What exactly is Power? We hear it spew out of commentator’s mouths numerous times at nearly every MMA event after someone is KO’d (“That dude has some serious power in his hands!!!”). But Knockout power isn’t the only kind of power that exists in MMA (and other combat sports). In my opinion there are three types of power: Knockout, Functional, and Destructive.
Knockout power is pretty obvious. This is the kind of power that sends fighters into the Land of Wind and Ghosts. It can change the outcome of a fight instantaneously and usually makes for exciting finishes. It’s something that a fighter is born with. It’s not something that a fighter can develop. You either have it or you don’t. A good example of a fighter with pure Knockout power is Takanori Gomi. He can throw a punch with horrendous technique and still shut a fighter’s lights off if it connects. This is the kind of thing that we usually associate with power as MMA fans.
Other Examples: Jens Pulver, Shane Carwin, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler
Functional power is a bit different. It’s more utilitarian in its nature and tends to get overlooked by many fans. It’s in the push kick that knocks a fighter out of striking range, the well timed knee that a wrestler eats when shooting in for a double and the Jab that staggers a fighter back a few feet when it connects. A good example of a fighter that has this is Josh Thompson. His well timed push kicks kept Gilbert Melendez at bay in their first meeting and won him the Strikeforce LW Title. This kind of power is usually seen amongst “technical” fighters.
Other Examples: Gina Carano, Frankie Edgar, Lyoto Machida, Rich Franklin
Destructive power is just that, destructive. This is the power that turns fighters faces into distorted caricatures of the regular forms. Fighters that have this power break ribs with hooks to the body and turn legs into bruised objects that resemble vegetables with vicious leg kicks. A really good example of this is Cristiane Santos. What she lacks in KO power she makes up for with raw destructive power. Her last fight was nothing more than a savage beating. This kind of power sucks the soul from fighters and in some cases can leave them “Broken”.
Other Examples: Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, BJ Penn, Rick Story
This concludes my 1st entry in the Encyclopedia MMA-ica.
I like this. A lot. Great start to a probably great series.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated. I plan on putting one out a week. Next week is "Can".
ReplyDeleteCool write up Deo. I look forward to the next one man.
ReplyDelete