Mixed skills, not a single speciality

Mixed martial arts has evolved so much over the years that while it was once possible for fighters to win bouts in a single speciality, like boxing for instance, fighters now need a mixed bag of skills under their belt.

Fighters such as Croatia’s Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Brazil’s Antonio “Minotauro” Rodrigo Nogueira can no longer dominate with swift kicks to the head or jiujitsu moves.

Fighters must be well-rounded, meaning they must be strong in all aspects of their MMA.

“A fighter who specializes in one area is like a double-edged sword. Those who are successful nowadays do not have a weakness in their game,” said Kim Nam-hoon, an MMA analyst on the Super Action cable channel.

Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko, an M-1 champion and often considered the best MMA fighter in the world, has a well-balanced striking and ground game. Middleweight Anderson Silva from Brazil and Georges St. Pierre of Canada are considered strong in every area.

Meanwhile, a Korean fighter by the name of Kim Dong-hyun with a background in judo and trained as an all-round fighter, currently has two wins and one loss.