How come in the U.F.C I constantly see fighters boxing weird?

Question

They constantly keep there elbows in a butter fly like way at the sides rather then tight protecting there ribs. If this is because of all the extra things besides striking that you must be ready for then wouldn't that mean in a street fight they would not keep there elbows tight either. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is not the correct way to fight.

Answer 1

The stance you refer to is a traditional Muay Thai stance.  In UFC etc. the objective is to be prepared for someone to punch, kick, grab, shoot for takedown.  They use this "open" stance because many feel it is the most effective way to be prepared for different attacks as well as to quickly shift to attack.



It is much more complicated than this but here's the general idea:      Punches are blocked, clinched or dodged.  Kicks to the upper body are  blocked or trapped for takedowns / counter punches.  Kicks to the leg and lower are absorbed (like rolling with a body shot or uppercut in boxing) or blocked with shins.  Shots / takedown attempts are countered with a sprawl / basing out or by falling back into guard position.



Imagine a boxer with a deep one-foot-in-front stance.  A good wrestler would shoot for the front leg and get a takedown 90% of the time because the leg has to move back before you can drop your body weight down.

Lots of ppl say that most fights end up on the ground - that's true - but WAY more fights end up in a clinch at some point.  Muay Thai really focuses on clinch techniques (elbows, dirty boxing, knees).  

I studied boxing for a long time, and now study Muay Thai - it seemed awkward and counter-intuitive at first, because the center line  stays pretty open.  Now that I've gotten into it,  I actually like it a lot better.  

This stance is fine for a street fight -  remember, most untrained guys go for the face and head, not the body.  When is the last time you heard someone say "I'm gonna punch you in the liver / solar plexus!"    A well-trained Muay Thai fighter would dominate a street fight, just as much as a Karate practicioner or a boxer.

Answer 2

in my opinion, in mma the chances of getting punched to the body are a lot less than getting kicked in the ribs.  i think with your elbows out, you would have an easier time trying to catch a kick, which i think is more ideal than trying to block it.

also, having your elbows out give you more leverage to push a guy off if he's trying to shoot in on you, and take you to the ground. and vice versa, its also easier to reach out and grab a guy around the head and pull him into the clinch.

another thing, because elbow strikes are legal in mma, its a lot easier to throw an elbow strike, if its already out wide, c0cked and ready to go.

thats my three cents worth.

Answer 3

Because they're not boxers...they have a lot more to worry about and a lot more to do than boxers....even muay thai fighters stand much more open than boxers because boxers don't have to defend their backs or throw and block kicks.  

Add on top of that, much smaller gloves with which to defend and protect your head against punches AND elbows from fists  barely covered in those same much smaller gloves.

Not to mention if a UFC fighter fought in a closed boxing stance, his lead leg would get kicked into a mushy pulp by the muay thai guys and he would get taken down by the grappling guys....

From a practical fight standpoint, I would never recommend a boxing stance anywhere but in a boxing ring.

Answer 4

1. Some of them have that stance because they want to throw their punch from the side

2. Easier to push down opponent when they need to sprawl.

3. Protecting tight on the rib is a very 'boxing' stance which is just ONE of a way people fight, this stance also not condusive to people throwing kicks (especially high ones)

I believe in a street fight, where everything goes, an MMA fighter will have a better chance than a boxer.

Unless you're talking about Kimbo's street fight where they have rules that it's stand up only (basically boxing with no gloves)