Gumbi

I doubt the champions of UFC and Pride do any katas, yet they're the best fighters in the world at the moment. You're quite right, however, there are many different types of sparring. Point sparring will prepare you for point sparring Full contact will prepare you for full contact. Training in one for the other will not yield good results.

So, without BJJ we have no UFC? UFC is mixed martial arts. With no boxing or muay thai, its just a grappling match. As far as them being upper level "amateur" strikers, go take a look at the likes of Robbie Lawler, Vitor Belfort, and Jens Pulver. Throwing punches in a MMA match is MUCH different than throwing punches in a boxing/kickboxing match. As far as Bruce is concerned, I think the UFC is what he eventually had in mind. Before his death, Bruce was intrigued by groundfighting and was working extensively in Judo. Would he have done well against guys similar to his weight? Absolutely- you could call Bruce the first real mixed martial artist- he could punch, kick, execute takedowns, and use submission holds. He even stated what the UFC eventually proved- you only need to know wrestling and boxing to be a formidable opponent for any martial artist. Bear in mind though, the first UFC's had no weight classes, and Bruce was 135lbs. A great fighter, but do not underestimate the great advantage that size gives a person in a fight.

MuayThaiBoxer: Elbows are illegal when thrown leading with the point of the elbow. Fighters still get away with throwing elbows in the guard, so long as they dont lead with the elbow. They call them forearm strikes and are able to get around the rules that way. As far as TKD kicks being too slow or telegraphing, I think its the opposite. The kicks may be fast, but lack any real power behind them to do significant damage. Roundhouse kicks are the workhorse of MMA as they have been very successfull. Side kicks have not been very successfull, not to mention that fighting with a side stance, commonly seen in karate point sparring competitions, is not a good idea in MMA. Spin kicks simply take too long to be relied on.

its true. No its not. That was a myth that originated out of Okinowa or something like that when Karate was introduced to the US. My memory is a little hazy, but it was something along the lines of each karate guy in okinowa had to register himself on okinowa, so that they knew who was teaching what. The whole idea of "you have to register your hands as a lethal weapon when you're a black belt" is just a bad hangover from this period and a story made up of people who were full of themselves.

Depends what you mean by best kickers. The best kickers I believe you'll see are Kyokushin/Muay Thai fighters and K-1 fighters (though, K-1 isnt neccessarily a style, but a venue). Im judging that in terms of the number of people that represent that style and the success they've had.. It should be noted though that a style doesnt always indicate every fighters strength and weakness. There are BJJ fighters who dont have good guards, there are muay thai fighters who dont have good knees, and there are also wrestlers who dont have good takedowns.

Like what? Each school has an annual secret undergroud kumite in which participants fight to the death

So its agreed that rules are the big difference between a street fight and a cage fight. The often most argued rules are biting and eye gouging, so lets address those first- do you think they would play a critical role in the determination of a winner of a fight?

Well, lets discuss here. What do we think the striking differences are between a cage fight and a street fight that makes competition and street fighting on such different levels?

Ignore these two statements. Champ, Im going to ask politely that you not make generalizations about mixed martial arts fighting competitions that you obviously dont know enough about. Mixed Martial Arts in its current state favors strikers, not grapplers. No elbows, rounds, time limits, frequent standups, no headbutts, and kneeing the head of a downed opponent are the restrictions against grapplers. Kicking a downed opponent is the only thing that particularly hurts strikers more than grapplers. Just because the top fighters in the world happen to be grapplers does not mean that the tournaments favor grapplers- fighting in its natrual state favors grappling. Say what you want about Belfort, hes a striker first, grappler second. He was a blue belt when he entered his first UFC, and there was nothing Jiu Jitsu like about his left right combinations that knocked opponents senseless. As to why the better strikers fight in Pride, its not because the rules are in their favor, or because they're the top dog- its because these fighters are often coming out of K-1 which is the most popular sporting event in Japan. K-1 in Japan is the equivalent of Basketball or Football in the USA. More fans over there The last UFC I was at had somewhere around 5,000 in attendence at the Taj Mahal. The last Pride I saw on PPV has somewhere around 50,000. This means Pride has more money to go after the top K-1 fighters- a good investment, since being a K-1 champ has already elevated your status in Japan. Would you rather make $80,000 fighting in the UFC or $150,000 fighting in Japan? Oh and if you want to see the best Front kick ever, I suggest you watch UFC 6 Pat Smith vs Rudyard Moncayo Let me finish this off by saying that its really not right to limit guys into "striker" or "grappler" categories in modern MMA. Very few fighters match that pure desciption (Cro Cop and Hunt are definately strikers, Yoshida and Coleman are definately grapplers). So many people now are cross training and are quite adept at all areas of fighting. Nogueira, known for his great ground game, has won fights by knockouts. Fedor, known for his great takedowns and ground and pound, has won many fights with his often overlooked submission skills Cro Cop recently defeated Kevin Randleman with a guillotine choke. Alistair Overeem recently defeated Vitor Belfort with a guillotine choke as well.

For not being the best they can be, some of those MMA fighters are really tearing some things up. These people practice theoretical deadly techniques and best the best they can be, but are nothing more than warm up matches for a practical/mixed fighter.

A simple answer for a simple question: The quickest submissions you'll often see are footlocks, because they dont require the positional dominance that other submissions, such as chokes and armlocks do. Standing locks would obviously be much quicker, but have a much lesser chance of working because of the amount of mobility your opponent has to twist and fight out of it.

Fair enough, but practicing something in the gym and actually using in a competition are two different things. If you can do it in a competition, thats the ultimate test for your technique. Now, Kyokushin may in fact teach strikes to the face, but I (and many others) still hold Muay Thai in higher respect if not for punches to the face, then for the clinchwork, knee, and elbows taught.

I guess the big question is: You become a black belt in.... what? The price was said to be dropped to @$270 from $400 a month- thats a hell of a price to pay. There is also an initial deposit of $500, which I have no idea what its purpose is. It does require active training in Boxing/ Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Escrima/Kali, and has heavy emphasis on sparring (3 2 minute rounds a day for 2 years). The BJJ teachers listed in their curriculum are phenominal ones at that. Doesnt look too bad, provided you have the money. I feel paying upwards of $300 a month is quite extreme (some of the most expensive BJJ gyms arent even that high) but better to pay $300 a month and actually learn how to fight than to spend $50 a month and have a false sense of confidence with no practical fighting skill evident.

My conclusions came from what I already posted- the lack of punches to the head is what I believe hold Kyokushin back. I believe learning how to throw your hands is a much more important skill than learning how to kick. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying Kyokushin wont or cant do that, but the fact is that punching is the name of the game in boxing, and Muay Thai incorporates that with kicks along with added knees, elbows, and clinchwork. Competition Records speak for themselves.

I think its the best striking style you can take, after Muay Thai and Boxing of course. My only gripe with it is the lack of punches to the head, as I feel that strikes to the head are the most common attack one is going to see in an actual fight.

Belts should mean something while at the same time mean nothing. A black belt should signify that person as being a professional in his field of study. The problem is, however, that most martial arts deal with theoretical practicality rather than actual practicality. This means the person is master in that style in theory. There is also the americanization of martial arts, in that belts are handed out, which has greatly decreased the value of a "black belt." The problem is there is no set standard for who is or isnt a master, as everyone has their own set of credentials- its not like a degree from a major university. It should signify an achievement and sort of be a medal that would be worn like a decorated marine (or an Olympic Champion). At the same time, most of the people who I hear say "belts dont mean anything" are white belts or lower ranked belts who are often upset they havent been promoted.

Peddler Knees to the head are painfull, and are great for knocking people out. However, the idea that you'd have enough time to see a takedown attempt and react accordingly with a knee that has potent knockout power is about as unlikely as people who claimed they'd simply "jump back and kick the guy in the face." Takedown are executed from the same distance that punches and kicks are, and are often set up with other techniques, such as jabs, crosses, or kicks. The idea of defending a takedown, or in this case a shot attempt, it to distance your hips and legs as far as possible from your opponents hips. It is possible to deliver a strong knee on someone attempting a shot, but there are too many variables- if you dont knock them out, you're going to be put in a bad position, not to mention your timing has to be almost perfect. Some MMA fighters have attempted knees on takedown attempts, but often after they've connected/missed they're often seen relying on the basic sprawl to defend the takedown.

Suddenly everything changes when you're on the street? The "experienced" MA's own game was supposedly fighting- that was Tank's game too.

Allow me to add my two cents. Since everyone is giving advice on which styles to choose, I'll give my 2 on how to choose a school. First off, there is a lot to be said for which STYLE of fighting you choose. You'll often hear "its the person, not the style" but that is certainly not true- to say so is to ignore the differences in all the styles of combat. In one demensional fighters, it is much more the style than the person fighting. In mixed martial artists who are well rounded, usually then is when the fighters matter more than the style, since they have crosstrained. So, this is what I look for when choosing a gym to train at: 1: Do they spar with contact? Sparring for points and full contact fighting are two completely different things. I want a gym that concentrates on hard contact sparring and practicalilty. Learning how to fight without contact is like learning how to ride a bike by jumping on a stationary one. 2: Does the instructor prove what he teaches? Does the instructor have some sort of competition record, or will he give you opportunity to question what he teaches? It gives heavy credibility to a teacher if hes willing to prove that what hes teaching you works, either by having used it in competition, or by giving you the opportunity to prevent his attack/penetrate his defense. Any of that "too deadly for the ring/street/full contact" stuff is something you want to avoid. 3: Does the instructor show geniune concern for your development as a fighter? Does the instructor simply allows you to go through the motions without correcting you, or does he actually take the time to explain techniques and principles to you. That being said, Muay Thai and western boxing are the striking arts with the best record. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, and Sambo are grappling styles with the best record. Take that for what its worth.

No- a shoe made for a left foot wont fit on a right foot because it'll be mis shaped and odd looking.

It simply seems as if you take it a little more seriously than your peers. Sometimes you need a little more than a good school to be a good fighter- you need good training partners as well. If you're unable to find them at your current school, I would suggest trying to find another that has the type of sparring partners you're looking for (this does not mean you've got to quit your own school). I see the same situation with people I train with at my gym. Some people take it more seriously than others, while some simply want a workout or a hobby- nothing more. The intensity with which I train depends on who it is Im training with, but fortunately theres enough people at my gym who share common training ideals.

What about the strikers who are trying to cave your skull in with punches and kicks? Should Wanderlie Silva take a little off of his stomps for fear of stomping your head more than neccessary? Should Fedor stop after each potential knockout punch to see if his opponent can reasonably defend himself? Would you stop Cro Cop from finishing his opponents off on the ground after he lands a vicious roundhouse kick to the jaw? Regardless of how fast a submission is applied, you always will have time to tap. If you realize you're caught and tap fast, you wont be hurt. If you try to fight it, thats when you end up tapping late.

To apply a submission slowly is to give an opponent more time to escape it. Everyone who's thrown a submission in MMA has done so quickly and with as much power as possible. Most people tap out quickly, and often there isnt much damage done to the joint. To say that you need to apply a submission slowly is to say that a striker has to double check to see if his opponent is ok after each hit. Thats the job of the referee, not the fighters.

And why wouldnt you do that? Let me ask of you- do you think the pain all of a sudden stops or becomes non existent after the arm is broken? An arm that is already broken being cranked will hurt a hell of a lot more than a healthy arm being cranked. There was nothing slow or gentle about the armbar he put on Sylvia. Many guys wont tap until you break their arm, at which point it hurts a hell of a lot more. When you throw a jonit lock on someone, its not like you're being "oh, excuse me, let me lock your joint here so I can get the tap." You grab it and yank the hell out of it. Nothing slow about it, and even after the arm is broken, it can still continue to be cranked.

If you're trying to suggest that a pure striker would be able to make those techniques noted just as effective as a grappler would, Im afraid thats highly unlikely. Striking on the feet has to do with timing, speed, power, distancing, and so forth. Striking on the ground has little to do with any of that, since your opponents movement is so limited. As a result, positioning becomes much more important than say, speed or timing. Fighting on the ground is much more than just a simple collection of techniques. Theres a feel for it, much the same you could say about striking on the feet. Having a strong base on the ground when on top is often crucial to being able to strike effectively, since you cant hit too hard if you're off balanced. A good grappler will have a good base and good balance to deliver some good shots should he be on top. The same can not be said for someone who's not experienced on the ground.