Does Anyone Attack From Guard in MMA?

I was watching the UFC Fight Night prelims on Facebook Saturday night. The fights all ended in before time expired. One ended in the third round, one in the second round and three in the first round. One of the things that I notice was that none of the fighters in the first four fights were attacking from guard. They were holding on defensively and hoping to survive for a stand up.

I was asking myself if any of the mixed martial arts fighters are attacking from guard anymore. I remember Vitor Belfort’s arm bar on Jon Jones at UFC 153. However, most fighters that I have seen pulling guard in the last year or so have been playing defense and trying to survive.

I think the biggest reason that most fighters do not pull guard and attack from their back anymore is that judging punishes it. If you are on bottom, you are normally seen as losing the fight, whether you are the one attacking or not.

Mixed Martial Arts is also continuing to develop. Fighters are learning to keep their base and cause damage to their opponents with punches and elbows even when in full guard. This fact was clearly seen in the fight between Godofredo “Pepey” Castro and Sam Sicilia.

”Pepey” has one of the most dangerous guards in MMA. Sam Sicilia based out, hit “Pepey” with some punches and stunned him. Sicilia was able to pass to quarter guard and finish the fight.

I don’t think successful guard attacks will cease completely but I see them being more rare. Fighters will always employ what they feel are the most effective strategies for winning. If staying on your feet or maintaining the top will lead to the most victories, fighters will only develop the most basic guard skills. They will naturally focus on the techniques with the highest chance of leading them to a win.

Being able to attack from the ground is not only critical for self defense but it could be critical to winning in MMA as well. Remember, if Anderson Silva could not have fought off his back in the first fight with Chael Sonnen, he would not have been the champion any more.

Learn how to fight effectively in all ranges to have the greatest success in both self defense and competition.

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