UFC question

[scottnshelly]

I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to UFC, i haven't seen very many fights.

My question is, has there ever been a fighter in the UFC that had absolutley no ground training prior to the fight? It seems like everyone on there has a MMA or Jiu Jitsu back ground. I know that i've seen some that are stronger standing, but they all seem to have had some ground work.

How would a person that has no ground training fair in the ring? For instance, say a person trains their whole life in Kenpo, Aikido, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, or any other punching/kicking style, would they be instantly beaten by a MMA guy?

On a side note, i would be much more interested in watching a fight between two classically trained Martial Artists that have devoted their whole life to one style say Tae Kwon Do vs. Monkey Kung Fu or Wing Chun vs. Aikido or Kenpo vs. Muay Thai.

[pittbullJudoka]

Look at some tapes from the early UFCs and you'll see guys who were training only one style.It took a few UFCs for guys to figure out they needed more than just a standing or grappling style.

[Armbar]

The Early UFC's were more style vs style matches. It’s evolved since then, with strikers learning ground skills an grapplers learning how to strike. This has happened because of necessity.

In general, a striker is only really dangerous on his feet, where as, a grappler can only submit you on the ground. If you have a little bit of knowledge for each range, your more likely to last longer in the octagon, as your not as one-dimensional.

[Mr Pockets]

Not recently- everyone knows how important it is. In some smaller cage fighting leagues guys go in without ground knowledge- and more often than not they lose because of it.

[G95champ]

If you back to the first few like the guys said.

Some names to look at (sp)

Kieth Hackney

Pat Smith

Japanses dude lost to R. Gracie in UFC I

Kickboxer who lost to Shamrock in UFC I

[Gumbi]

the early UFC's showcased many style vs style matches, so it was common to see pure strikers and pure grapplers.

Now, you say that all the strikers you see seem to have experience in MMA or Jiu Jitsu- well MMA is mixed martial arts, whichs means that includes striking as well.

The same goes for the grapplers as well though, even if you get a pure grappler who's going to make the transition to MMA (i.e. Rulon Gardner, Hidehiko Yoshida) they often immediately start learning how to strike.

Its far too difficult in MMA to attempt to go in closeminded and be trained in only one style (which is not the same as being skilled in only one style). If you're a pure grappler with pitiful striking, than chances are whoever you fight will have no respect for your strikes and can dedicate his defense to purely a grappling defense by sprawling and breaking clinches.

[Muaythaiboxer]

in a pure style vs style the graplers ussualy win semply because a striker cant make you stand a grappler can make you grapple.

in one of the very early UFC's a guy with a fifth degree in tea kwon do knocked a guy out with a jump spin side kick but other than that one fight the pure strikers have not faired well.

[radicalspiegal]

I don't know most of the ones i have seen when the fight has gone to the mat the stiker starts pummeling the grapplers head! I saw one where the guys face was hamburger! But equally I have seen it go to the mat and the striler lose because he was pinned up against the cage... but me personally...i wouldn't go in without some grappling background...

-Bran

[BJJShotoshe]

Look at the earlier tape. UFC 4. There is a boxer in there that knows boxing and thats it.

[scottnshelly]

Thanks for the replies. if I understand what you're saying, you're saying that a skilled striker usually doesn't fair well against a grappler. It seems to me that the striker could adapt to fighting a grappler without necessarily going to the ground.

And if that's the case, then why are people who train exclusively in a striking art so confident in their skills if anyone with a little grappling training could beat them?

I think someone with adequate training in a stand up, striking art should be able to beat someone who's a grappler.

This just disappoints me. Here i was with a high level of confidence when all of a sudden i'm hearing that if i cross a wrestler, i'm going to lose in the long run.

Of the fights that i've seen where a striker is fighting a grappler, it seems that the striker always tries to play the grappler's game. As soon as they clinch up, the striker will start trying to grapple, even though he has no training. How about instead of going to the ground, finishing it off with a good kick to the head.

I'm done rambling.