Basically I look at MMA as the testing ground for techniques. The ones that I find useful I and others like me, modify them to suit my needs on the street. For example the floating knee on chest position is useful because it allows you to control you primary opponent while being in a position to see if he reaches for a weapon or to flee if his buddies come to the resque. Hammer fists can be rained down on a person from that position as well.

The U.S. Army with the help of the Gracies, have modified BJJ to a battlefield worthy art so effective that it has become a standard field manual; FM 3-25.150. Also Ernest Emerson of Emerson knives has taken bjj and other grappling techniques and added knife offense and defense from the ground that he teaches to the spec ops community. At the Valhalla training academy they teach a form of grappling that allows you to retain and control your weapon while stopping the bad guy from getting to his, again derived from wrestling, judo, and BJJ. Others modify the clinching tactics of muay thai and boxing into a close quarter battle system for up close and personal shooting and defense.

Judo and bjj helped lots of women successfully defend themselvs against men. A women battered for years by her husband takes up BJJ and after 1 month of lessons she defends herself by triangle choking him out. Another battered wife learns judo and uses it so successfully against her abusive husband that he ends up in a nursing home. A blind man uses judo to throw a guy trying to rob him. The list goes on and on. NHB/MMA is the testing ground for what works and what doesn't work in unarmed combat and has been modified to deal with armed combat. And it all stems from actual battle tested experience. Times change, criminals evolve, what worked in ancient times may or may not be valid now, Have your training methods evolved as well?

Recently, there was an news article here in Hawaii, where a criminal entered a person's home. The occupant had some training in BJJ and the criminal was heard begging for mercy.

Nice to see that martial arts can come in handy in the street sometimes

yeah - good to hear that the attitude is their as well....

I would say that MMA / NHB isnt perfect for finding out what works.... but is the realistical best place you can find to trial techniques and styles.

Great posts all!

I other point - generally i should have said full contact training works - so NHB is good for 1 art, MMA which by deifnition it just trying differnt arts against each other is good for finding out what styles work better.... so the combination of an NHB MMA match would find out the best at self defense / fighting between martial arts at the highest level.... sometimes i think i just dont make sense - so sorry if my explanation is really poor i did try honestly.