Jump performance and field-based anaerobic capacity profiles of international standard amateur mixed martial arts athletes

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport requiring the ability to complete repeated high impulse actions for 9-25 minutes. This study reports proxy measures of lower body neuromuscular performance and anerobic capacities of tier 3 standard amateur MMA athletes for the first time. A cohort of n=9 female (age = 20.5±2.8 years) and n=12 male (age=20.8±1.6 years) participants completed squat jumps, countermovement jumps, and drop jumps to provide proxy measures of their neuromuscular performance and reactive strength. The cohort also completed the special judo fitness test (SJFT) as a proxy for their anaerobic capacity. Participant’s MMA success rates were determined using their MMA bout winning %. Relationships between physiological measures and success rates were calculated using Pearson’s r correlation coefficient (p<0.05). Both male and female jump characteristics were generally equal to athletes from other combat sports, but below athletes from non-combat sports. Males and females were found to be ‘poor/very poor’ in the majority of SJFT factors. Female success rate was found to have very large relationships to jump variables (SJ r = 0.713; CMJ r = 0.794; CMJ-AS r = 0.718; all p<0.05). Male success rate was found to have very large relationships to SJFT factors (# of throws r = 0.732; SJFT index r = - 0.648; both p<0.05). These results indicate that MMA success is dependent on different physiological factors in each sex. These results may also highlight areas for concern in MMA athlete’s physiological performance standards.

This study examines the neuromuscular performance and anaerobic capacities of amateur MMA athletes.