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Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov: “MMA Is 20% Striking, 80% Grappling”

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov: “MMA Is 20% Striking, 80% Grappling”

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has passed away in July 2020…
However, his wisdom still continues to educate and inspire till this day.

Having been a coach to a large number of MMA athletes (both professional competitors and hobbyists), Nurmagomedov has gained an insight into the world of mixed martial arts like scarcely anyone else has.

And, well, his opinion on grappling vs striking in MMA might take you by surprise.
Here is what he had to say on the topic in a revealing interview:

I’d say that striking is 20% of MMA – and 80% is grappling.

Because you get injured from striking, in grappling you can train harder…
In striking you have 6 special techniques – in grappling you have 116.

He went on to further elaborate his opinion:

Strikers are like marathon runners, very well prepared on the feet.

But compare the muscle groups of a striker and a grappler.
What volume of power a grappler has in one leg, a striker does not have in two legs.

And what makes a striker so quickly is a two-three (combination), so handwork, working on the jump rope.
[But] grappler doesn’t do that. Here is hard training.

Therefore, here are all different techniques, but after all – what you need most (in MMA) is grappling.
Because you have to control, grab, dig up, hold on, press to the cage…

This needs more grappling.

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