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Thursday, November 14, 2013

By Nolan Barias


While ground fighting is clearly a big part of MMA, honing strong striking skills cannot be underestimated as an important part of your arsenal as a fighter. A strong, solid punch requires little movement or energy and can be a quick way to disable an opponent. Many of the world's best mixed martial artists have fought in professional boxing matches or have extensive training in boxing.

While Georges St.-Pierre never competed as a boxer, he takes his boxing skills very seriously. His trainer, Freddie Roach, is one of the best trainers in the world. St.-Pierre has won many fights using boxing techniques, including UFC 48 where he downed his opponent, Jay Hieron, at just 1:27 in the first round by knockout. Obviously, St.-Pierre did not earn his 22-2 record and welterweight title by boxing alone; he also holds an impressive array of black belts in three martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kyokushin kaikan.

Anderson Silva might be known as a skillful Muay Thai fighter, but he also has a record as a professional boxer. He only fought twice, winning one of the two bouts, but it's still an impressive addition to an already distinguished resume that includes a 32-4 pro MMA record. Silva rounds out his skills with black belts in Judo, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo, as well as a yellow rope in Capoeira.

Brazil has given us no shortage of exemplary fighters, and Vitor Belfort is no exception. In addition to his black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, Belfort has a purple belt in Shotokan and a short career as a pro boxer in which he won his only fight by knockout, defeating Josemario Neves in less than one minute.

For K.J. Noons, limiting himself only to the MMA arena is apparently out of the question. He has an impressive 11-5 MMA record, which began with his first fight in 2002. Between then and now, he has also competed as a professional kickboxer, earning a record of 12-2. He also is a professional boxer with an 11-2 record, winning five of his bouts by knockout. As a teenager he also won the gold medal at the Long Beach International Karate Championships and holds a black belt in Kenpo.

The moral of the story is that boxing can be a huge component of your overall arsenal, so be sure to find a gym with excellent boxing instructors as well as a gym that offers classes in many other fighting styles. Not only will boxing improve your ability to throw a punch, it also will help you learn how to avoid being hit and how to better absorb a hit.




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