is it me or do boxers have more polished skills then ufc fighters?

Question

not to offend ufc fighters i got respect for them and they are complete fighters but as a person who boxes i feel our striking skills look more technical as ufc fighters look more like wild punchers

Answer 1

Look...over a 3-4 year period of training 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, for instance...boxers will use that entire time to train in boxing skills. UFC fighters will train about 75% ground fighting, and 25% striking (including elbows, knees, kicks, and punches) so they are not going to be as skilled in punching as a boxer.

Answer 2

Being able to have a strong punch is easy enough to acquire. Look at Brock Lesnar and Quinton Jackson. They have strong strikes. But when it comes to fighting, the ufc/mma would win 90% of the time. What is a boxer going to do while underneath a guy raining down hammer-fists. The answer is NOTHING. Also, if a ufc fighter gets an arm bar on a boxer, the guy will tap out, or lose that arm. Head kicks and flying knees to the head are way more explosive than a superman punch or a boxers punch any day. And those come with practice. Bottom Line: UFC fighter would win

Answer 3

The striking done in mma looks different because the rules of the sport are different. You're very unlikely to see in-fighter style boxing done successfully in ufc, b/c it would simply lead to a clinch and probable takedown. Take the hooks and uppercuts out of boxing and already it's gonna look a lot less technical. Also the defense of boxers will look more technical because their mind only has one focus, don't get punched (I understand that entails a lot, sorry if I oversimplify). No matter how much a person spars, having to avoid punches, kicks, elbows, knees, clinches, wrestling shots, and even a few standing submissions, all while looking for an opening to deliver all of the above to your opponent yourself is gonna divide your attention. This is probably why the wild swings and strikes you see are higher percentage in mma. Ppl get caught while going in for a takedown, or trying to avoid a takedown, etc. Don't let boxers kid you though, a top level boxer would lose to a mediocre mma fighter under mma rules, and vice versa under boxing rules. They're simply different sports.

Answer 4

The difference is that UFC fighters are training differently, but they are not less polished. Boxers are limited to the locations and methods with which they strike, so they train these areas much more intensely compared to MMA fighters who have more locations and methods with which to strike, grapple, submit, etc. They do throw wilder punches, but they have to prepare for not only boxing-type strikes (Liddel's specialty) but also takedowns, kicks, etc. that boxers don't have to worry, so of course a lot less time is devoted into honing those types of punches. I think if you tried to fight in the UFC using a boxing stance, you would get taken down ASAP because it does not defend against takedowns or grappling or kicks, just for being struck from the front.

Answer 5

Due to the way UFC began (BJJ beats up the world) there has always been a MASSIVE emphasis on the ground game vs the standup game, because that was what was successful. It's only recently that strikers have been successful in the sport, by using the sprawl/takedown defence, showing the need for standup skills. With time, eventually the quality striking will catch up to the quality of the wrestling, but it has a few years to go.

Answer 6

MMA, mixed martial arts, fighters such as in the UFC are not always trained in one specific discipline and focus on a well rounded attack where as boxers train boxing and nothing else for most of there lives. So from the striking with the hands aspect yes most boxers have the more technical punches. Also when a mixed martial artist punches he or she has to be able to defend takedowns, punches, kicks, and knees. Boxers only have to defend their opponents punches. If a boxer were to grapple with a mixed martial artist you would notice the boxer to be the less technical of the two.

Answer 7

Absolutely, nobody can perfect too many things. UFC fighters are trying to be a boxer, a wrestler, a kickboxer and a submission artist in one person. Can't do that. Do you anyone who is great in football, basketball, baseball and soccer at the same time. That is why boxer look better and that is why boxer get paid alot more.

Answer 8

boxers look more polished because they cant do anything but punch above the belt due to the rules. look at all the clenching in boxing, especially heavyweights. those cleches would turn into ground fighting if it werent for the rules. a pure boxer stands a "punchers chance" against a ufc guy, but if you put the top 100 boxers against the top 100 ufc fighters in matches with ufc rules the ufc would win in a landslide. if the rules let you go to the ground you damn well better know what to do there. i used to box so i guess i wish it wasnt true, but it is. a guy like matt hughes would kick the crap outta the top boxers in his weight class




to the guy above me. you seriously have never seen a lucky punch in boxing??? do you watch?? ive had lucky punches landed on me, and ive landed them too.

Answer 9

Boxers have more polished blocking and ducking skills. Do keep in mind that many UFC fighters do have some experience in boxing. They have to throw a little sloppy and leave their hands low at times to defend takedowns so you can't always blame them for a high and tight defense.

Answer 10

It is a different skillset. Boxing isnt a fighting style it is a sport that translates fairly well into the realm of fighting. The rules of boxing allow for the polished look. Without those rules it would turn into the UFC pretty quick.

13 years of boxing. Florida state champion bantam weight 1994-1996.