Is MMA easier to learn than Boxing ?

[Haka]

Show me five fighters who walked into UFC and succeeded without an established pro MMA record and/or an extensive background in other martial arts or combat sports. Even Greg Hardy had 3 amateur fights and 3 pro fights before he made his official UFC debut and he ended up with a 2-5-0-1 record in the promotion and has since turned to low level pro boxing (3-0), Team Combat League (3-2 with 2 KO losses) and bare knuckle (0-1 with a knockout loss).

Frenc fighter is Benoit Saint Denis, I believe Strickland got there pretty fast without specialising , Roy Nelson did a lot of other stuff. I don’t know too much abt MMA fighters. Pereira started late in kickboxing and made the transition in a few fights. Volk was a college rugby player that started in his 20s, did some wrestling in Australia but not much.

[famicommander]

Frenc fighter is Benoit Saint Denis, I believe Strickland got there pretty fast without specialising , Roy Nelson did a lot of other stuff. I don’t know too much abt MMA fighters. Pereira started late in kickboxing and made the transition in a few fights.

Benoit Saint Denis began Judo at age 8 and was a black belt by age 16, then he joined the military, then he began separate amateur kickboxing and competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu careers, then he had 5 pro submission grappling fights, then he had 3 amateur MMA fights and 10 pro fights, then he made his UFC debut.

Sean Strickland was already training for the sport of MMA before he was thrown out of high school for being a racist. He had a 13-0 pro record before he made his UFC debut.

Roy Nelson was already into amateur wrestling, karate, and shaolin kung fu by high school. He had four years of BJJ and MMA training and 3 amateur fights before he made his pro debut and 17 pro fights before he made his UFC debut.

Alex Pereira is a two division world kickboxing champion who had 33 pro kickboxing fights, 1 pro boxing fight, 4 pro MMA fights, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt before he made his UFC debut.

[Haka]

Benoit Saint Denis began Judo at age 8 and was a black belt by age 16, then he joined the military, then he began separate amateur kickboxing and competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu careers, then he had 5 pro submission grappling fights, then he had 3 amateur MMA fights and 10 pro fights, then he made his UFC debut.

Sean Strickland was already training for the sport of MMA before he was thrown out of high school for being a racist. He had a 13-0 pro record before he made his UFC debut.

Roy Nelson was already into amateur wrestling, karate, and shaolin kung fu by high school. He had four years of BJJ and MMA training and 3 amateur fights before he made his pro debut and 17 pro fights before he made his UFC debut.

Alex Pereira is a two division world kickboxing champion who had 33 pro kickboxing fights, 1 pro boxing fight, 4 pro MMA fights, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt before he made his UFC debut.

Who didn’t do judo when they were kids? In Euro countries Judo is easy accessible when little. It’s not like these guys where National champs from 15 yrs of age like Bivol. The gap in boxing is bigger to overcome against these guys .

[famicommander]

Who didn’t do judo when they were kids? In Euro countries Judo is easy accessible when little. It’s not like these guys where National champs from 15 yrs of age like Bivol. The gap in boxing is bigger to overcome against these guys .

It's all applicable in MMA. Judo is the parent art to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo in the first place and several top tier MMA fighters had Judo as their base art. The point is you acted like all those guys just casually strolled into the UFC when in reality they were all lifelong martial artists and established professional fighters.

There's a reason they call it mixed martial arts. Because you, quite literally, learn several martial arts and then mix them. Maybe you took a few years of karate as a kid, maybe you wrestled in high school, maybe you took up muay thai and BJJ after that and eventually rolled into MMA.

Look at Amanda Nunes. Karate and Capoeira as a little girl, boxing/Judo/BJJ as a teen, then a P4P MMA queen as an adult. It's cumulative.

[Haka]

It's all applicable in MMA. Judo is the parent art to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo in the first place and several top tier MMA fighters had Judo as their base art. The point is you acted like all those guys just casually strolled into the UFC when in reality they were all lifelong martial artists and established professional fighters.

There's a reason they call it mixed martial arts. Because you, quite literally, learn several martial arts and then mix them. Maybe you took a few years of karate as a kid, maybe you wrestled in high school, maybe you took up muay thai and BJJ after that and eventually rolled into MMA.

Look at Amanda Nunes. Karate and Capoeira as a little girl, boxing/Judo/BJJ as a teen, then a P4P MMA queen as an adult. It's cumulative.

Yeah but most of the progress is made when they get more serious later in their careers when they choose to commit to MMA. Whereas boxers are refining their skills from a young age.

Not that it is easy succeeding either way.

[KingGilgamesh]

Not an MMA fighter but K1. 9 fights all in all. I've done K1 extensively though as well BJJ in which I'm a blue belt. I currently train in boxing as well to supplement my kickboxing.

Boxing is actually easier to pick up and build up an early amateur resume. There is a reason why white collar boxing is a big thing but white collar MMA isn't. MMA is actually a lot harder to pick up because it can take years to be competent at each of the key areas. It takes 2-3 years to become decent blue belt in BJJ, 18 months to become even remotely competitive in boxing and a few years to become a decent wrestler. And that would require fitting two sessions of each every week at a minimum. It also takes about 2 years to learn how to properly kick.

Because of the sheer amount of time it takes to learn all those, the skill ceiling is a lot lower in MMA but much higher in boxing. There are just so many variables that can't be accounted for in MMA and won't be for another few decades as the sport matures. Boxing on the other hand has had at least 150 years of fine tuning to a damn near art. Hence why the ceiling skillwise is so much higher.

[KingGilgamesh]

Yeah but most of the progress is made when they get more serious later in their careers when they choose to commit to MMA. Whereas boxers are refining their skills from a young age.

Not that it is easy succeeding either way.

Age talk is overrated. People speak as if you need to be a child but Usyk, who is largely considered the best P4P fighter, started at 16. Its more about time spent in the ring and time spent honing ones craft. Starting as a child won't suddenly male you a great fighter.

[Haka]

Age talk is overrated. People speak as if you need to be a child but Usyk, who is largely considered the best P4P fighter, started at 16. Its more about time spent in the ring and time spent honing ones craft. Starting as a child won't suddenly male you a great fighter.

Also true, although in regards to Boxing vs MMA i think it is harder to make it in boxing. First and foremost you need to have good people around, look at Usyk Below trained by Loma's dad. Mike Tyson trained by Cus D'Amato etc. These things matter just as much.


vvvd.png

[WillieWild114]

Also true, although in regards to Boxing vs MMA i think it is harder to make it in boxing. First and foremost you need to have good people around, look at Usyk Below trained by Loma's dad. Mike Tyson trained by Cus D'Amato etc. These things matter just as much.


vvvd.png

Something not talked about in boxing. How important it is to have the right people invested in you I witnessed boxers with skills and dedication literally go no where but win a few amateur fights because they didn’t have the right people invest them