Which is more effective for self-defense and fitness?
MMA or Boxing?…
The MMA sport is already carving its niche as the sport gets more and more popular. The question of which of the two is useful is very controversial and the one that has caused lots of debate. The truth is, the effectiveness is conditional – Both Boxing and MMA can be beneficial depending on what you want to achieve with your training.
Not everybody has the same passion. What one individual considers safe can be dangerous to another.
But how do you believe something is dangerous in a combat sport?
You can’t put a number to it but the risk of both MMA and Boxing can be discussed.
No matter which of these combat sports you choose, your choice definitely will come with one danger or another. One risk for another!
It’s essential first to do good research and get the best understanding of the risk of MMA and Boxing so that you can get prepared.
If you are a beginner, what would you consider relevant to your end goal? In terms of physical fitness, learning curves, and self-defense MMA or Boxing?
Below are some universal pros and cons, as well as a significant difference for both sport.
See also: Best Punching Bag
What’s the Difference Between MMA and Boxing?
For many people who do not know, MMA comprises of many different training skills. Its a practice of various martial arts such as the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai that has been in existence a long time ago.
Also, it is essential to state that not all martial arts are of the same caliber when it has to do with fighting in the ring because some are more effective than others.
So, when we discuss MMA training, we are referring to someone who is well versed in different martial arts training.
When you compare the two martial art of MMA and boxing, you will observe that much attention is paid to boxing, especially how they both are aired on TV or Cable.
There isn’t very much competition when it comes to MMA except for the UFC, which is hardly held regularly. At the same time, boxing, on the other hand, still has many competitors and many title fights, including the HBO, Showtime, and ESPN events.
And not forgetting that almost every weekend, there is always a boxing match to watch.
What this means is that boxing has about 17 divisions and are lots of bouts and fights staged for the top 10 contenders. Also, not forgetting the 115 junior bantamweights that are also always in the news.
Currently, the weight classes are getting tighter by the day compared to what we used to have.
This is not to say that MMA is not a popular sport, but when put side by side with boxing in terms of popularity, boxing is much far ahead.
MMA does not have the infrastructure and the years of knowledge that boxing has garnered. Boxing events are always promoted heavily with experienced multiple promoters jostling to edge one another to take the lion share of the event. And because boxing has more division and more activities, there are more athletes doing boxing, which is among the reason it is well established.
Again when it comes to making money with either of the sport, it is obvious that boxing brings in the real money compared to MMA, and that’s a significant factor to consider. The highest-paid MMA fighter so far was Conor McGregor, and he was paid this much because he fought with Floyd Mayweather, a boxer. The difference in what each fighter took home shows which sport is richer.
MMA or Boxing, What’s Better for Self-Defense?
For real-life situations, both MMA and boxing are both fantastic skills to acquire for self-defense. For standup fights, boxing skill is ideal because you will have more space, and the ability to punch your opponents with both your hands. This is why boxing remains one of the top skills for every fight that requires standup situations.
However, fights that have to do with both fighters grappling on the ground, your boxing skills will unfortunately not be enough to help you. MMA is more about using different skills from different martial arts and adapting to these skills.
In MMA, you will get used to being punched, kicked, and smashed to the ground all the time. As an MMA fighter, when you get taken down while training, your back is supposed to provide you with lots of maneuvering options. And even when both fighters are on their feet, MMA training is to defend not against punches alone but kicks, elbows, and knees.
Boxing is quite the opposite in this regard because boxing has to do with just the hands, which means they lack the necessary skills against opponents kicks, take-downs, submissions, etc. It isn’t that boxing is of no significance in street fighting; however, training MMA is like having an all-round defense against varieties of street fight situations.
Therefore, if your goal is to have some street fighting skills and turn a street ‘kingpin’, then MMA is your best option.
A medical examination record from the University of Alberta Canada reviewed post-fight records of about one thousand, one hundred and eighty (1,180) MMA fighters, and five hundred and fifty (550) boxers in ten years (10 yrs) research. It showed that MMA fighters ended up having more minor injuries in a fight compared to boxing.
Injuries like bruises, facial cuts, bloody noses, and wounds are more prevalent than at boxing. On the other hand, boxers are more susceptible to more severe injuries such as concussions, broken bones, bloody noses, loss of consciousness, and eye injuries.
Also, the report confirmed that boxers are more likely to get a much longer post-fight medical suspensions than an MMA fighter.
The report, which was a recent publication in the clinical sports journal of medicine is probably the first of its kind and with the most extensive data to compare injuries between the two combat sports. It also gave insight into the ugly sides of both games.
See also: Best Boxing Gloves
Should you train Boxing or MMA?
This is a big personal decision you have to take by yourself. If you love to box and you’re a fan of boxing then boxing can be a fun thing for you. If you like MMA and you feel you are alright with the kicks, elbows, and knee hits, then you can try MMA.
However, understanding the risk that is involved in both boxing and MMA should not deter you from training either. If you have an experienced trainer, you can safely practice both combat sports inside a proper gym—best of luck on your continued combat sports journey.
See also: Best MMA Gloves
FAQ
Which of these sports should I choose, MMA or Boxing?
If your dream is to be an MMA fighter, scheduling a training session in an MMA gym is best. However, you can still take advantage of boxing skills even when training as an MMA fighter. Boxing is ideal for getting started with because it gives you the basics of head movements, and the right footwork techniques and is an option for self-defense situations as most of the fights start standing up.
Which of these sports is more popular?
This is a Straightforward question, but a bit difficult to answer. Everybody knows boxing. Boxing has been in existence for so long a time, and its one of the recognized sports listed in the Olympic sport. And history favors it because of its massive head start.
MMA, on the other hand, has less than 30 years of organized sport, which makes it a very new sport. In fact, to this day, many people still did not know that MMA is a mixture of different martial arts.
