Iceman VS Rampage 5-26-2007

[reds4ever]

I'm not really talking about grappling and I take your point about it being tiring but I've seen top UFC fighters trade standing up for 3-4 minutes, with maybe the odd failed take down attempt and look fatigued. I don't about the conditioning/ cardio thing (knowing this place I'm about to find out!) but general fitness/ stamina levels in the UFC seem pretty poor to me and way off whats required of a boxer.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


Dude, when you're seriously grappling it's basically equivalent to constantly chinning yourself. For 5 straight minutes.

The conditioning required is both cardio and muscular endurance. Wrestling does very strange things to you. I'm a runner and I played Rugby in high school. When I wrestled, it was a whole different level of tired. In pure cardio your limbs start to get heavy, your chest hurts etc. When you wrestle you actually get weak. Your hands start shaking. Your legs start shaking. You can barely stand up any more.

World class boxers would probably run MMA guys into the ground. As would soccer players, cross country skiers etc. But if you asked them to jog with their own body weight strung across their backs then I know who I'd pick...

Thats a great analogy

I have practical experience as well.

When I was working out in DoJang, a typical workout would be 500 kicks per leg, broken up into side kicks, turning kicks (similiar to roundhouse), hook kicks and snap kicks. Heavy bag next applying these kicks to an object. That was the biggest difference.

Now, when I was a floorman (bouncer) if I got into a simple few kicks/punches with someone was one thing. But once you start locking up with someone and wrestling them to the ground, roling around, that was extremely tiresome in comparison.


Try this: do trunk twists for an hour.

Next try doing a trunk twist with a nice heavy medicine ball( 10-15 pounds), its part of Pluyometrics, and it will greatly prepare one for the rigors of engaging in physical combat.

I mean these comments as only a way to help from someone who had nearly 15 years of training.

I can barely imagine the sheer intensity and exhaustive committment of one of these top fighters.

Gramps

[Lord Avalon]

Originally posted by reds4ever
I'm not really talking about grappling and I take your point about it being tiring but I've seen top UFC fighters trade standing up for 3-4 minutes, with maybe the odd failed take down attempt and look fatigued. I don't about the conditioning/ cardio thing (knowing this place I'm about to find out!) but general fitness/ stamina levels in the UFC seem pretty poor to me and way off whats required of a boxer.

I've seen top boxers get gassed. And not to say that you're wrong about the cardio of the fighters you saw not being up to snuff, but maybe they were gassed because they're throwing more power punches?

Generally speaking, in boxing the jab is used the most. In UFC it's used less. With the smaller gloves, you can't really block punches too well. So bigger punches are thrown more often, and that takes more out of a fighter.

Plus UFC clinches are more active - fighters are trying to push each other up against the cage, move their arms for position, throwing elbows & knees. In boxing they're resting/stopping the other guy from doing any damage.

And the UFC rounds are longer, with no rest in the clinch, so fighters are expending more energy for a more sustained period than boxers.