The best fighting style, according to the Wall Street Journal.

[arnisador]

There Are Many Ways to Pulverize Someone (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203771904574179622379594030.html)


Which has proved most effective in the cage? Going by the results in the 92 fights UFC has promoted for currently active titles, it may be muay Thai, a sort of cross between Greco-Roman wrestling and kickboxing. One can also make an argument for wrestling, or for pure MMA fighters who promote unique combinations of different disciplines. Among the major styles, though, Brazilian jiu jitsu has proved least effective in title fights—bad news for Mr. Mir.

The actual article includes a chart listing styles and winning percentages.

[tellner]

The WSJ is part of a rag owned by an entertainment conglomerate that just won a court case defending its right to lie in news stories. Why in the hell would anyone take anything it says seriously?

[arnisador]

Looks like the link has expired! It used to go to three brief stories of which this was the middle one on the page, but now they've chopped it off at the first. :(

[eskrimakaliarnis.com]

Things that immediately grabbed by attention:

"...in the cage."

Muay Thai, a sort of cross between Greco-Roman wrestling and kickboxing

I stopped reading after that. They're better off sticking to IPO's and the general doom mongering about the economy.

[sjansen]

If I believed anything the WSJ had to say and not my mom, I'd be pushing back retirement just like all the others who listened to the WSJ. I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to an economic journal who gives failing economic advise. When they want to talk about self defense totally out of their area you know whatever they say, do the exact opposite.

[Carol]

Heh. They analyzed the UFC just like they analyze financials. They look at what has happened in the past and present it as what will happen now and in the future :D

[rooke]

Extending the benefit of the doubt to the article, Muay Thai can be seen as having components of Greco-Roman wrestling. The Plum has many aspects seen in classical sculptures of Greco-Roman wrestling...especially for folks who may throw some pummeling in there and may switch-up from/to double-underhooks. The Thai Clinch has sophisticated throws, and if you extend to Muay Boran, there are good locks (that .05 second prior to the actual break).

Not exactly like how >I< would describe it, but its in the ballpark so that I can say "Oh...ok... I guess so...".

Unfortunately, what the article doesn't address is that there are encouragements to making "exciting" fights, which encourages more standup.

[sukotsuto]

They're wall street journal. They don't know **** about fighting. People learn styles and they make the most out of it, mixing and matching effective techniques from each style to benefit in the ring. You see boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, BJJ, catch wrestling, greco-roman Wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo, sambo and many others being used, usually not alone but in combinations of other styles.

So yeah Fedor Emelianenko? Sambo and Judo. "Minotauro" Nogueira? BJJ and Boxing.
Cro Cop? Kickboxing and a bit of wrestling. Chuck Liddell? Kempo, Kickboxing and Wrestling. Lyoto Machida? Shotokan Karate, BJJ, and Sumo(!?)

With so much styles being pit against each other, it's no longer "which one's the best style". That's up to the fighter to use which ones from each martial art he took up will help him, and thus, it's now "which fighter's the best fighter".

So yeah finances who never gotten their hands dirty in the ring has no merit in analyzing our sweet science of fighting.

[punisher73]

If you go to "google books" and look up the old issues of Blackbelt magazine. I think they did an article that sorted out what "styles" had the highest percentage of winning. It was awhile ago so it has probably changed some, but in the article I think that "wrestling" had the highest percentage of wins (back in the high point for ground and pound)

[PG Michael B]

With the economy screwed and a bunch of shylocks running WALLSTREET..anything using that monicor is to me as reputable as Charles Manson selling life insurance...a big fat 0....F*** the WALLSTREET Journal and the three legged, sway backed horse they road in on!

[pguinto]

Maybe they could get the Ultimate Warrior tv show to work it out...lawlz