Best Martial Art

What is the best fighting style?

The sport of MMA is the ultimate testing ground for martial arts. Appearing in the early 90s, the point of mixed martial arts is to determine which fighting style in the best in the world. For the first time, fighters could mix various styles to increase their chances of winning, thus changing the way we all look at the art of combat.

Mixed martial arts is a true test of disciplines that has lived up to its name. Having matched multiple styles against each other has given us many interesting outcomes, but the question still remains: What is the best fighting style for MMA? Today, you will have a difficult time finding a MMA athlete that is not well versed in all aspects of fighting. We have come to accept that the best style of martial art is a group of styles every fighters needs to be good at to succeed.

This article will explore the 5 main martial arts that dominate mixed martial arts competition. If you plan to compete someday, you should be training these consistently.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

In modern MMA, rare is the athlete that doesn't incorporate BJJ skills into his fighting. Because of its strong grappling nature, BJJ is one of the most useful techniques you can use when the fight hits the ground. Ranging from armbands to chock holds and joint locks, the fighter utilizing BJJ techniques can manage to defeat much bigger rivals.

Because of this competitive advantage and the fact that it focuses on escaping, reversion and attacking the opponent, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has become one of the most popular martial arts in the world. In modern competition, BJJ is a must if you expect to succeed.

Wrestling

One of the oldest sports in the world, wrestling has had is fair share of success in mixed martial arts. For many athletes, wrestling is the best or very close to being the best fighting style for MMA.

Wrestling teaches you to bring the fight to the ground and emphasizes good positional control to keep it there. It also teaches various holds, throws and strong cardiovascular endurance which are the building blocks to various other martial arts. Inside the cage, deciding where the fight takes place dictates who has competitive advantage and takes the win.

Muay Thai

Known as the "art of eight limbs", Muay Thai teaches you how to use your limbs to deliver the highest damage per strike. This fighting system focuses on practical techniques helping you avoid knees, kicks, punches, elbows, and trips while being able to counter with attacks of your own.

When it comes to striking, Muay Thai can be considered one of the most important styles in the MMA. From elbow strikes producing nasty cuts to vicious kicks, an MMA fighter incorporating this style to their bag of techniques is sure to be prepared for everything during a mixed martial arts competition.

Boxing

Perhaps the purest form and most famous fighting style, Boxing is trained by almost everybody. Even though it is not used as a primary from of attack, the footwork learnt from Boxing is one of the best things an MMA fighter can utilize.

In fact, the combination a good foot work and correct head movement allows boxers to avoid strikes and create angles to counter the opponent’s attacks. These two aspects are crucial in MMA and can be seen used by some of the best MMA fighters.

Judo

One of the hardest styles to train, Judo is a grappling based technique that creates some of the strongest fighters on the planet. In the cage or octagon, Judo is the perfect tool to gain leverage over your opponent and take him to the ground.

With takedown techniques like throws and trips, Judo masters or Judokas find themselves having no problems translating their techniques into the cage. In fact, when mixed with other styles, judo is an extremely useful technique modern MMA fighters use to dominate the fight.

Is MMA the most effective?

Considering that MMA trains your body and mind through various martial art forms, we believe it is the most effective self-defense technique.

In fact, learning to be alert and aware of your surroundings during a potential confrontation is an extremely important aspect when developing physical and mental fitness. In most cases, the best method of self-defense is to avoid or prevent confrontation which is more easily attained through a sound body and mind.

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