There are some fighters that utilize standing techniques other than Muay Thai and (Kick)boxing. Lyoto Machida relies heavily on his Karate. Tim Boetsch and Anderson Silva have both successfully utilized front kicks. The Jeet-Kun-Do spinning backfist is also in most fighters' arsenal. Rampage Jackson can KO people with a front slam.
The problem with these techniques is that if they aren't performed perfectly, they leave the fighter extremely vulnerable, that's why they are so rarely used. Amateur wrestling and BJJ are the most widely practiced styles, and that for good reason: they work.
As far as a fighter coming along with a style that shakes things up, I think that has already happened time. In it's infancy (in the U.S. anyhow), the amateur wrestlers (Coleman, Kerr, etc.) were the hardest to beat. Then the Gracies came along with their style of BJJ and cleaned house on everybody. CroCop and others came into MMA and kicked ass with their kickboxing. Eddie Bravo came along at ADCC and completely dominated a Gracie with his 10th Planet JJ. Machida came along with his Karate and dominated the UFC LHW's.
Were is MMA going? That's anybody's guess. Zuffa is holding the best hand at the moment. After absorbing the WEC and buying out PRIDE and StrikeForce, they pretty much own the contracts of most of the MMA stars here in the U.S. There are so many dream matchups that are possible under the Zuffa banner, if White and the Fertittas would only allow them. The HW division seems to have the deepest talent pool. The WW and MW divisions definitely need some more fighters that are capable of challenging. The LW divivion is a total clusterf*ck, and the LHW's are headed in that direction as well.
|