The Doggy Bag

What is the one aspect of mixed martial arts that is lagging behind other elements of the sport? I feel that some of the best grapplers in the world have taken up MMA, but the level of striking has yet to catch up. Am I wrong? Do you agree that striking is far behind the grappling tools on display in today’s MMA?
-- Eric, Memphis, Tenn.

Brian Knapp, associate editor: Eric, I think you’re correct in your assessment. You can basically count on one hand the truly elite strikers present in the sport. As you pointed out, there are plenty of select wrestlers and grapplers making the rounds in mixed martial arts.

Reasons vary. Some believe it takes more natural skill -- power, accuracy, speed, timing, etc. -- to strike than it does to wrestle and grapple. Thus, it would stand to reason that there are fewer fighters out there who are proficient at it. For me, strikers are akin to closers in baseball. Plenty carry the “closer” tag next to their names, but few can be considered automatic when it comes to shutting the door in the ninth inning. Consider the gulf between Brian Fuentes and Mariano Rivera. It looks awfully similar to the gulf that exists between Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin.

Personally, I think it has as much to do with the fact that there are so many more outlets available to strikers: boxing, kickboxing, etc. Once one moves beyond the Olympics, competitive opportunities open to wrestlers at the highest level are virtually non-existent outside of MMA.

Anything can change with time. Given the recent decline of boxing and the surge behind MMA, one might anticipate an influx of high-caliber strikers within the next decade, as young pugilists once destined for the boxing ring take a closer look at what MMA has to offer. For now, alpha males like Silva can rest easy.