The Technician, the Brawler, and the Athlete. Who wins?

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Written by Paul Rhee
Monday, 23 October 2006
The best fighters in the world have common traits, the three most prominent being technique, athleticism, and the brawler mentality. But which of these is the most important? Let's take a closer look. You don't need to look any further than the UFC Welterweight Division to inspect the cases I present to you. For argument's sake, let's take the UFC's top 3 170 pounders: Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, and BJ Penn. Matt Hughes is a country boy at heart. Born and raised in Hilsboro, Illinois, he's no stranger to the sweat on his brow and learned how to plow the fields before he could solve addition problems. With this kind of upbringing, Hughes became a monster powerhouse, cultivating the farm as well as his strength. When he started fighting, his primary background consisted of wrestling, and good ol' fashioned brawling. He didn't know much about the sweet science or Jiu Jitsu, but he knew how to corner a guy and bash his face in with devasting punches and elbows. Hughes has improved by leaps and bounds, but his bread and butter is still ground and pound. He'll love to get you into a cruxifix position, lay all his weight across your upper body, and throw those elbows until you see double. He is the brawler. BJ Penn, although a bit unorthodox, is one of the most gifted fighters in the UFC. Rightfully earning the nickname "Prodigy", Penn was tapping out BJJ Black belts after only 2 years of training. His strikes come from years of street fighting, tempered with boxing and a technical prowess that's hardly seen. His Jiu Jitsu soars in terms of technique. Where else have you seen a guy almost execute a Go-go plata in the third round? He has insane flexibility, earned after years and years of grappling with the world's finest. He is the technician. Georges "Rush" St. Pierre is a great fighter all around. He can trade strikes, submissions, and positions with you all day, and still make you look like an amateur. He pours hours and hours of training into his regimen, and it shows. He never won a title or a championship in Jiu Jitsu or Muay Thai, or was exposed to a childhood full of hard labor. He has honed his craft in the dojo and gym, pouring everything in the hopes that one day, he will see UFC gold. He is the athlete. As cliched as it sounds, you need a little bit of everything in order to truly succeed. Hughes has evolved from a great wrestler to an awesome striker and submission specialist. BJ Penn went from being a Jiu Jitsu Specialist to a knockout artist. Georges St. Pierre has exploded onto the scene by putting all his training into use for a single purpose. However, I'm sure you guys are curious as to which is the most important. Well, here are the rankings. Athleticism: This ranks first as the most needed trait to be successful in the ring or in the cage. You can have all the Abu Dhabi championship belts and Olympic Gold Medals, but if you can't translate those technical skills in the ring, you are in for a world of hurt. Case in point: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In terms of pure BJJ, he's most definintely not the best out there. But look at what he can pull off with his level of athleticism. He can catch you in a triangle choke in an instant, and last for 25 minutes without tiring. This is a fight, not a sparring match. Be prepared to throw leather and eat some. You better come in shape, or all the technique in the world can't help you. Technique: As stated above, if you have the athleticism, adding techique to your arsenal makes you twice, nay, thrice as deadly. People won't be able to keep up with your pace, and will always be wary of the strikes or submissions that you bring to the table. Nothing is more frightening than a guy that can tire you out and then have enough energy to pound you so hard that you need to eat out of a feeding tube for the next 3 months. Brawling: Probably the least important, but fighting out of pure aggression and strength does have its advantages. People will be thrown off by your sheer power, and your ability to continue and hammer out strikes like a madman won't only have them worried about the fight, but also for their lives. Even if I had the better technique and athleticism, if someone picked me up and threw me around the room, I'd be a little more than just worried. So there you have it. Keep reading for how you can improve in each of the 3 sections! Set as favorite Bookmark Hits: 1062 Comments (1) hilarious written by jnox , October 25, 2006 that would've been my pick exactly. technique does go a long but it definitely wouldn't erase athletecism report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Write comment Name Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only)