UFC Fight Night 22 main event fighter Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt gives his takes on the evolution of mixed martial arts (MMA). What better and more experienced fighter than Marquardt to comment on the gradual change of the sport of MMA.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) provided us with another technique of combat fighting, being able to take down professional stand-up fighters and forcing them to give up and tap out. Then fighters began to understand the BJJ technique and we later found fighters who were able to defend takedowns and still TKO/KO BJJ specialists. Now wrestlers have found their niche in the MMA game, threatening fighters of all calibers. So what exactly must an MMA fighter need to know in order to be the best?
Here’s how MMA veteran Nate Marquardt sees it:
“I think it’s a wrong mentality. You know, when I started in Mixed Martial Arts, when I first started watching it, the Jiu-Jitsu guys were beating everyone. So anyone who had a good Jiu-Jitsu would be able to take them down, to submit them or punch them on the ground and win the fight. From there, it went to guys who can stop the takedown, and get a knockout. Fighters like Chuck Liddell. Fighters like him were dominating the sport. So lately the wrestlers brought it back a little. I think it’s the thing in Mixed Martial Arts, that sometimes the grapplers or the wrestlers are going to have an advantage, and sometimes it’s the strikers. The way to keep yourself on the top of the game, is to be well-rounded. Not to neglect any part of your game. If you have a problem with guys taking you down, you have to defend the takedown and learn how to wrestle.”
