What is fight IQ and how can you improve it?

If you’ve ever watched an MMA event, there’s a strong likelihood that you’ll hear the term ‘fight IQ’ used by the commentators. Often, this term is casually thrown around – but what does it actually mean? Here, we shall discuss what fight IQ actually is and whether you can develop it. Or, whether it’s just a fancy term with little weight behind it.

Whether you’re a prospective fighter or someone who is just curious, this article will break down what it means to have a high fight IQ and how to implement it. If you thought MMA was for knuckleheads, prepare to be proven wrong.

What is fight IQ?

Fight IQ is a term used to explain the intelligence of a fighter whilst they’re in the heat of the fight. This term is often used to describe when a fight does something smart in terms of tactics or strategy and quickly adjusts to put themselves at an advantage. In other words, it’s the ability to think on the spot and react to the style of the fight.

An example of fight IQ could be seen with a fighter who notices that their opponent has their resting leg too far forward whilst throwing front kicks. Although this may not have been researched beforehand, the smart fighter reacts by capitalizing on this mistake. Here, they could react by sweeping the resting leg and securing a takedown. Of course, there are plenty of other examples to choose from but this shows the ability to act on the spot, whilst under pressure.

Basically, having a high fight IQ doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a particularly talented fighter either. Instead, it could mean that you’re a master strategist or tactician who uses their brains to make up for a lack of natural talent. In some rare cases such as Jon Jones, it’s also popular to be naturally talented whilst also having a high fight IQ.

Other examples of using fight IQ

Whilst most people think of fight IQ being used in the heat of the moment, it isn’t always the case. You could also argue that strategic planning, research on your opponent, and adapting to their strengths and weaknesses also showcases high fight IQ. One of the best examples of this can be seen with Georges St Pierre. Often people describe him as a smart fighter who was always well-prepared for his fights.

This isn’t too surprising, considering that his corner man was John Danaher, a BJJ black belt and master tactician. Danaher was known for developing great martial artists and also for his meticulous research. So, when GSP walked into the cage, you would know that he had a clear plan with all sorts of strategies. Obviously, this gives a fighter extra confidence, and whilst every cornerman should be like this, most aren’t.

Depending on his opponents, GSP could either rely on his Karate or takedowns and switch between the two. At times, GSP wasn’t the most exciting fighter ever but when it came to securing wins, he was one of the best. Undoubtedly, a lot of this credit goes towards himself and John Danaher for studying so much tape before entering the cage.

Michael Bisping researches Luke Rockhold

In UFC 199, Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold to win the UFC middleweight championship. Although he was the underdog and was viewed as a bit of a joker, Bisping had done some critical homework going into the fight. According to Bisping, he and his coach watched lots of footage of Rockhold to try and find potential holes in his game.

Although Rockhold was a great fighter, Bisping and his coach realized that he was often left exposed when throwing a left hook. This is how Bisping knocked out Rockhold, by countering this weakness and becoming the champion in the process. Without using his smarts, Bisping would have probably lost the fight. Although this should be the norm for a professional fighter, surprisingly a lot of fighters don’t do their research before fighting.

Can you develop a high fight IQ?

For those wondering, the term fight IQ isn’t just academic nonsense, it does actually exist. As seen with GSP and Bisping, doing your research beforehand can certainly pay off. Although it doesn’t always guarantee victory, the idea is to prepare as much as possible and gain knowledge about your opponent that can potentially be exploited during the fight.

However, this is different to fight IQ whilst the fight is happening. As viewers, we get an outsider’s perspective of fights unfolding, literally. This means we’re watching a fight in a relaxed environment, from a third person perspective. Obviously, this makes it very easy to assess a situation, even if you’ve never fought before.

Making clear, important decisions whilst dodging knockout punches is completely different though, and much harder. Still, according to some – this is something that can be developed. Remember, you don’t just become athletic or strong overnight and it takes practice, as does developing a good fight IQ.

How to get a good fight IQ

Here’s how to do it. Firstly, we should mention that some people are naturally quicker and more receptive than others. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that you should give up on developing your fight IQ. Like most good fighting habits, developing a high fight IQ starts in the gym. To do this, you should re-enact certain scenarios whilst sparring. For instance, you could spar a partner and get them to shoot takedowns on you. You may get taken down a lot, but at some point you may spot a flaw in their shots. At this point, you adjust accordingly.

Similarly, you could practice the last 30 seconds of a round whilst on the back of a training partner. Here, you’ll need to decide whether to land punches or go for a submission. Depending on the scenario and whether you’re winning or losing the pretend fight – you’ll again need to make a quick decision and adjust your style. Basically, the point is to simulate situations where you’ll need to react and adjust to certain time constraints or situational differences.

This is helped by having someone watch or film you to get a better idea of what’s going on after the spar. If you do this enough, your brain should become sharper at picking up on patterns whilst under stress. Remember though, some people are naturally bad at this compared to others.

Fighters with low fight IQs

Over the years, there have been many fighters who have been talented yet lack a fight IQ. Sadly, these people could have won titles or had significantly better records, if not for terrible decision-making inside the cage.

One example that quickly springs to mind is Justin Scoggins. Although Scoggins was once a solid UFC fighter, he never went further. In some cases, he would be winning a fight with ease, only to throw it away moments later. For instance, he could be on someone’s back and just needed to stall for the last minute but instead went for a submission, losing the position and then losing to punches. Undoubtedly, Scoggins was a talented fighter but unfortunately, his decision-making and fight IQ was notoriously bad.

Conclusion

Although a fighter’s IQ isn’t the least talked about aspect of MMA, it’s still fairly underrated. With this said, you could argue that there’s definitely room for more analysis both in the octagon and in the training room when thinking and preparing for MMA fights.

As the sport continues to develop, you would imagine that more fighters will actively seek improvements in this area, similar to how sportsmen didn’t use sports psychologists until relatively recently. The good news for prospective fighters though is that you certainly improve your fight IQ and enhance your chances of success.