Grappling v.s. Striking: Which is Better?

• By Owen Reilly

The UFC was originally created to determine the most effective martial art in combat. Since then, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has evolved with nearly every fighter involved in the sport incorporating techniques of multiple fighting disciplines and styles. However, most fighters specialize in a specific martial art or prefer the techniques of one discipline to the other. For example, Khabib Nurmagomedov specializes in sambo and wrestling while someone such as Alex Pereira prefers to keep the fight standing and strike with his opponent. These two differing styles represent an age-old debate of whether striking or grappling is more effective both in the cage and in real life. In this blog, we will review the arguments for each style and determine which is more important when starting your MMA journey.

The Case for Grappling

The term grappling encompasses multiple martial arts, including Jiu-jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, and Sambo, with each art focusing on taking down, controlling, and submitting or pinning your opponent. In MMA, a strong proficiency in one of these arts allows you to dictate the pace of the fight and choose where the fight takes place. Furthermore, the level of control, submission threats, and cardio that the grappling arts offer allow you to wear down your opponent through consistent pressure. Understanding how to properly close the distance, however, is a crucial skill that all grapplers must learn. Without it, grapplers will run the risk of getting knocked out when initiating takedowns or scrambles. Fighters utilizing a grappling-heavy style include Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman. For grappling classes taught by top coaches and fighters, check out the link below. 

The Case for Striking

The term striking also refers to numerous fighting styles including boxing, muay thai, kickboxing, karate, tae-kwon-doe, and karate with each discipline incorporating some form of punches, kicks, or knee and elbow strikes. The striking arts have a distinct advantage over the grappling arts in one major respect; the ability to end a fight decisively at nearly any moment. A singular well-placed strike can stop any opponent dead in their tracks. The unpredictability and the ability for a worse fighter to land a single strike and win the fights is an alluring thought that makes the striking arts incredibly appealing. The control of range that striking also teaches coupled with the fact that numerous strikes over time can wear down your opponent also make the striking arts effective. Learning takedown defense, however, is crucial to being an effective striker as you are unable to use the vast majority of striking techniques while on your back. Examples of strikers in MMA include Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, Anderson Silva, Sean O’Malley, and Connor McGregor. To look at online striking courses taught by some of the best in the world, click the link below.

Historically speaking, grapplers have tended to dominate the MMA landscape with the original UFC events featuring winners such as Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. Grappling has continued to dominate the MMA scene with the above-mentioned fighters reaching the pinnacle of the sport through their grappling abilities. Recently, however, fighters including Leon Edwards, Israel Adesanya, and Alex Pereira have proved that elite striking coupled with strong takedown defense can win fights against elite grapplers. Truthfully, to be successful at the professional level, being well-rounded is absolutely necessary. Relying on one specific style too much can expose holes in your game that opponents can exploit. But which is better? Especially at the amateur level, grappling still proves to be the most effective path to victory. When fighting a ‘pure’ striker, grappling offers a relatively easy path to victory assuming one can properly close the distance to clinch with or takedown the opponent. The unpredictability of striking makes grappling a safer and more secure route to neutralize your opponent. Strikers have more opportunities to end the fight faster but become vulnerable when put on their backs. As a grappler, you can negate a striker's game plan completely with a single takedown. Despite this, a striker with very strong takedown defense can be an absolute nightmare for a ‘pure’ grappler.