As fight night approaches, it is common enough for fans to
want to predict results, I myself do this religiously. But how does one
determine the outcome of something as fickle in nature as a fight? The winner
is usually chosen based on the fighters’ history, more often than not their
last fights, or greater yet, a subconscious bias towards a favoured athlete.
What other information do we have to base our decisions on, we have not been
through the fighters camp with them, we do not know how hungry they are for
victory... or do we?
The weigh-ins are always a great opportunity for fans to
gauge whether the athlete is both physically and mentally fit. The two are
mutually inclusive. There is more to it than bulging muscles and a ripped six pack
(though this is a common enough side effect), a good training camp should yield
a powerful, comfortable, confident athlete at the weigh in, a poor one - very
much the opposite. A fighter invariably knows when he is ready to step into the
cage, when he has left everything in the gym, and this is easily perceived.
In the current era of MMA, most of the top fighters have an
amazing all round technical game, and conditioning can be the decisive factor,
separating otherwise even combatants. This is where the weigh-in proves
invaluable in picking winners, as added to their experience and history, we now
have a glimpse into what sort of shape they are in. In my opinion there is
never an excuse for a professional athlete competing periodically throughout
the year to be out of shape come fight time, regardless of the division.
For too long conditioning has been a secondary consideration
for fighters. Fighting superstars of the past have been made and broken on conditioning
alone. BJ Penn, one of the most talented fighters of our era, who stood atop
the lightweight and welterweight divisions for many years often came into the
Octagon looking less than impressive. As the sport evolved, Penn would lose
more and more of the latter rounds and consequently fights due to poor
conditioning. Conversely, current UFC Welterweight champion Georges St Pierre,
seemed to build a career on conditioning alone. GSP began his career as a
decent striker with an solid ground game, but brought such an impressive
athletic package to the ring, that he just steamrolled his competition. GSP,
who has since evolved into one of the top Pound for pound MMA fighters in the
world, still maintains that which got him to the top - an athleticism second to
none. This, coupled with his every increasing skills repertoire make him
arguably the most well rounded MMA fighter in the world.
Fighter athleticism in South Africa
South Africa fortunately seems to have learnt from the
mistakes of our predecessors and even in its infancy, our MMA community is
producing some of the finest athletes in the country. It is indeed rare to see
a top level fighter entering the cage in anything less than spectacular shape. This
impressive conditioning practise by the elite raises the bar for the fighters
attempting to catch and surpass them and will ultimately ensure that in the
future being an athlete will continue to be a pre-requisite to being a great fighter.
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