "I'd just move my arm over there" which is where he wants you to move your arm as he punches you in the face and traps both your arms and smiles.

If you can find a place with a cage - lay on the mat, right against the fence. Then just get up. It's as easy as pie. Then have someone pin you there. Someone who knows what he's doing. If you haven't packed a lunch bag you'll starve to death. You'll never be able to get up, and if he brings the rain....well, you know. Or don't.

Speaking of which, did anyone watch TUF last night? Very interesting and controversial fight. Here's the vid, not great quality, looks like a tv vid, but watchable. Only one round. Damn!

 

[Hanzou]

Holy heck Buka, that was a sick fight. I loved that grappling reversal leading to the RNC.

Looks like I need to start watching TUF again.

 

[Danny T]

Excellent performance of surviving and recovering from the onslaught after being kicked in the groin.

 

[Tez3]

yeah its interesting i always wondered how UFC fighters, many of whom are not from wealthy backgrounds, can afford to train on such a high level. I had a former champion kickboxing friend training people one on one for 70 dollars an hour. I was looking at some TKD one on one trainers and they were like 100 dollars an hour. maybe there is some obvious answer staring me in the face and i'm dumb not to see it, but yeah... the impressive thing about MMA fighters is just that, mixed martial arts, getting one black belt is hard, but getting 4-5 black belts is 4-5 times harder. maybe i'm unclear on how MMA fighters train, i'm no expert in MMA, do they blend all the styles together while training or do they alternate?

This is how they train The Griphouse - MMA Gym Glasgow - Dinky Ninja Fight Team

Tillery Combat MMA Academy Page 1.

Predators MMA Manchester

SBG Ireland

and my gym is the same.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Watching anything is an interesting hobby, as observers we tend to put ourselves into the action scenario mentally. It's fun and when done subconciously we sometimes build up enough "watching time" to feel like we know what we would do. It's like watching a good Tae-kwon-do kicker if you've never fought and thinking "I'd block that kick, it wouldn't hit me." Then, if you were actually standing there and the damn kick came down on you instead of up at you, you wouldn't even realize it because you would have already been kicked a couple times and things would look funny.....and everyone would seem taller....because you'ld be on your back and not even realize it.

Or watching a good grappler if you've never grappled and thinking "why doesn't that guy just do such and such, I would." No, you wouldn't, you might want to, but when you moved to do it you'ld place yourself right into that ugly submission that you haven't had the pleasure of watching yet from your couch. Or watching a wing chun guy trapping a guys arm and thinking "I'd just move my arm over there" which is where he wants you to move your arm as he punches you in the face and traps both your arms and smiles.

If you can find a place with a cage - lay on the mat, right against the fence. Then just get up. It's as easy as pie. Then have someone pin you there. Someone who knows what he's doing. If you haven't packed a lunch bag you'll starve to death. You'll never be able to get up, and if he brings the rain....well, you know. Or don't.

Speaking of which, did anyone watch TUF last night? Very interesting and controversial fight. Here's the vid, not great quality, looks like a tv vid, but watchable. Only one round. Damn!

I am a decent fighter, not a great fighter, but a decent fighter. I am well aware that if I went into the UFC Octagon I would get the living s*** beat out of me. I am no match for any of them. As Tez 3 stated, training is all they do. I train for Taekwondo but not nonstop from dawn till dusk. Even if I did TKD is one martial art and they are proficient in at least 3-4 martial arts so I'd still prob get my *** handed to me unless I managed to do a one kick knockout or something like that. I couldn't see that video you posted because it was blocked by UFC on copyright grounds. I will say that I have seen fighters on UFC really shine on the ground. Like Stephen Bonnar, for instance, one of my favorite UFC fighters, he reversed a submission grab in a manner that I can only describe as masterful. I've also seen UFC fighters shine in striking... this one boxer I saw recently did some ridonkulous punching, beat the other dude into oblivion.

 

[Tez3]

I am a decent fighter, not a great fighter, but a decent fighter. I am well aware that if I went into the UFC Octagon I would get the living s*** beat out of me. I am no match for any of them. As Tez 3 stated, training is all they do. I train for Taekwondo but not nonstop from dawn till dusk. Even if I did TKD is one martial art and they are proficient in at least 3-4 martial arts so I'd still prob get my *** handed to me unless I managed to do a one kick knockout or something like that. I couldn't see that video you posted because it was blocked by UFC on copyright grounds. I will say that I have seen fighters on UFC really shine on the ground. Like Stephen Bonnar, for instance, one of my favorite UFC fighters, he reversed a submission grab in a manner that I can only describe as masterful. I've also seen UFC fighters shine in striking... this one boxer I saw recently did some ridonkulous punching, beat the other dude into oblivion.

If you fancied trying a fight there are plenty of other promotions around, many will also have amateur and semi pro as well as pro rules . Some promotions specialise in taking first timers. There are a huge amount of people who train MMA with no intention of fighting, some like to have a fight once or twice a year. It's isn't all professional fighters in MMA lots of non professional fighters have a go, some are very good, some just average but all enjoy fighting on shows.
Fighters aren't necessarily proficient in 3-4 martial arts, they are proficient in MMA there's a difference, they don't train in a whole loads of different styles then compete, they learn and practice the techniques needed to fight. In the early days, fighters would be black belts mostly likely in one style then train another, now more and more are coming into MMA without having done any martial arts.
I don't know why you are surprised that MMA fighters are good at striking, it's a very big part of MMA. In fact I'm not sure you are very clear what MMA is?

 

[Steve]

If you fancied trying a fight there are plenty of other promotions around, many will also have amateur and semi pro as well as pro rules . Some promotions specialise in taking first timers. There are a huge amount of people who train MMA with no intention of fighting, some like to have a fight once or twice a year. It's isn't all professional fighters in MMA lots of non professional fighters have a go, some are very good, some just average but all enjoy fighting on shows.
Fighters aren't necessarily proficient in 3-4 martial arts, they are proficient in MMA there's a difference, they don't train in a whole loads of different styles then compete, they learn and practice the techniques needed to fight. In the early days, fighters would be black belts mostly likely in one style then train another, now more and more are coming into MMA without having done any martial arts.
I don't know why you are surprised that MMA fighters are good at striking, it's a very big part of MMA. In fact I'm not sure you are very clear what MMA is?

Well, I think that's not always true. Many MMA gyms have strength training, BJJ/Sub Wrestling, Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai and also MMA. It's not uncommon to have athletes training each area independently alongside their MMA training. They may even compete in various disciplines, as well.