Skills That Separate Elite MMA Fighters From The Average Ones
You can often hear experts saying that there are levels in MMA. Just as in any other sport, you can’t jump these levels in MMA or fake it ‘till you make it. Sooner or later, you will come across a fighter who is better than you. Even at the elite levels, there are many finesses and skills that separate elite fighters from the great ones. Have you ever wondered what those skills are?
In this article, we will take a closer look at the skills that separate elite level MMA fighters, from the average ones. And we will also support our claims with examples.
The ability to make adjustments
Fighters at the elite level all have the ability to stay calm, assess the situation, and focus on the game plan. But just a very few ones have the ability to make big changes in the middle of the fight. We are talking about totally walking out on your game plan for good when things do not go as planned.
For instance, we can often see fighters making small changes in the middle of the fight. They make these changes as the fight goes on, read the opponent and gather more data. But there are fighters who would, often between the rounds, make drastic changes. So once the next round starts, they would look like different fighters.
The best instance of what we are talking about here was Henry Cejudo and what he did against Marlon Moraes. Cejudo took some serious damage on the feet and nearly got finished in the beginning. But he came back looking strong in the second phase of the fight to put Moraes out in the third round.
The other great instance was when Stipe Miocic found the body shot against Daniel Cormier in the rematch.
Experience in the game
Being in wars and fighting on the big stage for years is often a decisive factor in MMA matches. We can often see young lions looking solid against old dogs, but in the end, losing a fight due to the lack of experience. As in any other sport, it takes time to learn all the tricks, and how to deal with the pressure of fighting on the elite level.
In MMA history, there have been many examples of UFC throwing talented fighters into the fire too soon. Though they have all the talent and weapons to fight at the highest levels, it’s the lack of experience that often catches them off guard.
Despite the perfect record, they have never been in the deep waters for instance. Or they don’t know how it feels to perform in front of 20,000 people in the arena.
One of the best instances was when the up and coming Yair Rodriguez faced Frankie Edgar. Up until this fight, Rodriguez looked very good and dominant. But Edgar is a tough veteran and he went on to put on a wrestling class. Although Rodriguez is a vicious striker, he never got the chance to fire his weapons.
Striking power
In combat sports, having the ability to shut the lights out with a single punch is a great equalizer. You don’t need a pinpoint perfect technique if you have that God gifted power to knock people out with a single punch. Some people would say that this is not the skill, and they are right to some extend. But on the flip side, there are ways and workouts you can improve power in your strikes, so it deserves a spot in this article.
If we look back in history, there have been many fighters who have built their entire careers on explosive hands. For instance, Mark Hunt was a fighter who wasn’t a versatile striker by any means. He didn’t have good grappling, kicks, or footwork. But fans loved him because he needed to land just a single bomb to knock someone out cold.
The other great example is Francis Ngannou who, to be honest, is far from being a technical striker. Although this might be true to some extend, guess what, it worked for him. He has enough power to put you out without even having to land a clean punch. You may land 5 or 10 on him, but he needs just one.
Ability to evolve with the sport
MMA is the fastest growing and evolving sport in the world. We can often see new fighters coming in and changing the game by bringing in new weapons and skills. These kids will catch up to you if you don’t have the ability to learn quickly and evolve with the game. You can’t expect to stick with the same weapons for too long in MMA, and we have all seen what happens when fighters do that.
Take just one UFC champ and their road from the regional circuit to Dana White putting the belt around their waist. Watch the fights and you could see how much they have evolved through the years and at the different stages of their careers.
Keeping up with the game is also one of the reasons why fighters tend to change training camps that often. This is the only way they can learn new skills, sharpen their weapons against new sparring partners, and overall, improve their game.
The first name that comes to mind has to be George St. Pierre. In his career, GSP used to do various things to stay ahead of the game and was constantly adding new weapons to his arsenal.
Footwork
In a sport where we have grappling and striking, having good footwork and movement is crucial. It allows you to stay away from the centerline of the attack, set up traps, attack from various angles, and many other things. It truly is one of the skills that separate elite fighters from average ones, not just in MMA, but combat sports in general. Some MMA fighters who tend to have good footwork are the ones who have a strong base in boxing or karate. But why this is so important?
The answer is very simple. Fighters who tend to stay flat footed and in the centerline are prone to takedowns for instance. Not to mention how it impacts their striking defense.
You will never see top UFC fighters do this as they all tend to move all the time, or at least, bounce from side to side. In the best case scenario, elite fighters would mix footwork with head movement. This opens up a wide range of things they can do both when it comes to offense and defense. It allows them to control their range, close the distance, pivot, angle off, counter, get in position, and much more.
If you want to learn more, just watch Israel Adesanya perform. He is the fighter with the best footwork in the game, which mixed together with his high fighting IQ makes him a scary individual.
Distance and spatial awareness
All elite fighters know, in any moment of the fight, where they are in relation to their opponent and what they can do from this position. This allows them to set up their defense, counter the attacks, judge distance, and overall, make the right decisions. The last thing you need is to let your emotions kick in and cloud your mind which won’t help you much in a fight.
Spatial awareness is the key when it comes to both offense and defense. For instance, it helps you keep your range, or avoid getting trapped against the fence. The same stands when it comes to the way you strike, go for a takedown, or guide your opponent in a certain direction.
One of the worst things that can happen is to get stuck along the fence without an exit. You can’t generate much power in your strikes from this position, and it’s much harder to defend against takedowns.
Elite level fighters are well aware of this and you can often see them using various tricks to turn in positional advantages to themselves. Once in a bad spot, fighters like Adesanya would use angles, pivot to diffuse pressure, shift directions, faint, or apply other moves to escape and get back to the center.
