Recently, psycho asked what boxer's think of MMA in the forums. I've moved the conversation here to get more opinions. I'm actually surprised it took this long for this topic to come up. Every other boxing site I've been to eventually gets into this debate.
On the one hand, you have the purist boxers who are completely against MMA.
On the other are the MMA fanatics who believe boxing has gone the way of the dodo.
And somewhere in the middle are the people who see them for what they are. Two completely different sports, both of which could learn a thing from the other.
Boxing has stagnated in that regard. The problem I see is that boxing lacks the lustre and character present in the UFC. Personally, the characters in UFC which are no more than a reinvention of what the WWF provides, seem to take away from the sport, but that's just me. From a business perspective, it is a goldmine. They took the best of the WWF and added in the thing it lacked -- the actual fight. How can a WWF fan not love watching the UFC - it's like the WWF on steroids. And, like it or not, UFC is hot. It is growing exponentially, and it is because of the characters involved.
Boxing lacks those characters. What happens when Floyd Mayweather Jr, Oscar De La Hoya, and Bernard Hopkins disappear? What happens when Klitschko or Hatton hang up the gloves? Can Hollyfield's comeback sustain boxing? There are very few matchups that can draw the big crowds and pay per view revenues, and it is the lack of showboating that keeps boxing out of the limelight. The boxers are all too similar. The names we remember are the ones who distinguish themselves from the pack in some regard, and relying on an undefeated record won't necessarily do it, unless you are dedicated boxing fan. The masses remember the character, not the statistics. Tyson, like him or not, is a household name. He distinguished himself twice -- once as a boxing superstar and then his most recent reincarnation.
Boxing vs UFC: What happens when boxing meets UFC?UFC on the other hand, has lively characters, costumes and outrageous entrances. Their fighters are the superheros kids will trade trading cards of. And the blood is an added bonus. The perceived brutality of the "no holds barred" fighting seems wholly uncivilized to a boxing purist when in reality UFC and MMA in general has fewer serious injuries than boxing. It seems one slamming concussive punch that draws blood or knocks out teeth is actually better for you than repeated concussive blows to the head (especially in later rounds when you are dehydrated). UFC has yet to count a fatality while boxing adds a few to the list every year.
As a boxer, I think our sport can learn a lot from the UFC and MMA, especially in terms of making it more appealing to a new generation brought up on video games and superheroes. Everyone likes the dramatic and the story behind the fighter. I have no doubt that the fighters in MMA are as athletic and as dedicated to their sport as boxers. I've done some MMA and know the same principles of battle exist. MMA fighters are more rounded, complete fighters and boxing is a big part of their standup game. I don't think anyone can really disagree with that observation. Without training, a MMA fighter would destroy a boxer on the ground.
I guess it all boils down to the fact that MMA takes the best of all the combat sports, combines them and pits them against each other. Thus, it draws the fans from all disciplines. To any purist of any sport, that in itself will be offensive and will be perceived as a threat against their "culture". To the UFC, that works to their advantage as the discussions shine even more light on MMA.
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opinion
To be honest, I think UFC is
To say elbows and knees are
I have a lot of respect for
I have a lot of respect for MMA. Both the fighters and the ideals behind the "sport". I think MossH was touching on something that I agree with to a degree when he was calling it "uncivilized". I see boxing as true sport. When I say "true sport" i mean it is the most natural, honest form of competition. Individual against individual, unlike other sports (which truly are just games) there are no teams, and there is no artificial tool (a ball), or object (a net/goal, etc...). All the competitors have are their own bodies; and the outcome of the contest is decided solely on the skill of their limbs, their level of intelligence, and the strength of their wills. However, even in boxing their is an element of the inhumane or the primitive; afterall, the goal is still to hurt your opponent, either by KO or by decision, you are still inflicting damage. What makes it more sport, though, is the presence of rules. A fighter can only use his fists, there are gloves (even if their intention is primarily to protect the fighter's hands, as opposed to his opponents brain), there is the referee; and any number of limitations that make the act of boxing a controlled and "scientific" thing.
Now for MMA (be it UFC or other orgs) there are still rules/limitations, there are just less of them. To me MMA represents true combat (as opposed to sport). A good MMA fight seems like both men are fighting for their lives, because in essence, they are. How many times have you seen guys fail to tap while being choked and actually slip into unconsciousness; or guys literally being pummelled into senselessness. If it weren't for the ref the losing fighter very well could die in the ring. This, in many ways, legitimizes MMA as a true contest between men, but I would be hard pressed to call it a sport. It is combat, war between two individuals, and at its root, very primitive indeed. However, the level of skill is no less than boxing, nor the fighter's dedication and courage. While primitive at heart, the methods and techniques that go into it, are ancient; and through centuries of practice have become highly evolved (just like boxing, which, let's not forget, is also a martial art). I have a lot of resepct for anyone who trains to compete in the martial arts, especially MMA fighters because they have to be versed in so many different disciplines. There's a lot dedication and heart involved.
Here's something to consider though, when mentioning "uncivilized and inhumane" about discussions of boxing or MMA. There are at least six deaths a year in the sport of boxing. To date, there have been no deaths in the UFC. It's funny: MMA is about delivering swift and immediate damage to your opponent; whether it's by wrenching a limb out of it's socket, or thundering down 2-3 blows to knock them unconscious. Boxing, on the other hand, is more of a prolonged sort of torture. Any one who has been knocked around (with or without headgear) for even just four rounds in a boxing ring can tell you...it hurts; your face feels swollen and hot, and your brain pulses in your head. The constant rattling of the brain is what ultimately shortens a fighter's competitive life, renders them punch-drunk in later age, and in the worst of situations kills them. Look at a majority of MMA fighters, and they are almost never slurred in speech or displaying any of the all to typical symptoms of pugilistic parkinsons. In boxing, on the other hand, you'll find seasoned, veteren amateurs, kids who are in their early twenties, who display these symptoms. It's the number of blows to the head that are such an essential part of boxing that make it so damaging, and so dangerous a sport. Though it will always be "the sweet science", boxing can still be brutal, and it's hard to say that it is any less so than MMA.
thx
Personally i feel that the
mma vs. boxing
opinion 2
MMA Is gr8
Boxing vs MMA
First off, MMA isn't boxing
primitive
I don't know....my girlfriend kicks pretty hard. Ha!!
I wouldn't say that calling boxing/MMA primitive is an "oxymoron" (it is not a statement that contradicts itself...sorry,I was an English major). Violence is at the heart of both, and neither could exist without it. However, I think that's why it is primitive. We live, supposedly, in a "more refined" world. Combat sports are, in essence, blood-sports; and comparisons can be drawn to the gladiatorial days of Rome. In fact, boxing in its original form was as follows: Two romans would sit facing each other, sometimes with their legs bound so that they could not rise. The two combatants would then proceed to batter each other until one was dead. There was no movement, none of the finesse that we find in modern boxing. Eventually, the romans invented the cestus (the original "glove" used by boxers), which was a leather strap that wrapped around the fist and was lined with metal studs. This was used to make the punches more capable of incapacitating and eventually killing the other fighter. That is primitive. It was a primitive age. The sport evolved eventually, and the Romans took to their feet, and boxing then began to resemble more of what we see today. Now, some two thousand years later we've come a long way, and so has boxing. But it's root still comes from something that should go against our more evolved sense of humanity. It's violence for the sake of entertainment, or in some cases for a prize. The fact that the "bottomline" of boxing is violence, is what makes it primitive.
But MMAer's don't box!
yea but they do all the same
i agree with guest alot of
MMA and boxing are 2
And by the way, just because
No one ever said that a mma
Not really, MMA'ers strike
i agree they are both two
Two different sports
I wonder
See tyson is one of those
im just waiten to see a
Mixed Martial Artist
MMA vs. Boxing
Reply to MesaJr151
allentd
MesaJr151
90 days in MMA vs. guys who
Preaching to the choir
good input
boxing wins
It's not safer
Come on guys, you think that
Come on guys, you think that MMA is that easy to learn? You guys should try it out then. I notice that all the guys who don't like MMA doesn't have any real knowledge of the game. Everyone knows boxing, it's been around forever! and it's a great sport. But to make a judgement about MMA without knowing nothing about it is just plain ignorance. You guys see them on the ground not knowing the techniques and how difficult it is to pull them off, and you guys think they're just laying there holding eachother. These guys who you think suck on the ground because they get submitted easily.. they've been training for years on the the ground, it's just that the other guy has been training longer and is that much better. All MMA fans know boxing, we grew up with boxing and we decide which sport is better from there... Guys who don't know anything about MMA and like to think they do, that's the hater's of the sport... Learn some techniques and try them out, see how it feels to get armbarred or choked out and how to work for positions then you guys will appreciate the sport. One more thing! if you really want to learn how to defend chokes and armbars and takedown defenses and be good at it, you have to learn all the offenses too. Just then when you start learning the defenses(which is not part of boxing), you are now technically a Mixed Martial Artist.
I think it all boils down to
I think it all boils down to two very different sports with two very different sets of rules...but both disciplines share the desire to incapacitate their opponent. I think that is why most people feel they have more in common than they actually do. Both sports are extremely difficult to rise to the top...I don't think there is any debate in that. MMA requires a knowledge of so many more techniques....including elements of boxing, but I don't think any superstar of boxing could compete with a superstar of MMA or vice-versa if competing in each others respective arenas. Boxing is looked at as a more refined sport because those that have mastered the art have in fact refined their "striking skills" to a razors edge. I'm a cabinetmaker, and as a cabinetmaker I have to complete a large number of wookworking processes with some degree of proficiency to arrive at a quality product. The product is , however, judged as a whole completed unit. If I was specialized in only one of the large number of processes, such as finishing, I would, indeed, be able to do a better job in that particular area than someone who does everything. Its really a matter of focus and the finite amount of time and dedication to each individual task that every human being must comply with. Boxing is a more focused form of combat than MMA. I don't think that point makes it greater or lesser than MMA. Its just more specialized, and specialization refines a process ....which in this case is striking with the fists. The gym where I train is a boxing gym, although many of the guys that come there are competing in MMA. I almost always end up sparring with an MMA guy because they are the guys that are on par with me in weight(heavyweight). There just are not any boxers at this particular gym that are close to me in weight for some reason. Anyway, I always thought that MMA would require more endurance than boxing....It just seemed logical to me, but I have been told by every MMA guy that they find boxing much more demanding physically than MMA. I had a hard time believing them, but they always gas before I do, and when they gas they get knocked down. Always...and it should be noted that I am at least 10-15 years older than every one of them that I have sparred with, and by boxing standards I have a considerable way to go to be able to say I'm in good boxing condition. Am I a superior man....Nope...they are just playing by the rules of my chosen sport...rules that they have not conditioned themselves to deal with in the most proficient manner. That said, I have no illusions that I could stand up to them if I had to compete in "their" sport. I couldn't. They would have me wrapped up and tapping in no time. The two are just way too different, despite the obvious similarities, to be considered comparable. Its the whole, "my dad could beat up your dad" thing that everybody gets hung up on. Sure.... but by what set of rules?
Okay first of all on this
Okay first of all on this website you are mainly talking to boxers and none of them would put their pride aside to say that MMA is the better of the 2. I mean honestly, since UFC has hit its prime in the last couple of years boxing has just been in the shadows of UFC. You can walk up to various people on the streets and ask them if they know 2 out of 3 well known boxers that you name and then 2 out of 3 well known MMA fighters and the outcome will be of no shock that the MMA fighters will win. I think boxing is a great sport that added to alot of a MMA fighters technique but in the long run MMA has baically evolved boxing into all the things it could be but wasnt. point blank, no disrespect to boxers but you should give repsect where its needed. And might i add that i read most of the comments about this topic and to say MMA is any less than boxing is almost humerous in fact why do people mainly watch Fighting events? You wnat to see something close to an actual fight why would you stick to something that all you can do its just bang while standing, personally id rather wacth something that is more realistic when you are in a fight you are no limited to what you can and cannot do your going all out for that fight take it or leave it. A boxer only knows how to box, mainly why boxers stay with boxing and dont transition to MMA and if they do, they are no one mainstream. MMA definitely is not any less of a sport than boxing its probably greater when you look at all the aspects of what it takes to combine an MMA fighter.
Well, you can't argue with
Well, you can't argue with logic like that.
MMA is tight, my cousin does
MMA is tight, my cousin does it, but people dont watch boxing to see somthing close to a real fight (not me, at least) people watch boxing because theres nothing sweeter than watching two men master standing close to each other, perfecting the art of hitting and not to get hit.
UFC is like this- you get clocked, you go down.. and everyone who "likes a real fight" dosnt wanna see a 4 min. roll around till one taps out.
no disrespect to MMA fighters(theyre tough as hell)
just half as disciplined.
MMA and Boxing
thats not true! BOX AND MMA
I think the poster that
Boxing and MMA
My view
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