How would David Tua do in a MMA bout?

Smart grapplers know to use their grappling as a counter to punching. That's the entire philosophy behind the art.

 

but first things first, he needs to learn wresling and jiujitsu.

 

He'd be the new Bob Sapp.

 

so many ****ing ******s in this thread

 

It may come down to his takedown defense. It is very hard to tell which boxers have it and which doesn't. Chuck Liddel has great takedown defense although his striking ability isn't quite up to par with pro boxers but for MMA style it is very efficient and vs. most MMA fighters it is superior.

It would also greatly help if boxers learned how to escape once taken down and be able to return to standing position as well as being able to keep their opponent in striking distance without letting them close in too easily.

So depends if Tua have extra qualities or not, it would be hard to determine how he would manage in the sport of MMA.

 

He'd need at least a 6 month camp with a great team on take down defense and basic sub defense o beat someone with average wrestling. Cintron would be a better bet in MMA because of his wrestling background, but people need to realize how easy it is for someone with good takedowns to get someone off of their feet.

 

There is absolutely no factual basis for this claim. How many mma fights have there been? How many times have guys been able to land a punch and knock the guy cold as the guy shoots for a takedown? If this strategy is sooooo easy for a boxer then why is it that the top guys aren’t all boxers?

Tua hitting harder than other mma fighters does no good if he can’t land the punch before getting clinched and taken down, and considering how his best defense against being taken down is “he’s stocky and has thick legs” he’ll be down before he gets to do much.

And national champion/Olympic wrestlers aren’t world class athletes? Olympic judo players aren’t world class athletes? Your post is pure uniformed bull****.

Again, there is ZERO evidence for this view. Considering how many boxers end up broke you’d think they’d all be diving into mma if it was so easy. The top guys like Liddell have made a pretty big pile (millions) so if boxers could waltz in and win, why don’t they? I suspect some of them have thought about it, actually went to a gym and tried it and realized that they get taken down again and again and again.

Right, Mercer. When Kimbo decided to take him down and choke him out it the fight lasted sixty seconds. When Sylvia stood right in front of him like a fool he got sparked. Pro boxers CAN always beat mma fighters if they get a chance, but as all the evidence from the actual events they very rarely do.

We’ll have to see if this is true when they actually fight. Up to this point there has been nothing to show that this is true.

Again, is only true in your head. There is no evidence of this actually being a trend in mma. At all.

100% ignorance.

Liddell had great takedown defense because he was a college wrestler. In terms of “learning how to escape from the ground and how to keep distance in an mma fight” (as opposed to a boxing match), you’re basically saying “wouldn’t he be good if he trained in mma and grappling for a long time instead of just boxing”, in which case he wouldn’t be as good at boxing.

 

Seriously guys, go to a gym and try boxing against a kickboxer. You'll see that it changes your technique a ton. Then try boxing against a guy that's trying to shoot or clinch and take you down. After a while you'll see that your usual boxing technique changes a ton; you'll be more squared up and with a different posture then in a regular boxing match. A different stance means a you won't have your weight behind your punches as much and won't have as much snap in them. Pro boxers' punches from their usual stance that they've been practicing for years are obviously much harder than the average mma guy's are, but a lot of that power will be reduced once they're fighting in an mma stance instead of a boxing one.

Seriously guys, go try this. You'll appreciate both sports a lot more when you realize how little differences can have huge effects on the details of the technique.

 

I am questioning his ability to learn rather than his experience. Some people have the natural ability to learn quickly in certain physical activities. So it is about his potential in the transition from boxing to MMA, not taking straight from the boxing ring into the cage. He is already great as one aspect of the game which is great striking, now I am wondering if he can compliment that with takedown defense and the ability to escape from the ground. Never state that he would surely dominate, just commenting on what skills he should possess in addition to what he already have to do well in MMA.

 

It is about the ability to adjust as well as having other fundamentals added to what you already have. Just as wrestling isn't 100% the same as ground game in MMA but having those skills would be a great benefit while you adapt it into the ground game you need. Boxing in itself is not complete to become the best in MMA but it can be a great foundation to build upon like wrestling.

 

Yeah, of course he'd have to learn some ground stuff to compete, but Lesnar has been practicing taking guys down since he was in grammar school. It would take a miracle (seriously) and a ton of determined, hard work (a miracle to get out of Tua) for him to stop Lesnar from taking him down. Something people without experience often say is "all he has to do is get some takedown defense like Chuck Liddell and he'll be fine", but they don't understand that this is just the same as saying "all he has to do is get some boxing like James Toney and he'll be fine". This is why I think people should do TRY this stuff. It's much easier to understand after doing than just watching it on tv.

 

Well Lesnar would definitely be a bad matchup for him but if his opponent was someone like Andre Arloski (however you spell his name) it would be a different story. Styles will play a huge part when someone is not completely well rounded. Doing well and being the best ain't the same thing, but is it really hard to believe some of these boxers will have some success if they are capable of implementing other parts of the game?

BTW it really makes no sense to ask people to try this stuff. For one, most people aren't professional boxers or even have any amatuer experience to start with so having them try 'this stuff' wouldn't prove much. No one here is at that level and no one knows what Tua is capable of outside the boxing ring. We can only speculate and theorize what possibilities can play out using as much common sense and knowledge we have.

 

You're right.... Money May would kill BJ Penn....