Bodybuilders VS MMA Fighters

You ever wondered what would happen if an MMA Fighter and a bodybuilder went toe to toe? Well, look no further because Fight.TV and Vekhayn are bringing you an article all about it. Believe it or not, this question has been asked before and by many. In the early days of the UFC you kind of see it, experienced grapplers fighting muscle heads and quickly submitting them. Videos of smaller scrawny dudes taking down big hulk looking, guys. Why is that though? We're going to break it down to the sweet science! You see, fighting is one of the most serious sports in all of athletics, especially in terms of cardio. Throwing punches will wind you out really quick. You know what else will take a lot of wind out of you? Having lots of muscle. It takes lots of oxygen to keep those muscles moving. So the more muscle mass you have, the more oxygen your body needs to sustain energy in a fight. That's why most boxers and MMA fighters you see are more on the lean side or just kind of fat and very rarely do you see a fighter that looks like a bodybuilder. Now of course the case isn't always the lean mean fighter wins. Everyone in combat sports knows if you get hit on the button. You're going out. So a bodybuilder could still land a hard shot. Or with some wrestling experience control a fight on the ground with sheer strength. One thing is for certain though. Bodybuilders train to look strong, and often struggle with other aspects of health to maintain a 5% bodyfat. Your body needs these fats to maintain your energy levels. Especially in a fight. The MMA fighter is also very experienced on the ground, where as bodybuilders who just lift often don't know how to defend heel-hooks, Kimuras, rear naked chokes, calf slicers, and an arsenal of other grappling submissions. Don't believe us? The internet is full of these videos and stories. Just go see for yourself! What do you have to say, Tommy? Well, as a bodybuilder that does Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, I'd say for the most part you're right. But for my fellow bodybuilders out there, don't get discouraged. Being a bodybuilder and a martial artist is a double-edged sword, here's why: As Austin mentioned above, you will get exhausted quicker than the other fighter. Most of the fighters are much leaner for this reason- but bodybuilders do have an incredible advantage: Raw strength. Any of my MMA sparring buddies will tell you that it is really hard to get me in a submission. With my pure strength, often times I can hold one of their wrists in place or stop a submission from happening completely with just brute force. For instance, good luck trying to get me in an arm bar- I can curl hundreds of pounds and I can easily just break the grip on most people trying to get my arm flat. Also, good luck if you misplace your wrist, I can hold that in place and maneuver around your body while you try to break the intense grip I have on it. While most MMA fighters that are leaner have an advantage over a bodybuilder, a bodybuilder does have the raw strength to escape a submission. Think of hulk breaking through a wall. Bodybuilders also have the advantage of being able to manipulate their opponents in combat more efficiently too. I can easily pick up my opponent, and doing a single/double leg takedown becomes much easier when you have a ton of strength to work with. It's similar to a "Lions vs Bears" battle. The lion is the MMA fighter, and the bear is the bodybuilder. They are somewhat evenly matched, and it really depends how both sides use their advantages. The lion is much quicker in attacks, can quickly reposition, is super manueverable, and often has much more stamina than the bear. While the bear is much slower, it's attacks are MUCH stronger. If the bear lands one good hit on the tiger, the tiger can lose. It's up to the lion to be on its' game and to position correctly to not lose the battle. I personally love watching bodybuilders vs MMA fighters fight on YouTube- it's so interesting as each fight is just so intense and you can tell that each person is trying their hardest. It's not like some of the fights where it gets kind of repetitive and boring, the bodybuilder vs MMA fighter match up is crazy intense. Check it out for yourself!