A Fight Can Change in a Minute or Less (UFC 237)

I watched the replay of Rose Namajunes vs Jessica Andrade from UFC 237. It was a shocking and certainly could be said to be an entertaining battle. It isn’t the first fight to end suddenly, as KO’s are an intrinsic part of MMA, but the fight was stunning, almost scary, and serves as a reminder that in sports, particularly MMA, the momentum can “swing” [get the pun?] in an instant.

Despite Rose’s lead on numbers of strikes (https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-237#7770), it was Jessica who tossed Rose up and then down and won the bout. It was, most likely, a momentary decision from Jessica that she would attempt that move and a split second decision from Rose that she wouldn’t change position to fall differently. Now, neither you nor I can get inside a fighter’s head to figure out exactly what he/she is thinking, but just from observing this fight, there wasn’t much time to think, adjust, or react when presented with Jessica’s grappling lift.

This fight was over quickly and luckily Rose wasn’t injured seriously. It may be tempting to debate whether throws like Jessica’s should be allowed under the rules of MMA and it likewise would be fun to predict who will take on Jessica next for the title (will Rose fight her again)?

But my main takeaway is this:

In other sports, when there’s a momentum change, let’s take tennis for instance, the players have time to adjust and reset. There’s a structure (games in a set, number of sets in a match) that dictates the framework of the sport. In MMA, there’s a framework, but it can be cut short, and because of this, momentum is important, the need to take risks is heightened, and the danger of losing focus for even a minute, perhaps even a few seconds, could cost you your belt.