UFC Undisputed 3: Is specialization the way to become a successful fighter?

[geisterhome]

I have been wondering about this, untill now i was working to improve my skills in every area of the game like standup striking, takedown, clinch, ground game, gound and pound, submissions etc..
Now when i have been playing online i got the feeling that many guys who won against me are just particularly good in one area, often that is stand-up striking.

I mean this to some extent reflects real life but in my opinion applies even more to this game. What do you guys who are more experienced than me think?
Should I, for example focus on becoming (just) a good striker with decent takedown defense who is going for KOs, and completely neglect the ground game, clinch and whatelse there is? Just theoretically, then for sure it would take away a lot of fun from playing the game and i doubt I would be going that way anyways.

[st67]

Honestly, I think so - but not completely neglect aspects.

When they did the OS league for 2009 - I had a fighter who was all around well rounded and one who was a wrestler with big ground and pound. I lost my fights with the well rounded guy, and won them with the wrestler.

Personally, I'm a ground fighter and I stick to that. I go for takedowns and work the ground game (now - this was 2009, I really disliked 2010's online, and so far am not a fan of UFC 3's).

I learned enough of say the thai clinch to be able to avoid it or get out of it. The standup didn't involve that much, really - but I got good enough to be decent standing, to where I could mix it up at least.

But I really put the most work into the ground game and learning reversals and stalling.

I'd say find what you're really good at and enjoy and work on that the most. Then work on the other aspects enough to where you're at least competent in them and to where you're not going to fall into being completely owned in one aspect - you should at least know how to escape a precarious position so that you're not at an automatic loss when that position comes to play.

Also - if you're really weak in a specific area and it comes to that position, your opponent is going to exploit that the rest of the fight. If you can at least show you know how to get out of it or take minimal damage, they're less likely to just keep going for that one attack.

I've only played maybe 3-4 matches of UFC 3 online, but one of my opponents was weak on the ground - enough to where I could transition safely and get ground and pound on. He knew enough to at least transition out and not get totally dominated, though. His takedown defense was really good, though. He kept distance really well and I actually had a hard time getting him down - so even though I knew once I got it down I could win, I had a hard time getting it there and was inclined to not just shoot, but to try to mix it up a bit.

I think I fought that guy twice and got KO'd once because I couldn't get him in a position to get him down, and then KO'd him in the other fight when I did get him down.

So you don't have to try to be the jack of all trades, master of none - but don't completely neglect certain elements. Work them enough to where you're familiar with how they work, and can handle yourself in that position, but not necessarily be a wizard.

Definitely have a really strong suite, though. In 2009 - I worked the ground game a ton and got good enough that I could take most people down and didn't get reversed a whole lot because I really knew the system.

You're going to find someone who's just better than you at that one aspect you're really good at - it's inevitable, but hopefully you're capable enough in the other areas that you can mix it up a bit in those cases and try something else.

I can't remember for sure - but I think it was NYG_Meth or something like that. We played quite a few games and while I was always competitive, he was just better on the ground than I was and always got out of bad positions and managed to beat me. I think I KO'd him once out of luck, but that was it.

Sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

[Bacon Vortex]

Quote: Originally Posted by st67

Honestly, I think so - but not completely neglect aspects. When they did the OS league for 2009 - I had a fighter who was all around well rounded and one who was a wrestler with big ground and pound. I lost my fights with the well rounded guy, and won them with the wrestler. Personally, I'm a ground fighter and I stick to that. I go for takedowns and work the ground game (now - this was 2009, I really disliked 2010's online, and so far am not a fan of UFC 3's). I learned enough of say the thai clinch to be able to avoid it or get out of it. The standup didn't involve that much, really - but I got good enough to be decent standing, to where I could mix it up at least. But I really put the most work into the ground game and learning reversals and stalling. I'd say find what you're really good at and enjoy and work on that the most. Then work on the other aspects enough to where you're at least competent in them and to where you're not going to fall into being completely owned in one aspect - you should at least know how to escape a precarious position so that you're not at an automatic loss when that position comes to play. Also - if you're really weak in a specific area and it comes to that position, your opponent is going to exploit that the rest of the fight. If you can at least show you know how to get out of it or take minimal damage, they're less likely to just keep going for that one attack. I've only played maybe 3-4 matches of UFC 3 online, but one of my opponents was weak on the ground - enough to where I could transition safely and get ground and pound on. He knew enough to at least transition out and not get totally dominated, though. His takedown defense was really good, though. He kept distance really well and I actually had a hard time getting him down - so even though I knew once I got it down I could win, I had a hard time getting it there and was inclined to not just shoot, but to try to mix it up a bit. I think I fought that guy twice and got KO'd once because I couldn't get him in a position to get him down, and then KO'd him in the other fight when I did get him down. So you don't have to try to be the jack of all trades, master of none - but don't completely neglect certain elements. Work them enough to where you're familiar with how they work, and can handle yourself in that position, but not necessarily be a wizard. Definitely have a really strong suite, though. In 2009 - I worked the ground game a ton and got good enough that I could take most people down and didn't get reversed a whole lot because I really knew the system. You're going to find someone who's just better than you at that one aspect you're really good at - it's inevitable, but hopefully you're capable enough in the other areas that you can mix it up a bit in those cases and try something else. I can't remember for sure - but I think it was NYG_Meth or something like that. We played quite a few games and while I was always competitive, he was just better on the ground than I was and always got out of bad positions and managed to beat me. I think I KO'd him once out of luck, but that was it. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

Agreed. I try to keep people on their back. Even if I can land a couple good strikes before they get up, I find its a good strategy. Im sure its frustrating to play against me, but I am trying to win. I play on Simulation energy as well, so you have to implement some kind of game plan, and ground and pound is my strong suit. Just like in real MMA, you have one strength, and you work on other facets to get them good enough to support what you do best. Not every MMA fight is a wild brawl. Some are technical, some are boring, some are knock down, drag out. That's what makes the sport, and the game, so much fun. Great Post

[ManiacMatt1782]

You should definitely have a strength or a playstyle that suits you best, but you damn sure better have a plan b for when that doesn't work. I try to be as well rounded as I can be, But I love clinch fighting. But if things aren't going my way in the clinch, or I can't get it clinched up, I am comfortable taking the fight other places.

[geisterhome]

Quote: Originally Posted by ManiacMatt1782

You should definitely have a strength or a playstyle that suits you best, but you damn sure better have a plan b for when that doesn't work. I try to be as well rounded as I can be, But I love clinch fighting. But if things aren't going my way in the clinch, or I can't get it clinched up, I am comfortable taking the fight other places.

i think for a clinch specialist this is especially important!