Combat sports have been around as long as civilization itself. At the ancient Olympic games in Greece, boxing, wrestling and pankration, a spiritual ancestor of mixed martial arts, were all events. Many of the skills and attributes from each discipline, boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts, or MMA, are transferable.
History
Boxing and MMA have a difficult relationship, epitomized by the recent appearance of boxing legend and former heavyweight champion James Toney in the Ultimate Fighting Championships, MMA's biggest promotion. While almost all MMA enthusiasts and practitioners appreciate boxing in its own right and not just as a facet of MMA, for many boxing purists, MMA is an upstart blood sport that lacks the subtle hand skills of boxing. However, it has developed other skills in its own right.
MMA Training
Almost all MMA fighters will train boxing techniques to help in their fights. However, boxing cannot be directly replicated in the cage, as Toney found after he was taken down and submitted without throwing a punch. The front foot heavy, side on stance and head movement all put you at a disadvantage in MMA, as they make you vulnerable to leg kicks, takedowns and knees. MMA skills may seem less applicable to boxing, as takedowns, grappling and kicks cannot be used. However, some skills are translatable. Furthermore, wrestling and grappling conditioning can make a difference in grueling close in boxing, where grabbing and clinching can wear down a boxer who is not used to the dirtier side of boxing.
MMA for boxing
MMA fighters must learn other ways to defend punches or to counterattack, as they are unable to bob and weave in the same way as boxers because it leaves them vulnerable to ducking into knees. MMA fighters rely on footwork to keep out of danger, while the wrestling influence means that viable counters include clinching and tying up your opponent to control him or land undefended punches, or changing levels and dropping underneath a punch to shoot for a takedown. While wrestling is not permitted in boxing, knowing how to control your opponent in close allows you to defend against dirty boxing or to employ it yourself, or to duck underneath and move past punches.
Stylistic differences
MMA fighters are used to fighting with small, 4 oz. gloves that offer less protection than the 8 oz. gloves worn by boxers. The extra padding means that you can take more punishment as blows are better cushioned, while you can also use the larger gloves to shield yourself better. While boxers can stand and trade technical punches, MMA fighters are more vulnerable to being floored by a single strike, leading to better power punching. Furthermore, the lack of standing counts in MMA leads to more aggressive attempts to finish fights when your opponent is hurt.
MMA fighters in Boxing
MMA fighters, such as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Strikeforce challengers KJ Noons and Nick Diaz, have all competed in professional boxing. There has been a long standing tradition of MMA fighters competing in kickboxing, especially in Japan, with MMA fighters such as Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem and Tatsuya Kawajiri beating renowned kickboxers in fights that showed the aggressive approach and powerful, swarming punches favored by mixed martial artists.
References
- BBC HIstory: Pankration
- "UFC 118: Couture vs Toney"; Zuffa LLC; 2010
- "Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge"; BJ Penn; 2007
- "Wrestling for Fighting"; Randy Couture; 2007
- Sherdog: K1 Dynamite! 2008 results
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