Why Is It Harder To Remain Undefeated In MMA Than Boxing

[BWC]

Basically what's been said already. Furthermore and honestly, the sport is kind of designed against the athlete. It's messed up these guys have so little blocking protection while beating on each other in 4oz-6oz gloves; there's nothing cool about all these dudes having cauliflower ears. I understand the gloves are designed with grappling in mind as well - still. I'm not even crazy about the 5 minute rounds. And their knockdown rules - guys aren't given a count to recover, they're either pounced on while hurt or the fight is stopped immediately. Add in all the weapons that can be used against you and losing is almost inevitable.

I don't want to sound too negative while I argue the semantics of combat sports, considering boxing has refined itself so many times and is still plagued with unfortunate incidents, but with so many factors, it's going to be very tough for an mma fighter to stay undefeated after 20 or 30 odd fights. I'd be curious to know, how many professional bouts do athletes average in the sport before being worn out and retire? What is the lifespan, at about what age do guys retire?

Boxing and kickboxing are much. much tougher more dangerous sports than MMA. As someone who practices both boxing and kickboxing produce many more concussions and brain trauma than MMA. I knew a pro MMA fighter who said he'd take probably 20 really hard shots to the head in his entire career. A pro boxer takes those in 1 fight. That's why MMA fighters get knocked out easier, they simply haven't been trained to take head shots as well as boxers.

Plus if you get tired in MMA you simply wrap someone up and push them against the wall and rest. Can't do that in boxing.

MMA simply has one promotion and its ruled with an iron fist. Its terrible for the long-term health of the sport to have such tough matchmaking. In the last six mos Conor, Ronda, Holly, Weidman, Sage Northcutt, Paige Vanzant and have all taken brutal losses. Its killing the sport. Imagine boxing if Kovalev, Spence, Joshua, Fury, and Canelo had all taken brutal losses recently to journeymen lol

[SCEN3RY]

Boxing and kickboxing are much. much tougher more dangerous sports than MMA. As someone who practices both boxing and kickboxing produce many more concussions and brain trauma than MMA. I knew a pro MMA fighter who said he'd take probably 20 really hard shots to the head in his entire career. A pro boxer takes those in 1 fight. That's why MMA fighters get knocked out easier, they simply haven't been trained to take head shots as well as boxers.

Plus if you get tired in MMA you simply wrap someone up and push them against the wall and rest. Can't do that in boxing.

MMA simply has one promotion and its ruled with an iron fist. Its terrible for the long-term health of the sport to have such tough matchmaking. In the last six mos Conor, Ronda, Holly, Weidman, Sage Northcutt, Paige Vanzant and have all taken brutal losses. Its killing the sport. Imagine boxing if Kovalev, Spence, Joshua, Fury, and Canelo had all taken brutal losses recently to journeymen lol

I agree in regards to the trauma sustained, which is why I put in the "refined and still plagued with unfortunate incidents" - boxers are taking more head shots and that's the root of the problem, but in terms of [multiple fighters] sustaining an undefeated record, I think it's less likely to happen in mma and it's more than just matchmaking; account for the many different looks, the rules in place during knockdowns and such, and also how unlikely it's going to be for anybody to emerge as a master of all trades in mma. At some point, quite likely, somebody is going to be better than you in such and such department. But I do think the sport is growing, and generations will learn from past and the athletes should get better and wiser.

What's tougher? I think boxing, but idk, I've never done mma. But where it concerns wins and losses, I think the numbers speak for themselves. It's different in that regard. And don't undermine just how difficult it is to become a master of one trade - a lot of boxers train their ass off, as kids, through the amateurs and the pros just to achieve mediocrity by age 35. Try becoming a master of it all in that time frame.

[Chrismart]

Facing many different styles, and tougher match-making.

[BWC]

I agree in regards to the trauma sustained, which is why I put in the "refined and still plagued with unfortunate incidents" - boxers are taking more head shots and that's the root of the problem, but in terms of [multiple fighters] sustaining an undefeated record, I think it's less likely to happen in mma and it's more than just matchmaking; account for the many different looks, the rules in place during knockdowns and such, and also how unlikely it's going to be for anybody to emerge as a master of all trades in mma. At some point, quite likely, somebody is going to be better than you in such and such department. But I do think the sport is growing, and generations will learn from past and the athletes should get better and wiser.

What's tougher? I think boxing, but idk, I've never done mma. But where it concerns wins and losses, I think the numbers speak for themselves. It's different in that regard. And don't undermine just how difficult it is to become a master of one trade - a lot of boxers train their ass off, as kids, through the amateurs and the pros just to achieve mediocrity by age 35. Try becoming a master of it all in that time frame.

This is all true but you have to remember most if not all MMA elites are very high level in some type of grappling. If they were elite strikers they would be in boxing making the $. So it's not that they are mediocre in everything.

[JJRod]

To me it's a about the age of both sports.
Boxing has been around for over one hundred years. Trainers and fighters have learned from mistakes of the past and have had a chance to perfect their craft more.

MMA as a major sport has only been around for a few years. Trainers and fighters are still learning to master MMA. I truly believe in a few years we will start seeing more undefeated fighters in MMA.

[Box-Office]

KO via: punch, knee, elbow and kick

Submissions

More ways to lose.

[fanofslug]

Boxers start at a very early age. Most MMA fighters start in their twenties, but this will change as MMA increases in popularity. Also, it's easy to defeat an MMA fighter; tackle him, hump him for a few minutes, rinse and repeat for the next 3 or 4 rounds and you've won. Boxing is for 12 rounds of gruelling combat on a FAIR and same playing field. MMA is also for primitive jocks and tasteless scum.

[Dr Rumack]

Submissions, smaller gloves, leg strikes, no counts the main reasons I think. And obviously you face better opposition in the UFC than you do in boxing too.

[Motofan]

[SCEN3RY]

This is all true but you have to remember most if not all MMA elites are very high level in some type of grappling. If they were elite strikers they would be in boxing making the $. So it's not that they are mediocre in everything.

True.

I also wanted to say, for a lot of the "cons" that I mentioned for mma, they can be temporary or indefinite positives for some fighters. A heavy handed guy with good technique could put away plenty of fighters in those 4 oz gloves early in fights before he's even really tested and taken into "deep waters" like many boxers are prone to. A lot of these bad things are really just part of a double-edged sword. It's a sport that's under different circumstances and maybe that will change as the fighters improve and there's a change in the quality of fights and perhaps even the rules change. I can ruminate as to why there are few undefeated elite guys currently in mma, if any, but it's so different from boxing that I'm not actually trying to compare it.