MMA's Generational Shift: The Old Guard Is Out

A different developmental path

The old guard learned wrestling first, struck second. Or learned striking first, then bolted on grappling. Either way, the skill stack was sequential.

The new generation has a different baseline. They have been doing both — and the third skills, the grip-fighting, the cage-craft, the specific way to manage rounds — for as long as they have been competing. That makes their fights look smoother, even when the fights themselves are wildly chaotic.