Using Muay Thai to Dominate an MMA Match
by Kru Brooks Miller
More and more, striking martial arts styles are merely becoming a series of supplementary techniques to complement a submission grappling game. In the world of MMA, having a good ground game is critical to one’s success. It is very rare that a fighter is able to dominate as a striker, because in most cases, a determined grappler will eventually get hold of a striker and get them to the ground.
There are some notable exceptions, however. In the world of the UFC, Anderson Silva, who does happen to hold a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is also a former Muay Thai champion, and has dominated many fights with his striking skills alone.
On the local scene, I’ve begun to see a few strikers dominate their opponents using pure Muay Thai skills. Case in point was an MMA event I was officiating on March 15th. Two fights stood out on this card, where Muay Thai was the name of the game….
In the first match, a tall, lanky Muay Thai stylist used his reach and footwork to “peck” at his opponent, keeping him off balance and unable to close the gap. While he was a tentative fighter, he still was able to keep his opponent at bay with quick jabs, push kicks, and round kicks. When the fight finally went to the ground, his opponent was so out of his original game plan that he found himself submitted with an armbar by a Muay Thai fighter.
The beauty of MMA is that it is constantly evolving. Currently, the name of the game is to have a good ground game while learning a few striking techniques to round things out. But as more and more fighters with solid Muay Thai backgrounds enter the MMA ring, the shift will continue towards more of a balance between grappling and striking.