MMA - How to End a Fight Quickly

In this article I am going to look at how to end a fight quickly, particularly an MMA fight. Whether we are competing in the cage or ring or defending ourselves in a real street fight situation the faster we can finish the fight the better.

1) The most important aspect of winning any confrontation is to stay focused and relaxed during the set up stages. Develop an attitude of performing your very best game, not of beating your opponent. You must work on the things that you can control in the fight, not on those things that are out of your control. Thus work on your game and produce the very best example of it.

2) Train and drill the techniques in your MMA game. The footwork, strikes, takedowns, ground control game and the finishes must be second nature. You must drill the techniques so that they happen automatically when the opportunity arises.

3) Attack your opponent's weaknesses and work your strengths. You want to get your opponent off his/her game plan and maintain yours. When the opponent is forced into a fight, that they are not strong in, they make more mistakes and get frustrated and hurt which, in turn, forces them to make more mistakes. By staying calm and sticking to your game plan you will easily end the fight quickly.

4) When developing your MMA fight game concentrate on developing your fundamental techniques to a high level of ability. Then work on dealing with problems when trying to execute them. That is, work on the delivery and execution of a solid core of fundamental techniques.

5) Train evasion and counters so that they are second nature; "Make him miss and make him pay".

6) In your standup, train your footwork to get you in quick so that you beat the opponent to the punch or takedown and either knock him out or bring him down for a quick finish. Most fightys are won or lost in the initial setup, "bridging the gap" phase.

7) In striking, train the straight right, left hook combination as this is a powerful standup knock out combination.

8) Work the knees to the head. This is a very powerful strike that will end a fight quickly if executed at the right time. When holding the head get to the side and/or keep the opponent off balance by changing angles and pulling him/her as you smash the knees in.

9) On the ground, when you get mount or side control, train punching effectively. A very good strategy is to punch in bunches, that is, rather than just pour on the punches take your time to pick the shots and create openings for the next punch. Change the rhythm of your punches and take short rests in between bursts so that you don't burn your arms out.

10) On the ground train getting to the back from every position. This is a very dangerous position for the opponent and difficult to defend. When working the back you can strike effectively, return to the mount if the opponent manages to start getting out and of course you have the back choke, one of the most prolific and effective finishes in MMA. Therefore getting the back should be drilled relentlessly as it is one of the fastest ways to end any fight.

If you start to implement these ideas and ways of thinking into your MMA game you will begin to realize how to end a fight quickly and develop the confidence to take on any opponent, keep in mind that a major factor in learning how to end a fight quickly is in the setups and mind-set.