The Fight Game: Learning Curve

Been thinking about this a lot lately, and virtually every time I go to a regional level show. 

So I put together a list of some odds and ends comparing the learning curve in amateur MMA and amateur Boxing. This isn't a "which one is better" article, just one examining the benefits/shortfalls of both based on my experience having witnessed both firsthand.

The amateur ranks, in theory, exist to prepare fighters for the professional ranks.

Sure, there are guys who train, who want to test themselves, who appreciate the sport, and have a fight or two for the experience. The bottom line, however, is that the amateur ranks exists in principle to prepare for prizefighting: getting paid to fight in front of crowds.

I've broken the comparison down based on a few key areas.

When to Fight:

MMA - we've all seen guys in the ring/cage that clearly had no reason being there. limited skillset, limited time training, wholly one dimensional, and you get that creeping feeling in your stomach that a brutal KO is coming very soon or that someone is going to "tappy tap" town. The ability for a fighter to clinch and grapple, however does limit some of the repeated head trauma otherwise associated with standup fighting.

Boxing - you see the above at virtually every amateur boxing event.....but there is one key difference. Many times, the referee will stop a fight when a fighter with only a handful of fights is dazed or to quote Joe Rogan "rocked!" before the brutal, mouth piece removing KO happens. Not always, but I've seen a ton of amateur boxing bouts where a brutal trip to slumber land was avoided. The amateur fighter learns little from a consciousness deprived end of the bout, especially in his first few fights.

Learning Curve/Matchmaking:

MMA - You  must have 5 fights to turn Pro in NC. We've also all seen bouts at regional shows in which a guy with 3 or 4 or even 6 fights will take on a guy in his debut. I understand the number of amateur fights that fall through, but throwing in a guy making his debut against someone with 5 or 6 or more fights (even if some are losses, amateur is still the sum of experience in the ring/cage) is disingenuous much of the time.

Boxing -  boxing commisions/athletic amateur unions in every state I'm aware of makes the effort to institute classes of experience. You have Junior Open, Open, Novice, et cetera. You also must have a certain number of fights to enter various boxing tournaments depending on the divisions/rules. Do guys doctor their pass books? Do guys fight in unsanctioned smokers for extra experience? Sure, but the effort is made to avoid utter mismatches early on in boxers' careers at the amateur level.

Stoppages:

MMA - an unfortunate byproduct of small gloves is that virtually every punch can knock someone clean out. It's part of the sport and is unavoidable. North Carolina has adjusted this with banning kicks and knees to the face in amateur (as well as elbows) which has produced a crop of grappling favored fighters that win rounds via top position. A number of them will struggle when they hit the pros and face other wrestlers who have been polishing their standup.

Boxing - brutal KO's happen in amateur boxing as well, but boxing gloves at the amateur level are typically anywhere from 8-16oz. Key also is the addition of headgear which prevents many brutal knockouts early on in careers. The referee will also issue standing 8 counts much more often in amateur boxing.

When to Turn Pro:

MMA - Again, as the sport is new, you go on mma.tv and you see guys that have been fighting for two years and turn pro. If regional shows are your aspiration, super. If you plan on ever ascending to a higher level promotion, 2 years coupled with developing the sport will just not cut it.

Boxing - a considerable number of boxers will have anywhere from 20-200 amateur bouts before turning pro. This in addition to smokers and sparring at other gyms (basically a full out fight sometimes) mimic very closely the actual fighting conditions they will experience as both an amateur, then as a pro. As a pro, typically fighters start out fighting shorter fights with less rounds to slowly build up to a 10 or 12 round fight as well as being fed progressively higher grade "cans".

My first -time experience in both:

MMA - I drove up to Virginia. Fought up a weight class against a guy with a considerable amount of amateur standup experience in boxing and muay thai while my buddy from college cornered me. We fought with all the rules of a pro bout minus elbows to the face.

Boxing - fought after 6 months of amateur boxing training, several smokers, and sparring with guys from other gyms on a regular basis. fought a guy I later found out had a number of undocumented bouts and doctored his passbook.
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I included my personal experience to elaborate that no matter the rules in place, there are ways to circumvent virtually all of the safety precautions commissions will put into place. It's an unpleasant part of the sport and a byproduct of gyms/coaches wanting to stack the deck in favor of their fighters and affiliations between promoters and gyms.

It's the fight game.

It's a hurt game. They'll toss you to the wolves and that's the way it is. Guys think you can just go to Jiu-Jitsu class for a few months, have wrestled in high school and get by. There's so much more to the fight game than just the actual rounds in the ring/cage.

This isn't REC basketball or Backgammon. North Carolina has instituted rules like the absence of elbows, the absence of kicks/knees to the face in amateur bouts which attempt to make the sport safer. MMA as a type of fighting simply makes it much harder to insure fighter safety due to the glove size and inability to wear headgear.

"Protect yourself at all times."