He has elite fighter intangibilites like toughness, heart and resourcefulness. I dont consider him elite at striking, grappling or any other skill however, average at best. Somehow he combines his average at best skillset and elite intangibles and manages to have success with it.
I agree with him. MMA fighters can be more skilled than boxers. Someone Like Anderson Silva, or Fedor, or BJ are more skilled than any boxer. The amount of fighting styles they know is ridiculous. And combining all those styles together to win a fight is amazing. But of course, guys like Tank Abbot and Kimbo arent as skilled as boxers. But if you are well rounded in MMA, you definately have more skill than just a boxer.
MMA INOLVES more skills than boxing. Theoretically, it contains everything in boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jujitsu, etc. so there are more skill sets used. However, there are few in the history of the sport that can actually use all or many of those skill sets well. There are many boxers that can use all or most boxing techniques very proficiently. Regardless of what some posters on this site say, techniques do advance over time, and boxing is a much older sport than MMA.
Godfather, no - what you're saying is they have more "skills" with an S. Obviously given the multi discipline nature of MMA. But a world class boxer's skill in striking is so ludicrously highly tuned, there is no comparison. Chuck Lidell has had a lot of success in MMA on the world stage, he is utterly unskilled compared to a good boxer.
jack of all master of none. And its not like nothing is lost in the boxing department in translation to MMA. Infighting for instance is completely absent, which happens to probably be the most skill intensive part of boxing.
Skill is such a subjective term. But personally, I think the top MMA guys like Spider, Fedor and Penn are more skilled than top boxers. Seriously, when you look at a guy like Penn who is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and strikes as well as most boxers, how can you not admire that 'skill'. The sport has evolved. It's not the same sport that, in the early days, matched guys from different combat sports. You know longer see the sumo wrestler versus the kickboxer. Today's MMA guys are becoming more and more diverse in their abilities. Fore example, the Jiu-Jitsu that helped a guy like Royce Gracie submit dudes that out weighed him by 50 or 60 pounds is no longer a limited practice. It's incorporated into most fighter's training. Personally, I think that well-rounded MMA fighters are among the most 'skilled' athletes around.
That's nonsense. First, how do you call a guy like BJ Penn 'a master of none'? The guy is among the most accomplished Jiu-Jitsu practicioners in the world. It's more like jack of all trades and master of a few. Second, I would go out on a limb and say that muay thai boxing skills are as difficult and dangerous as boxing infighting. The idea of knees and elbows during clinches scares me more personally. Likewise, the balance, leverage and limb positioning involved in grappling in an MMA fight requires more skill than meets the eyes.
I have trained in both MMA and boxing and I personally know guys at the top of the game in both.. I will say.. MMA is kinda more "bummy" to me.. guys can get decent or even good in MMA with good training.. guys that want to box.. a lot fail.. boxing is hard.. some guys just can't take it
The best boxers are better at boxing than the best Mixed Martial Artists are at MMA. That's about as simple as I can put it. The best boxers in the world, for the most part, are way more skilled.
You're laughing but do you care to tell me what in Penn's punching technique is clearly inferior to most boxers? Didn't think so.
Perhaps, but I would bet you this: Throw Anderson Silva in a boxing ring with any 185 pound boxer in the world and he would not embarass himself. Now throw that same boxer in an MMA cage with Silva and they get ridiculously owned in a hurry. Now tell me who's more skilled?
He's stiff and doesn't get full extension on his shots. Out-boxing Sherk, who is garbage, means nothing.
I would also like to note that Silva is one of two or three guys who is actually an elite level athlete in the UFC.
:: I like Penn, but he has very, very basic boxing, and that goes for actual punching technique and also boxing skill and ability. He would get embarrassed in a boxing ring, so would silva. Silva's overall athletic ability and striking by MMA standards are top notch, but his punching is nothing special at all compared to any boxer on the world stage.
..... Some of Silva's biggest weapons are knee's,elbows and the thai clinch. As a straight up boxer? The guy would get owned against any top 10 guy at 175 or 200 depending on which he could make. BTW-Anderson Silva has 2 boxing matches and is 1-1. If he thought he could have made it boxing he would have. I imagine getting KO'ed in 2 rounds in his first fight had him looking for a new job. http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=152826&cat=boxer
I disagree. I think Silva's athletic ability and reflexes combined with fundamental boxing skill would allow him to perform well among average boxers at 185 pounds. I don't think he could best the Calzaghes or Dawsons of the world, but he wouldn't embarass himself. On the other hand, do you doubt for a second the Joe Calzaghe would get owned quickly in an MMA ring with Silva? Of the two choices, Calzaghe getting embarassed in an MMA cage is the far more likely to happen. As far as Penn goes, I will go back to what I originally said, he strikes as well as most boxers his weight. He doesn't have the overall boxing ability but his strikes are fast, effective and sharp.
Besides Anderson Silva failing in boxing here is another 1... http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=256828&cat=boxer Pulver's split decision was actually on ESPN. he should have lost. The funny thing is that was against a LOW level boxer. Some people need to get real. These MMA guys would get absolutely toyed with at the top level, are you kidding me.
Skill is Skill. Put the top MMA Guy, (Fedor) In with a prime (Lennox or Ali) Let them fight using only thier skills. No weapons. No Low Blows, Illegal Tactics. Lennox and ALi get beat Fedor has more skill than them. They may be more skilled in boxing. But thats just ONE skill. Elite MMA guys have MORE than ONE skill. Therefore, Elite MMA guys are more skilled in the Craft of fighting.
And that's what everyone tends to overlook. A couple of guys have thrown out the boxing records of Pulver of Silva, but overlook the fact that any boxing skill they have is just a small piece of their overall fighting skill set. I don't care about anyone's brief boxing history, I stand by what I said earlier. The chances of Anderson Silva getting destroyed in a boxing ring is far smaller than the chance of Joe Calzaghe getting destroyed in an MMA cage. I really don't know how anyone could argue that. I can easily see Anderson going 5 minutes with Calzaghe or Dawson in boxing ring, but I can't see either of those guys lasting 5 minutes in Anderson's world. Anderson has been hit harder than either of those guys could tag him with boxing gloves, but neither of those guys has ever been twisted into a pretzel like Silva would mangle them. Boxing purist have a difficult time with it, but MMA fighters are far more dangerous individuals than even the best boxers. Period.
.... You can spin that shit anyway you want but the fact is Anderson Silva can't be a competitive boxer. He's already been KO'ed in 2 rounds by a fucking bum. So no, Silva isn't going to be competitive with any top echelon boxer. Get fucking real.
