What is the future of MMA?
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What is the future of MMA?
KungFuMaster
11/14/11 10:29:03PM
What is the future of MMA? In the beginning, it was style versus style. Nowadays, the focus is on becoming well-rounded. What will the focus be for tomorrow's fighters? What could possibly be better than being a well-rounded fighter in MMA?
Combat - in its pure and traditional form, starts with striking. Striking is the immediate and most fundamental aspect of hand to hand combat. Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, judo etc. are human developed arts which can enhance combat but not necessarily replace striking. Striking is the instinctive form of self defense and offense. It is the most basic and residual form of combat. A fighter can be stripped of all his learned MMA techniques but his instinct to strike will remain intact.
A glimpse of what is expected to come for the future of MMA is seen in Junior
Dos Santos. Dos Santos is among the firsts of his kind. MMA will eventually enter into a new age whereby the better stand up fighters will consistently prevail. In this new era, most fighters will be well rounded in wrestling and jiu jitsu which may leave many fights to be decided by stand up affairs. On UFC on Fox, we witnessed two good MMA wrestlers, Bradley and Pierce, engaged strictly in a stand up fight in which both fighters were able to stop each other’s take-downs. The overall tale of the tape favored the better striker, Pierce. One can expect to see more fights of this nature as more and more MMA fighters train the basics of wrestling. One can also expect is to see fighters focusing more on their stand ups as appose to the older generation who placed more emphasis on wrestling and jui jitsu.
It is becoming clear strikers are slowly making their way to the top of MMA. What was a sport once dominated by jiu jitsu and wrestling will slowly transition to favor the striker. In this new age of MMA competition, every fighter who wants to do well will need to train the basics of wrestling and jiu jitsu while developing his stand up to his full potential. It is the opinion of this author the projected elite MMA fighters of tomorrow will be stand up specialists who will be well-versed in take down defenses and submission defenses. It may no longer be the case of who is the better wrestler and or submission artist but rather who is the better striker.
We have witnessed the art of jiu jitsu dominate the sport of MMA in its birth. We have witnessed the art of wrestling dominate MMA in the past and present. We are now witnessing the birth of a new domination through the careers of Junior Dos Santos and others like him e.g. GSP, Aldo, Edgar etc. The aforementioned fighters are the forerunners of future MMA fighters. – And when this new phase comes to pass, we will ask ourselves again – what will the focus be for tomorrow’s fighters?
Combat - in its pure and traditional form, starts with striking. Striking is the immediate and most fundamental aspect of hand to hand combat. Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, judo etc. are human developed arts which can enhance combat but not necessarily replace striking. Striking is the instinctive form of self defense and offense. It is the most basic and residual form of combat. A fighter can be stripped of all his learned MMA techniques but his instinct to strike will remain intact.
A glimpse of what is expected to come for the future of MMA is seen in Junior
Dos Santos. Dos Santos is among the firsts of his kind. MMA will eventually enter into a new age whereby the better stand up fighters will consistently prevail. In this new era, most fighters will be well rounded in wrestling and jiu jitsu which may leave many fights to be decided by stand up affairs. On UFC on Fox, we witnessed two good MMA wrestlers, Bradley and Pierce, engaged strictly in a stand up fight in which both fighters were able to stop each other’s take-downs. The overall tale of the tape favored the better striker, Pierce. One can expect to see more fights of this nature as more and more MMA fighters train the basics of wrestling. One can also expect is to see fighters focusing more on their stand ups as appose to the older generation who placed more emphasis on wrestling and jui jitsu.
It is becoming clear strikers are slowly making their way to the top of MMA. What was a sport once dominated by jiu jitsu and wrestling will slowly transition to favor the striker. In this new age of MMA competition, every fighter who wants to do well will need to train the basics of wrestling and jiu jitsu while developing his stand up to his full potential. It is the opinion of this author the projected elite MMA fighters of tomorrow will be stand up specialists who will be well-versed in take down defenses and submission defenses. It may no longer be the case of who is the better wrestler and or submission artist but rather who is the better striker.
We have witnessed the art of jiu jitsu dominate the sport of MMA in its birth. We have witnessed the art of wrestling dominate MMA in the past and present. We are now witnessing the birth of a new domination through the careers of Junior Dos Santos and others like him e.g. GSP, Aldo, Edgar etc. The aforementioned fighters are the forerunners of future MMA fighters. – And when this new phase comes to pass, we will ask ourselves again – what will the focus be for tomorrow’s fighters?
Geoffo
11/14/11 10:35:57PM
Wrestling still dominates IMO. But as far as the future of MMA goes... I don't think its gonna be style vs style anymore, its dependent on the athlete. 90% of the fighters are fairly well-rounded, the fighter who fights smart and comes in with the less injuries will prevail.
Anderson Silva and GSP have been on a whole nother level, and thats why they are the kingpins of their division and top 2 p4p fighters in the world.
Whoever has the perfect combo of attributes is most likely gonna win, but there are situations where...
Fighter A beats Fighter B
Fighter B beats Fighter C.. but Fighter C ends up beating Fighter A.
Kinda like the Rampage/Machida/Rashad Triangle.
So I don't really believe theres gonna be a new era, everyones so well rounded that almost any fighter can beat another one on any given night.
MMA = unpredictable = excitement!
Anderson Silva and GSP have been on a whole nother level, and thats why they are the kingpins of their division and top 2 p4p fighters in the world.
Whoever has the perfect combo of attributes is most likely gonna win, but there are situations where...
Fighter A beats Fighter B
Fighter B beats Fighter C.. but Fighter C ends up beating Fighter A.
Kinda like the Rampage/Machida/Rashad Triangle.
So I don't really believe theres gonna be a new era, everyones so well rounded that almost any fighter can beat another one on any given night.
MMA = unpredictable = excitement!
KungFuMaster
11/14/11 10:54:06PM
Posted by Geoffo
Wrestling still dominates IMO.
MMA = unpredictable = excitement!
The future MMA fighters will all or should be well-versed in wrestling and what is left is a stand up fight which favors the better striker. - That is the suggestion of this article.
Chael_Sonnen
11/14/11 11:15:32PM
The future? Wrestling + TDD + Striking are the three most important factors....if you can master all three, or at least come close = Champ 
KungFuMaster
11/14/11 11:29:47PM
Posted by Chael_Sonnen
The future? Wrestling + TDD + Striking are the three most important factors....if you can master all three, or at least come close = Champ
I know you will agree with me when I say I believe jiu jitsu will someday become the least effective of all the aspects of MMA.
sbulldavid
11/14/11 11:55:11PM
The guys like Jon Jones and Donald Cerrone are the future, they are great at everything and big athletic freaks. The future is now, there will be another Jone Jones soon. Physical freaks are becoming the norm Brock was just the beginning now you got Jones who is at 205 what Brock was at 265 plus he out struck arguably two of the three most dangerous strikers in LHW history in Shogun and Rampage.
DeadHead988
11/15/11 1:01:50AM
The real truth is that the dominant style is all determined by the rules. The reason why the styles that dominated old ufc are not the same styles that dominate today is that the rules changed. That's why wrestling isn't as dominant in Japan, the scoring system and rules are entirely different. The current American rules are de-emphasizing jiu-jitsu as much as possible, which is why it's not as dominant as it was for Royce Gracie in the original tournaments. Currently, the scoring favors wrestlers, forcing everyone to adapt and learn to neutralize wrestling just as they learned to neutralize jiu-jitsu years ago. Soon striking will dominate America like it does Japan, but eventually it will also fade and who knows what will take its place? Personally, I hope it changes soon because the wrestling-oriented style that is emphasized today is complete shit and is ruining the sport imo. Real talk.
UFC_Fanatic
11/15/11 3:01:35AM
Posted by DeadHead988
The real truth is that the dominant style is all determined by the rules. The reason why the styles that dominated old ufc are not the same styles that dominate today is that the rules changed. That's why wrestling isn't as dominant in Japan, the scoring system and rules are entirely different. The current American rules are de-emphasizing jiu-jitsu as much as possible, which is why it's not as dominant as it was for Royce Gracie in the original tournaments. Currently, the scoring favors wrestlers, forcing everyone to adapt and learn to neutralize wrestling just as they learned to neutralize jiu-jitsu years ago. Soon striking will dominate America like it does Japan, but eventually it will also fade and who knows what will take its place? Personally, I hope it changes soon because the wrestling-oriented style that is emphasized today is complete shit and is ruining the sport imo. Real talk.
I agree. imo, it is ridiculous how in todays world, fighter a constantly takes fighter B down for 3 rounds, but does nothing once he gets it there, while fighter b punishes with florian like elbows, and constantly threatens with submissions, but couldn't quite get the finish, yet clearly worked harder toward finishing the fight, yet the judges determine it that fighter a won. It's ridiculous if you ask me. I love the sport, and I'm not saying this is really like a huge massive problem plaguing the sport, but it is annoying when it does happen, and given the american scoring system as it stands today, it favors the wrestler, like you mentioned, over the guy whose effective jj game threatened with submissions and neutralized everything the wrestler tried to do once he got it to the ground. That's one of the things I like about Japanese MMA. They favor the guy who is actually being the most offensive, whether he is on top, on the bottom, or whatever the case may be. They favor the person who is actively trying to finish the fight.
tcunningham
11/15/11 3:33:34AM
wrestling will be important forever. its the link between the ground and standup. teach a good wrestler how to punch and kick= somebody getting hurt. that said, any good fighter can be a good wrestler with the right coaching and practice.
postman
11/15/11 9:52:47AM
Posted by Chael_Sonnen
The future? Wrestling + TDD + Striking are the three most important factors....if you can master all three, or at least come close = Champ
You of all people should know that Sub defense is rather important
warglory
11/15/11 11:01:37AM
Posted by postman
Posted by Chael_Sonnen
The future? Wrestling + TDD + Striking are the three most important factors....if you can master all three, or at least come close = Champ
You of all people should know that Sub defense is rather important
gravy13
11/15/11 11:55:29AM
Posted by warglory
Posted by postman
Posted by Chael_Sonnen
The future? Wrestling + TDD + Striking are the three most important factors....if you can master all three, or at least come close = Champ
You of all people should know that Sub defense is rather important
Chael would have the belt right now if he had sub-defense.
BeeR
11/15/11 12:03:11PM
no he wouldnt.
he would have lost it once the drug tests came back.
thats why he decided to LET silva slap on a triangle at the last minute.
he would have lost it once the drug tests came back.
thats why he decided to LET silva slap on a triangle at the last minute.
KungFuMaster
11/15/11 12:16:38PM
Wrestling will be important but not as important as striking. Striking is the first line of defense and offense. If you fail in that department, your chances of winning will have decreased tremendously and will continue to decrease exponentially if you fail in the wrestling department and so forth.
Your objectives as a fighter are to neutralize your opponent's striking by having good stand up, prevent take-downs with basic take-down defenses, take your opponent down by utilizing wrestling, submit your opponent with submissions, and defend submissions utilizing basic submission defenses.
Every fight and round start with both fighters standing which is why striking IMO is the most crucial aspect of MMA competition. If wrestling was more important than striking, Josh Koscheck should be our welter weight champion and not GSP. The reason GSP is our champion is because he has an impeccable stand up which allows him to utilize and capitalize on other aspects of the sport such as wrestling.
People think GSP has great wrestling. No he does not. He has an amazing stand up along with speed and strength. His stand up keeps his opponents at bay. His speed and strength help him with his take downs. Great wrestlers like Randy can find ways to take opponents down from a clinch. GSP is not a wrestler which is why he needs to shoot for take downs - and he does it easily because he is fast on his feet. When you have an amazing stand up like GSP, you can confuse your opponent with strikes and the take-down opportunities will virtually be available all night long.
In GSP's fight with Shields, Shields proved he can box a little which made it that much more difficult for GSP to get the take downs on Shields. Bottom line is - it all starts with the striking.
Your objectives as a fighter are to neutralize your opponent's striking by having good stand up, prevent take-downs with basic take-down defenses, take your opponent down by utilizing wrestling, submit your opponent with submissions, and defend submissions utilizing basic submission defenses.
Every fight and round start with both fighters standing which is why striking IMO is the most crucial aspect of MMA competition. If wrestling was more important than striking, Josh Koscheck should be our welter weight champion and not GSP. The reason GSP is our champion is because he has an impeccable stand up which allows him to utilize and capitalize on other aspects of the sport such as wrestling.
People think GSP has great wrestling. No he does not. He has an amazing stand up along with speed and strength. His stand up keeps his opponents at bay. His speed and strength help him with his take downs. Great wrestlers like Randy can find ways to take opponents down from a clinch. GSP is not a wrestler which is why he needs to shoot for take downs - and he does it easily because he is fast on his feet. When you have an amazing stand up like GSP, you can confuse your opponent with strikes and the take-down opportunities will virtually be available all night long.
In GSP's fight with Shields, Shields proved he can box a little which made it that much more difficult for GSP to get the take downs on Shields. Bottom line is - it all starts with the striking.
emfleek
11/15/11 12:17:43PM
After this past Saturday, I'd say MMA is clearly doomed.
BeeR
11/15/11 12:32:07PM
Posted by KungFuMaster
People think GSP has great wrestling. No he does not. .
so you're saying one of the best wrestlers, if not the best (arguably) in MMA isnt a good wrestler?
gravy13
11/15/11 1:37:15PM
Posted by BeeR
no he wouldnt.
he would have lost it once the drug tests came back.
thats why he decided to LET silva slap on a triangle at the last minute.
This pretty much sums it up.....
KungFuMaster
11/15/11 2:02:50PM
Posted by BeeR
Posted by KungFuMaster
People think GSP has great wrestling. No he does not. .
so you're saying one of the best wrestlers, if not the best (arguably) in MMA isnt a good wrestler?
That is what I am saying. He is so good on his feet and it opens his opponents up for easy take-downs. GSP has the speed to cover a lot of ground which makes it almost impossible for his opponents to stop his downs. Why? Because his opponents are too busy worrying about his stand up.
Being able to take someone down in MMA does not require excellent wrestling techniques. It requires practice and good timing which GSP is good at because he devotes a lot of time into studying how to take people down. When a fighter is moving or advancing toward you, he will eventually have to lift his strong leg. Once that leg is lifted, you can shoot in and not expect to sustain much damage from a punch or strike. If you are not planted well on the ground, you cannot deliver a powerful punch or strike and GSP knows this because he studied karate and the aesthetics of balance.
BeeR
11/15/11 2:42:07PM
ok so him out wrestling guys like fitch and kos, who are amazing wrestlers and being able to hold them down, a la pure wrestling, means he's not a good wrestler? he can take down any wrestler without striking, and he can hold down any wrestler, that means he's a phenomenal wrestler. he would beat these guys in pure wrestling. I dont know what GSP impersonator fights you've been watching....
BeeR
11/15/11 2:48:24PM
Posted by gravy13
Posted by BeeR
no he wouldnt.
he would have lost it once the drug tests came back.
thats why he decided to LET silva slap on a triangle at the last minute.
This pretty much sums it up.....
yeah, sarcasm, understand? guess not.
also, no, he most certainly would NOT have the belt, and wouldnt have had it any more then a week.
gravy13
11/15/11 3:16:09PM
Posted by BeeR
Posted by gravy13
Posted by BeeR
no he wouldnt.
he would have lost it once the drug tests came back.
thats why he decided to LET silva slap on a triangle at the last minute.
This pretty much sums it up.....
yeah, sarcasm, understand? guess not.
also, no, he most certainly would NOT have the belt, and wouldnt have had it any more then a week.
OK, but he still didn't get the belt because of his lack of sub-defense. That was the point in my first post.
KungFuMaster
11/15/11 4:26:38PM
Posted by BeeR
ok so him out wrestling guys like fitch and kos, who are amazing wrestlers and being able to hold them down, a la pure wrestling, means he's not a good wrestler? he can take down any wrestler without striking, and he can hold down any wrestler, that means he's a phenomenal wrestler. he would beat these guys in pure wrestling. I dont know what GSP impersonator fights you've been watching....
There are much more finer points in wrestling than take-downs and sprawling. What you want to say is GSP is a great take-down artist as appose to a great wrestler.
postman
11/15/11 5:07:52PM
Posted by KungFuMaster
Posted by BeeR
ok so him out wrestling guys like fitch and kos, who are amazing wrestlers and being able to hold them down, a la pure wrestling, means he's not a good wrestler? he can take down any wrestler without striking, and he can hold down any wrestler, that means he's a phenomenal wrestler. he would beat these guys in pure wrestling. I dont know what GSP impersonator fights you've been watching....
There are much more finer points in wrestling than take-downs and sprawling. What you want to say is GSP is a great take-down artist as appose to a great wrestler.
Sorry man He holds guys like Fitch and Kos down as well as taking them down. He had a chance to try out for the Olympic team. I don't think he would have made it but lets get real if they are willing to take a look at him he must have some legit wrestling. His MMA wrestling is top notch He hits takedowns all the time with out using punches him and Cruz have the sickest Knee taps in the game. When GSP gets a guy down thats where they stay I'm not sure what to give that credit to other then Wrestling.
BeeR
11/15/11 5:20:22PM
There are much more finer points in wrestling than take-downs and sprawling. What you want to say is GSP is a great take-down artist as appose to a great wrestler.
Brother, I already said it, if GSP can lay on top of outstanding wrestlers like Fitch and KOS, and render their outstanding wrestling USELESS, then he, himself, is an outstanding wrestler, I didnt even say anything about TD's and sprawling, you keep going on about it, Im talking about his WRESTLING, Im talking about him holding down WRESTLERS on the ground, aka wrestling..... Im talking about GSP training with the Canadian Olympic wrestling team which has a very very stacked 74 and 84 kg team. He out wrestled Trigg, he out wrestled Fitch, he out wrestled KOS 1st fight.
his TD's, TDD and wrestling adapted for MMA is a totally different argument, although not the subject.. But to say he hasn't out wrestled the best wrestlers in the division, and that his wrestling is "not good" is completely ridiculous. How did he get labled a lay'n'prayer? by utilizing wrestling, and dominating wrestlers.
If he just had good takedowns, All the wrestlers he's faced would have easily been able to get the fight back to the feet right?
So, the way I see it, Better wrestling then top notch wrestlers + great TD's + great TDD = a great wrestler in my books
Pookie
11/15/11 5:54:48PM
Wrestling is favored by the rules. +1 wrestling
The more wrestling is ingrained into the system of what works, the more wrestlers will appear.
The more Wrestlers increase among the % of prospects coming up, the more style-advantages top level Bjj fighters will have among the field of prospects.
I think, the more the field at play changes, the more "what's working" will change.
As far as striking, i think it's always been important at the heavy weight classes, and will always be the most important thing the higher you go up. However, the lower weightclasses behave opposite to that, and grappling will probably remain the keystone there.
What im noticing at LW, is that the anti-wrestler is sort of making a comeback. And the anti-wrestler traditionally gets beat by the striker, so that will be interesting with the Ben Henderson's, Frankie Edgar's, and Eddie Alvarez's of today. Though the latter two, are tremendous strikers in their own right.
The more wrestling is ingrained into the system of what works, the more wrestlers will appear.
The more Wrestlers increase among the % of prospects coming up, the more style-advantages top level Bjj fighters will have among the field of prospects.
I think, the more the field at play changes, the more "what's working" will change.
As far as striking, i think it's always been important at the heavy weight classes, and will always be the most important thing the higher you go up. However, the lower weightclasses behave opposite to that, and grappling will probably remain the keystone there.
What im noticing at LW, is that the anti-wrestler is sort of making a comeback. And the anti-wrestler traditionally gets beat by the striker, so that will be interesting with the Ben Henderson's, Frankie Edgar's, and Eddie Alvarez's of today. Though the latter two, are tremendous strikers in their own right.
KungFuMaster
11/15/11 6:50:11PM
GSP has some great wrestling attributes which translate well into MMA. To say he is a good wrestler based on his MMA performances is over-stating the facts. GSP could very well be a good wrestler but until he proves himself in a wrestling match, we cannot assume he is a good wrestler. MMA and wrestling are two different sports. In one, it is all about defending or advancing position without strikes or submissions. In the other, it is about defending or delivering punches, strikes, and submissions while trying to advance position. There is a reason he is able to hold down other wrestlers. Most fighters in the sport of MMA are trained to keep their opponents in the guard while being on the bottom. Moving from the guard position, especially giving up your back, will subject you to possible chokes such as the rear naked choke.
Pookie
11/15/11 7:22:45PM
There's essentially a semantics arguement going on here, and i think it all boils down to people attributing different meanings to the same word.
I would say Gsp is a good wrestler(because in my mind TD and TDD is the most attributable skills to traditional wrestling), but i would also say he's an average grappler(because his transitions and fundamental matwork are the least developed skills in his ground game). But someone else might think he's a good grappler and not a good wrestler based on the same, or different, criteria.
Wrestlers like fitch, or askren have very good grappling to compliment their wrestling.
I would say Gsp is a good wrestler(because in my mind TD and TDD is the most attributable skills to traditional wrestling), but i would also say he's an average grappler(because his transitions and fundamental matwork are the least developed skills in his ground game). But someone else might think he's a good grappler and not a good wrestler based on the same, or different, criteria.
Wrestlers like fitch, or askren have very good grappling to compliment their wrestling.
mrsmiley
11/15/11 7:47:44PM
Posted by DeadHead988
The real truth is that the dominant style is all determined by the rules. The reason why the styles that dominated old ufc are not the same styles that dominate today is that the rules changed. That's why wrestling isn't as dominant in Japan, the scoring system and rules are entirely different. The current American rules are de-emphasizing jiu-jitsu as much as possible, which is why it's not as dominant as it was for Royce Gracie in the original tournaments. Currently, the scoring favors wrestlers, forcing everyone to adapt and learn to neutralize wrestling just as they learned to neutralize jiu-jitsu years ago. Soon striking will dominate America like it does Japan, but eventually it will also fade and who knows what will take its place? Personally, I hope it changes soon because the wrestling-oriented style that is emphasized today is complete shit and is ruining the sport imo. Real talk.
I can relate to this.
I think a perfect example of the wrestling mind set is Ricco vs Nog.
Ricco was on top the whole time but it was Nog who went for the submission attempts. Thus attempting to finish the fight. Though fans complained because since Ricco was on top he surely won. here's an article from 2003 about it:
Ricco vs Nog breakdown Matt Hume
I think another great example was Bas Rutten vs Kevin Randleman. This fight was so contraversial but I don't see why. Randleman was on top the majority of the fight but even Big John admitted the reason he didn't stand the fight up was because Bas was working from the bottom! Not because Kevin was doing anything of significance from the top.
I'm not against seeing the other side of things,but I do agree that judging and mindset have a large part to play in what style or styles will become the future of MMA.
Cadillac
11/15/11 10:59:54PM
Everytime I watch Dos Santos fight I get a giant grin on my face. I love it when fighters fight someone and they actually know how to strike and not just throw wide hillbilly swings. You never see someone run from a wrestler trying to get the takedown, it's the fighters who know how to strike that put the fear in their opponents eyes.
BeeR
11/16/11 6:27:37AM
Ive seen countless guys turn and run from a single leg attempt.
mostly strikers.
mostly strikers.