How long does it really take an elite striker to train to crossover and dominate the sport of MMA?

[TheMaster]

We have seen high level strikers like Cro Cop, Alex Pereira, Adesanya, transition to MMA and dominate the sport.
We have also seen how most MMA fighters chins generally do not hold up vs elite strikers and they aren't used to taking that kind of force.

How long does it actually take for an elite striker like Anthony Joshua for example, if they went all in training to work sufficient sprawl and basic defensive grapping to be able to compete and rise to the top in MMA?

 

[Leinster Rugby]

James Toney mastered it in a week

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

It just takes post-prime hard times to get them to take that big pay cut that is mma

 

[Goutfather]

someone who is athletically gifted and dedicated, a few months to a year. obviously that’s not winning abu dhabi, but enough anti-wrestling to keep the fight standing.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

About 3.5 years

 

[TITS]

Boxing shills are going to bombard this forum for the foreseeable future after Ngannou laid an egg.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Depends entirely on the fighter, obviously. Some people pick it up very quickly, some people never adapt well at all.

Claressa Shields for example is arguably the best female boxer in the world but despite the fact she's been training MMA for a few years now she still barely scrapes by absolute cans.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Depends entirely on the fighter, obviously. Some people pick it up very quickly, some people never adapt well at all.

Claressa Shields for example is arguably the best female boxer in the world but despite the fact she's been training MMA for a few years now she still barely scrapes by absolute cans.

Very well said.

 

[Levi_]

It depends on the striker's natural knack for grappling. CC learned it quicker than most because he had such a strong base/core/hips and powerful legs (thus he was very hard to TD). That also served him well in making a solid guard- Fedor had a hard time landing GnP on him because of this.

Not sure about Alex because he really hasn't had much of a test on the ground. Presumably he has trained in it a lot and really improved, but nothing is certain until we have seen it.

 

[Levi_]

About 3.5 years

I heard it was 3.6749 years, but if you say so I believe it.

 

[TheMaster]

Boxing shills are going to bombard this forum for the foreseeable future after Ngannou laid an egg.

Pereira and Crop Cop were not boxers. The question is an old one but its been brought to the fore obviously when the reigning undisputed lineal UFC HW champion who is mainly known for his hands gets flatlined.

someone who is athletically gifted and dedicated, a few months to a year. obviously that’s not winning abu dhabi, but enough anti-wrestling to keep the fight standing.

A few months is a stretch. If training full time then maybe a year you could get by enough to compete and two years maybe make it to the top level I would say. I dont believe Alex Pereira really trained that long before switched over, and he was still fighting kickboxing during that time.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

It depends on the boxer I believe. Not all boxers are built the same. But if it was Anthony Joshua, I think a year of training MMA disciplines. I think he can be very dangerous opponent. He has the physical tools to adapt to other disciplines imo. Although saying that a guy like Tyson Fury I doubt he can adapt as well, so he wouldn't do well in MMA.

Anyways that's just my guesstimation.

 

[chaos_36]

Terrence Crawford or Vasily Lomachenko could be champs with a year of training.

 

[TITS]

Pereira and Crop Cop were not boxers. The question is an old one but its been brought to the fore obviously when the reigning undisputed lineal UFC HW champion who is mainly known for his hands gets flatlined.

I've never seen you post in the UFC forum before, until after Ngannou got canvassed. The writing is on the wall.

 

[RonDante]

It’s easier in the shittier divisions

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Terrence Crawford or Vasily Lomachenko could be champs with a year of training.

These guys would do reasonably well. Both are very adaptable people and willing to learn. Crawford was a very good wrestler in his younger days I'm pretty sure.

 

[AL-Tappo McSnappo]

We have seen high level strikers like Cro Cop, Alex Pereira, Adesanya, transition to MMA and dominate the sport.
We have also seen how most MMA fighters chins generally do not hold up vs elite strikers and they aren't used to taking that kind of force.

How long does it actually take for an elite striker like Anthony Joshua for example, if they went all in training to work sufficient sprawl and basic defensive grapping to be able to compete and rise to the top in MMA?

9 months for Jon Jones

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Pereira and Crop Cop were not boxers. The question is an old one but its been brought to the fore obviously when the reigning undisputed lineal UFC HW champion who is mainly known for his hands gets flatlined.


A few months is a stretch. If training full time then maybe a year you could get by enough to compete and two years maybe make it to the top level I would say. I dont believe Alex Pereira really trained that long before switched over, and he was still fighting kickboxing during that time.

Alex has been training for years. He first fought in MMA in 2015.

 

[Sasha]

About 3.5 years

The only good answer. You can speed it up a bit by posting on sherdog at night though.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

The only good answer. You can speed it up a bit by posting on sherdog at night though.

The adaptation period for a Sherbro with a decent post to like ratio is significantly smaller.