sprawl-and-brawl

[Orca]

Hello all,

Lately I've been watching some of Chuck Liddell's fights and I'm impressed. He's a great example of how a striker can do well in top MMA. Now, I know the guy used to be a top collegiate wrestler and all that, but he is an obviously trained striker. Striking is what he does best. I heard before that his punching technique was bad and that he got by on heavy hands, but that is not true. He turns his punches, uses his hips to punch, keeps balance, doesnt swing for the fences, and most of all he is very relaxed in there.

I hear Chuck's style of fighting is called sprawl-and-brawl, which basically means avoiding takedowns (not necessarily by sprawling) and striking the opponent.

Who are other sprawl-and-brawlers in today's MMA and what are their striking styles?

My list:

Cro-Cop (kickboxing or Muay Thai)

David Loiseau (kickboxing)

Ryoto Machida (Shotokan (some people say Kyokushin but they are wrong, I know this one for a fact, he was ITKF's Shotokan Panamerican Champ in 2000)

Tim Sylvia (kickboxing?)

Forrest Griffin (maybe boxing?)

Is Fedor a sprawl-and-brawler?

Look forward to people's comments.

[Sohan]

Hello all,

Lately I've been watching some of Chuck Liddell's fights and I'm impressed. He's a great example of how a striker can do well in top MMA. Now, I know the guy used to be a top collegiate wrestler and all that, but he is an obviously trained striker. Striking is what he does best. I heard before that his punching technique was bad and that he got by on heavy hands, but that is not true. He turns his punches, uses his hips to punch, keeps balance, doesnt swing for the fences, and most of all he is very relaxed in there.

I hear Chuck's style of fighting is called sprawl-and-brawl, which basically means avoiding takedowns (not necessarily by sprawling) and striking the opponent.

Who are other sprawl-and-brawlers in today's MMA and what are their striking styles?

My list:

Cro-Cop (kickboxing or Muay Thai)

David Loiseau (kickboxing)

Ryoto Machida (Shotokan (some people say Kyokushin but they are wrong, I know this one for a fact, he was ITKF's Shotokan Panamerican Champ in 2000)

Tim Sylvia (kickboxing?)

Forrest Griffin (maybe boxing?)

Is Fedor a sprawl-and-brawler?

Look forward to people's comments.

According to Wikipedia, besides Chuck and Cro-Cop, Maurice Smith, Pedro Rizzo, and Phil Baroni are also "sprawl and brawlers".

With respect,

Sohan

[parkerlineage]

I hear Chuck's style of fighting is called sprawl-and-brawl, which basically means avoiding takedowns (not necessarily by sprawling) and striking the opponent.

Don't know much about UFC, but that's how I'd fight...for now.

[elbows_and_knees]

Hello all,

Lately I've been watching some of Chuck Liddell's fights and I'm impressed. He's a great example of how a striker can do well in top MMA. Now, I know the guy used to be a top collegiate wrestler and all that, but he is an obviously trained striker. Striking is what he does best.

Striking is NOT what he does best... he was one of the best wrestlers in the country... his grappling is what makes his striking so good. Think about it - if he couldn't defend the takedowns or was not good at getting back to his feet, how well would he be able to use his strikes?

Who are other sprawl-and-brawlers in today's MMA and what are their striking styles?

My list:

Cro-Cop (kickboxing or Muay Thai)

David Loiseau (kickboxing)

Ryoto Machida (Shotokan (some people say Kyokushin but they are wrong, I know this one for a fact, he was ITKF's Shotokan Panamerican Champ in 2000)

Tim Sylvia (kickboxing?)

Forrest Griffin (maybe boxing?)

Is Fedor a sprawl-and-brawler?

Look forward to people's comments.

Fedor is a grappler by trade - he's a sambo guy.

Loiseau is also a TKD guy.

vanderlei silva and pedro rizzo should also be on the list.

[Orca]

Yep, Lidell seems very well-rounded, I definitely buy that he was a great competitive wrestler. However, his striking is excellent and that takes time and training...many other excellent wrestlers are unable to knock people out like Lidell. He also has a beautiful roundhouse kick.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Pedro Rizzo and Silva.

thanks!

[TriangleMan]

People often get labeled by a particular style based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Nowadays, some fighters are getting so adept at all aspects of the fight game that its not correct to label them as a type of particular fighter. Someone like Fedor is so well rounded that hes easily able to take advantage of any mistake you make in the fight, be it on the ground, in the clinch, or on the feet. He is an example of what it really means to be a mixed martial artist

[BLueDevil]

I always thought Rich Franklin was a sprawl-and-brawl guy, I know he favors the stand-up.

Fedor is a ground-and-pounder(probably the best in the world) similar to Matt Hughes or Tito Ortiz without the elbows(Pride does not allow elbows)

[TriangleMan]

Fedor is a ground-and-pounder(probably the best in the world) similar to Matt Hughes or Tito Ortiz without the elbows(Pride does not allow elbows)

Its better to say that Fedor can ground and pound as opposed to labeling him with that style. While it is true that this is probably what hes most recognized for, you cant overlook the fact that he dominated the standup in a world class K-1 level kickboxer in Mirko Cro Cop, pulled off the most beautiful armbar I've ever seen against Mark Coleman, and put on a clinch/takedown clinic with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He has it all.

[alsey]

something i've noticed recently watching UFC, they'll often introduce a guy as a striker, and he'll go and submit someone. then they'll introduce someone as a submissions specialist and he'll go and knock someone out. i love it when the BJJ black belts just mount some guy and whack him the face instead of bothering with submissions. it might just be me, but i'm sure most of the time the fighters win doing the opposite of what they're best at.

[BLueDevil]

Fedor is a ground-and-pounder(probably the best in the world) similar to Matt Hughes or Tito Ortiz without the elbows(Pride does not allow elbows)

Its better to say that Fedor can ground and pound as opposed to labeling him with that style. While it is true that this is probably what hes most recognized for, you cant overlook the fact that he dominated the standup in a world class K-1 level kickboxer in Mirko Cro Cop, pulled off the most beautiful armbar I've ever seen against Mark Coleman, and put on a clinch/takedown clinic with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He has it all.

I agree, but Fedor's specialty is the GnP. he can do it all but he prefers to pound people into the mat