So what evolutions do you expect to see in MMA?

It depends of the ruleset actually more than anything IMO.....the octagon is much better for the wrestlers than the ring....also, elbows allowed make the gnp a better weapon than it was in PRIDE...

 

None in terms of skill set, these are pretty much the limits. You'll get a fighter who will raise the bar, mainly due to a physical attribute like Andersons reflexes, Penns balance, GPS's core strength and so on but those are rare.

Or you'll get a guy who will be a specialist, who is just so much better at one thing than anyone else, with wrestling having the obvious advantage and Cormier, who is a novice at MMA, being a good example

The all rounders which are sure to develope training in MMA in the years to come will always be at a disadvantage against a specialist. MMA is becoming slowly who's got the best wrestling, and if that's equal, who's stand up is least ****

But the transitions from stand up to ground work is much smoother than it has ever been and that's a major plus. But the reality is you'll get a few posts in this thread using my favorite buzz word, ''evolve'' but on a whole Ive noticed the high level skill sets getting watered down. But that's because, to state the obvious, guys have to train in so many different disciplines from the outset of their careers rather than perfect one then add more tools later

 

Check this thread btw..

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385004

 

Stoo is right. Only difference being is that you'll get more well-rounded kids running the show rather than wrestlers in their mid 20s making the transition over and picking up the rest as they go along.

People that think one day MMA fighters will be as good as striking as those that do it exclusively are way off as the sport wouldn't allow them to utilise those techniques fully.

They've got it down to a tee now IMO.

Vic is spot on about thefeatured ruleset as well

 

Very few, but at the championship level at least in the UFC. Nowadays the fighters have significantly better striking, heck Cruz, Aldo, Anderson and JDS main weapons are all on their feet.

It is not going to look a whole lot different than it does now, unless the rules about being on top/sub attempts change.

 

prob stand up wise alot of newcomers are doing these fancy jumping/spinning kicks like pettis also some guys are making up their own sub finishes these days like phil davis in the future watching mma might be like watching the matrix

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The sport will continue to evolve but we are still seeking the point where all of the fighters understand all ranges of combat. There are still too many specialists and MMA centric fighters that understand two or three ranges - but not them all. For example we often see wrestler/punchers which means they understand grappling and how to punch someone really hard - but then those same fighters will lack complete understanding of submissions or be completely susceptible to kicks. Or we will see the vale tudo fighters that specialize in muay thai and jiujitsu - but then they will have weak takedowns and perhaps sloppy hands or lack straight kicks. Now that is an oversimplification but I am just doing so to make a point. The future of MMA sees a landscape where every fighter is a Jon Jones. Every fighter is an Anderson Silva. Every fighter is a GSP. we're seeing them come up now with well rounded fighters like Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo, etc. . .

 

evolution theory suggests that given enough time, we should start seeing blow holes to allow breathing during attempted chokes.

 

Stoo is wrong...20 years from now you will see kids coming into mma who have been doing mma since the age of 5...they will have been wrestling as much as wreslters (most of whom have off seasons) doing as much BJJ as BJJ champions (although they might be doing a mix of wrestling and BJJ all along) and they will be doing almost as much stand up as world class mauy thai or boxers. TO think that the specialists will still have a advantage over those guys is a bit crazy.

 

**** off Johnstown

 

My favourite bit was 'doing as much stand up as world class Muay thai' :rofl

If they did then they wouldn't have time for the rest. MMA guys will always have specialists but if anything guys are only going to get more well-rounded. That doesn't mean they'll be better at everything but only that you won't see guys with truly glaring holes in their game on the big stage and they will be better at blending the different facets of the game.

One thing is certain; the next decade is going to be very interesting.

 

Agree'd Flea. Im a big mark for striker v grappler matches, wonderboy v brown is by far my favourite fight of the year so far. But the development of Boxer/Wrestlers style in the States and Muay Thai/BJJ style seemingly everywhere else (generally speaking of course, there are exceptions, but this seems to be the trend) offers a whole new clash of styles which is very interesting