A Dash of This and a Pinch of That: Building the Perfect MMA Fighter

So you want to be a fighter?

It takes a lot of talent and dedication to become a world-class fighter. Studying and learning the aspects won’t become an overnight thing; it will be a long and slow process. Fighters who compete at a world-class level today are highly trained and educated in the sport of MMA.

Each of them has their own skills and attributes that make them great fighters. For each aspect listed, there is a fighter who displays that attribute in the best way. Aspiring fighters can look at this list as a guideline to become more educated in MMA.

So you want to be a fighter? Well, this is how.

Striking- Anderson Silva (26-4-0)

Anderson Silva is the deadliest striker in MMA, period. Since he made his debut for the UFC in 2006, "The Spider" has been on a tear in the middleweight division and shows no signs of slowing down. Silva strikes with pinpoint accuracy and he is the most accurate striker in UFC history.

According to FightMetric.com, over the course of his career, Silva’s striking accuracy per fight is at 70 percent and his opponents only land 24 percent of their strikes when they face him. What’s so mind-boggling is that the average fighter’s striking accuracy is 35 percent.

Silva is twice as accurate as the average fighter and three times more accurate than his opponents.

It’s almost as if when Silva fights, he anticipates his opponent's move before they attack him. Every single opponent he’s been put up against inside the Octagon, he’s made each one of them look like an amateur fighter. To show how impressive of a striker Anderson Silva really is, his light-heavyweight matchup vs. Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 is a perfect example.

What was supposed to be the biggest challenge in Silva’s career turned into one of the most lopsided victories in UFC history.

Silva dazzled the crowd and forced Griffin to attack him as Silva dodged, bobbed, and weaved the former Light-Heavyweight Champion’s punches, dropping him three times and winning by TKO in the very first round.

What’s even scarier is that Anderson Silva is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under UFC heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo ‘”Minotauro” Nogueira.

Wrestling- Georges St-Pierre (20-2-0)

Arguably the top pound for pound fighter, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre undoubtedly has the best wrestling skills to take any fighter to the mat. The French-Canadian is so explosive and technical with his take downs, he’ll take any fighter down at will. The UFC Welterweight kingpin has ruled his division for the past four years and has been dominating, to say the least.

According to MMAFighting.com, in his last four fights, St-Pierre has attempted 35 take downs and has landed an impressive 29 of them. That’s an 83 percent success rate.

What’s more impressive, unlike most wrestlers' credentials in the UFC, St-Pierre doesn’t have any collegiate wrestling experience.

Not to mention St-Pierre trains with the Canadian National Wrestling Team and has recently flirted with the idea of participating in the 2012 Olympics.

In his career, St-Pierre has fought seven wrestlers and has beaten all of them. His victory over Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 is evident of just how dominating St-Pierre’s wrestling skills are.

For three straight rounds, he took Koscheck down and controlled him from the top position. Josh Koscheck is a four time NCAA Division I All-American, and St-Pierre wiped the floor with him.

Let’s face it, St-Pierre not only beats wrestlers at their own game, but he simply beats whoever he faces.

Submissions- B.J Penn, (15-6-1)

B.J. Penn is possibly the one fighter on this list who relies on his natural talent and ability to compete in the UFC. There’s a reason why he’s nicknamed “The Prodigy”.

Penn is a well-rounded fighter, but it’s his submissions and ground game that have made him one of the standout submission specialists in MMA today. Penn trained in Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu when he was 17 years-old and received his purple belt under Ralph Gracie before training at Nova Uniao in Brazil under Andre Pederneiras. Penn received his black belt in BJJ in just three years, an accomplishment that takes most fighters at least a decade to achieve.

He’s a very effective fighter on the ground, controlling his opponents and landing effective shots. Part of the reason why Penn is one of the renowned specialists on the ground is due to his incredible flexibility. Once the fight hits the ground, Penn not only uses his fists to pound you but also uses his legs too; it’s as if his legs become another set of arms.

According to Sherdog.com, six of his victories have come via submission and five of those submissions have ended via rear naked choke.

The rear naked choke seems to be Penn’s preferred technique to utilize on the ground. He has used this maneuver to claim victory over some of the best fighters in the UFC including Takanori Gomi, Matt Hughes, and Kenny Florian.

Although he lost the UFC Lightweight Championship to Frankie Edgar this past year via unanimous decision, he still remains one of the top fighters in the world and is a threat from any position on the ground, whether it is unleashing a flurry of strikes or submitting his opponents.

Agility- Brock Lesnar, (4-1-0)

The 265 lb behemoth is one of the most athletically gifted guys to step in the UFC. Brock Lesnar is freakishly strong and a handful for his opponents once they square off against him.

One of the things that surprises people about Lesnar is how agile he is for his size and how well he can move with all the muscle mass he carries.

A former NCAA Division I wrestler, Lesnar’s speed catches his opponents off guard. He uses his athleticism to shoot in and explode on his opponents, and in an instant, he controls the fight.

In his debut verses Frank Mir at UFC 81 it only took him five seconds to plant Mir to the floor. The fight got taken to the ground again after Lesnar rocked Mir standing up and gracefully spun around and took his back.

Although he lost via submission, he showed his potential.

Since his loss to Frank Mir, the 32-year-old has improved to a 4-1 record and is now the UFC Heavyweight Champion. His next title defense is against fellow behemoth Shane Carwin, who matches Brock in size and power.

UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg have also been aware of Lesnar's scary athleticism. During UFC broadcasts, they compared his speed to a UFC middleweight. In an article on Bloodyelbow.com, Rogan also referred to Lesnar as “superhuman.”

Lesnar wows not only UFC fans, but professional athletes. According to a feature story on ESPN.com, the former WWE wrestler tried out for NFL team Minnesota Vikings in 2004. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds while tipping the scales at 295 lbs.

Not too bad for a guy who turned down a seven year, $45 million contract with WWE.

Chin- Dan Henderson, (25-8-0)

Dan Henderson is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time and has defeated a list of who’s-who to prove it. He has found success in both Pride FC and UFC, including holding both the Pride FC Welterweight and Middleweight titles.

Not only has Henderson earned a reputation for being one of the toughest fighters to grace a ring or octagon, but he has also earned the reputation of having an iron chin. Neither a K.O or TKO loss can be found on his professional record. And his statistics definitely add to that statement.

According to Sherdog.com, 44 percent of his victories have come by way of K.O or TKO and 52 percent have come by way of decision. Sporting a 25-8 professional record, six of those losses came via decision.

Some of his notable fights have come against fighters like Gilbert Yvel, Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

It’s interesting to note that Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, and Vitor Belfort all have incredible knockout power in their hands and neither of them were able to put Henderson to sleep while standing toe-to toe. Even the accurate and scary striking ability of Anderson Silva couldn’t dethrone the former U.S Olympic wrestler.

It is a remarkable accomplishment that only a few fighters can hold to their name. Even if they appear as an unstoppable force, it is doubtful their chins can be tested against the competition Henderson has faced in his legendary career.

Awareness- Lyoto Machida, (16-1-0)

Perhaps there is no one in MMA who’s as unique of a fighter than Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. He is one of the most elusive fighters in UFC. Much like his teammate and close friend Anderson Silva, he anticipates his opponent’s attack.

Not to mention he is also one of the hardest fighters to hit. According to a calculation on Fightmetric.com, Machida absorbs the second least amount of strikes per minute at 0.64; his teammate Anderson Silva is ranked third, clocking in at 0.74.

He is also the second most accurate striker in UFC history behind Anderson Silva, landing 65 percent of his strikes.

A good example of this is when Machida fought Rashad Evans at UFC 98.

In the second round, Evans stepped inside and was tagged with a one-two counter by Machida. The Japanese-Brazilian continued his onslaught by pressuring Evans with a flurry of punches that the champion never recovered from.

From there, Machida sent Evans to the floor with a hard-left cross and was declared the winner and new UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion.

Lyoto Machida also shows great abilities in taking down his opponents and defending them. His takedown success rate stands at 82 percent and is ranked second to Georges St-Pierre with an 81 percent take down defense rating.

This is all due in part of how aware Machida is when he fights. His karate-based style puzzles all of his opponents and makes them chase him, leaving their guard open and allowing Machida to counter. His quick footwork also confuses his opponents as he moves laterally rather than moving backwards. He is constantly a moving target and his elusiveness forces him to be aware at all times.

Cardio- Clay Guida, (26-11-0)

No doubt about it, Clay Guida is a cardio machine. He is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in UFC and he always gives 100%. He never seems to miss a step, whether he gets dropped or he’s bleeding profusely Guida keeps coming at his opponents with a relentless pace and determination to win.

Posting a 26-11 record, according to Sherdog.com, Guida has gone to a decision 12 times in his career and has won eight of them. His three round-war with lightweight contender Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Finale in 2009 won “Fight of the Night“ honors and was voted as Fight of the Year in 2009 courtesy of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The fight was memorable for its frantic pace.

In a Q&A interview with Sports.Yahoo.com, Guida recalled his intense cardio training sessions as “caveman workouts” going kayaking, riding his bike onto the track, running up sets of bleachers and hurdles, and rope climbing. Guida says he likes to mix up his cardio workouts and keep them fun.

Every time Guida enters the cage, be ready to see an exciting fight and a fighter who gives it his all.

Preperation- Greg Jackson

MMA trainer Greg Jackson is a master at formulating a game plan and works with arguably the most talented group of fighters in MMA. Some of the fighters he’s trained have either held or hold a UFC title, including Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin, and Andrei Arlovski. Jackson also won the MMA award for “Best Coach” in 2009.

If you notice in between rounds, Jackson will simply approach his fighters in a child-like manner. He’ll ask them questions, get them to repeat his words back to him, and calmly coach them. He is smart when it comes to establishing a strategy for his fighters.

In addition to training with a strong core of fighters, according to Sherdog.com, Jackson’s fighters have an 81 percent winning percentage.

Greg Jackson’s only intention is to see that his fighters progress and become better. And because of that, it isn’t hard to see why he is one of the most renowned coaches in MMA.