Can powerlifting and being physically strong help GREATLY with combat sports?

[iloverachel]

**broken link removed**
I have rewatched a few old boxing and MMA fights, and notice that lots of good fighters are muscular and well-built.
In boxing theres Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua, and Manny Pacquiao and GGG at lower weight classes, Evander Holyfield etc.
Boxing uses a lot of the upper body muscles and the shoulder helps connect the punches and the legs generate the most force.

I believe it will help even more in MMA (strength and functional muscle), as MMA involves a lot of grappling and wrestling. All skill being equal, the bigger, stronger man will have the advantage. Imagine someone who can bench press 3 plates, he can probably push the other grappler off of him, and stronger arms means you can choke people out more easily.

 

[juggy38]

Mma, ehh not so much, speed and technique kills. BUT, also depends on fighting style. I was a grappler and fought like randy coture. Get them against the cage, lean on them, beat them up, then get them on the ground.

I was always by far the strongest. BUT, I also got my ass knocked out trying to close distance with a kickboxer/boxer.

BJJ, yes being strong as an Ox can help defense, say if your in turtle position and they can’t flatten you out.

Cardio and muscle endurance are higher on the totem pole though

 

[N.L....M.....]

I went to warrior legion mma a few years ago when Brian Stan was there and he told me to start a power lifting routine. He said the endurance and stamina came from sparring and training. Jeff Monson said in an interview when he was still in the UFC that his strength helped him power through some guys who were weaker but had better technique.
obviously technique and endurance are very important but strength is equally as important

 

[ghostman2020]

I find that no matter how strong you are. The main thing in fighting is ENDURANCE!

 

[IronLion2]

Of all the fighters that have went through westside barbell, none of them used a loaded bar.
Of all the fighters that have trained congujate, dynamic work for loaded bar movements is the norm.
Both work, depends on the athlete.

Power correlates to almost everything, problem is most strength programs are flawed. Strength gain shouldn't be coming at a price to the athlete's power.

 

[Orville Shreddenbacher]

IMO Olympic lifting , as fast and explosive as you need to be , not to mention the timing involved transfers over to combat sports the best . static strength doesn't go very far in mma or grappling

 

[lookslikesausage]

IMO Olympic lifting , as fast and explosive as you need to be , not to mention the timing involved transfers over to combat sports the best . static strength doesn't go very far in mma or grappling

I would tend to agree with you here. Only problem, and it's a big one, is that OLY lifting has a steep learning curve, takes a lot of time to learn good technique, and isn't very safe to be doing with poor technique. It might not be the best bet for a fighter in his 30's with injuries and little exposure to OLY to pick it up at that age. Conversely, a very young fighter early in their career learning to do the Olympic lifts could benefit greatly. Olympic lifting will have the very hard obstacle to overcome for athletes (other than lifters themselves) being that it's hard to learn and time-consuming. As an aside, i've yet to see many fighters doing deep OLY style back squats. I think real OLY lifts and even hams to calves squats pose too big of a risk to them.

For MMA and even grappling, strength will only benefit but more important is skill and then conditioning. How many times have we seen a stronger fighter, maybe even a better fighter lose a fight because they lacked conditioning? One of my favorite fighters, Mark Coleman, comes to mind. Conor comes to mind. So to answer the original question; i think powerlifting would help but i don't think it would greatly help. I can think of a few powerlifters who didn't excel in MMA, the first ones coming to mind, Mikey Burnett from the Lion's Den back in the day, Ron Waterman, and Marius Pudz.

 

[Orville Shreddenbacher]

Very true . of course being strong always helps . I think that there's variations of Olympic lifts that are easier . like high pulls , hang cleans and dumbbell snatches that are easy to learn . i dont think Olympic style squatting is good for anyone but I would say that the Zercher squat would be beneficial . I think even strongman style training can be used as its a mix of raw power , explosiveness and conditioning . ive fought amateur and pro and done grappling tourneys. Ive actually been that big powerlifter gassing out lol

 

[LoganOne]

I think yes. Powerlifting helps in fights and very much, since the power of the blow depends on it.