Would a professional MMA fighter win at Squid Game?

If there was one surprise hit in 2021, it was the success of the Korean survival drama Squid Game. The debuted on Netflix and became a global phenomenon overnight. During the Squid Game, there’s a number of physical and mental challenges that literally put the contestants’ lives on the line. With this said, you may be wondering how a professional MMA fighter would get on in Squid Game. Obviously, they would have a physical advantage, but what about the mental aspects of the game? And also, what about their chances of winning regardless?

Before continuing, please note that this post will contain spoilers. So, if you want to know what happens in Squid Game then look away now. Remember, that this post is purely fictional too so don’t take it too seriously! If you’re still interested, read on for more information.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the red light, green light game?

The first Squid Game is red light, green light which requires stopping at the right moment to avoid getting seen by the giant doll. If she sees you, then you will be shot dead. Provided the MMA fighter wasn’t at the front of the queue or incredibly stupid, then they should comfortably survive this game with relative ease. Arguably, this game has one of the highest survival rates, and as long as you’re not one of the first few unlucky people then you would be ok. After the first initial phase of killings, then the MMA fighter would be fine.

The reason for their success in this game is down to a few reasons. Firstly, a professional MMA fighter would be incredibly athletic and quick. Therefore, they wouldn’t need to worry about time running out on the clock to make it over the line. Secondly, their reactions would be fantastic too, meaning they could stop instantly and stay still.

Imagine doing years of wrestling sprawls and boxing footwork. This would actually be ideal for surviving the red light, green light game. Of course, as Squid Game is based on numbers, and an unlucky MMA fighter was early and didn’t understand the rules then they would be shot dead relatively quickly.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the Sugar Honeycomb game?

The second game in the series is based on carving an image out of a sugar honeycomb. As you may have figured, this task doesn’t require physical attributes meaning there would be no edge during this particular challenge. If anything, being an MMA fighter could actually work against you in this setting, although the negatives are pretty negligible. Basically, professional fighters are known for being ridiculously strong, so they could easily break the honeycomb due to having such a strong grip on the cutting blade.

Furthermore, if we’re working with the cliched stereotype that MMA fighters are knuckleheads, then they may fail in the creative areas of this task. For instance, they may not figure out how to wet the honeycomb to make it much easier. Of course, this is a bad cliche and most MMA fighters are actually smart people, but still. In other words, your average MMA fighter would have no greater success at the sugar honeycomb game. Realistically by now, there’s a good chance they would die as the odds are always stacked against you in the Squid Game.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the Night Fighting game?

Arguably, this would be one of the strongest areas for a pro MMA fighter to do well at during the Squid Game. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, they would be physically stronger and athletic than literally all of the other contestants. This would mean if they got into a fist fight, then they would most certainly win provided it was fair. Secondly, due to their elite physical status, they would also command a decent team to fight with. As seen on the show, during the night fights, the weak survived whilst the physically strong survived.

Although brutal, this is Squid Game after all. One area in which a pro MMA fighter could fail during this game is if they got separated from their group. This could realistically happen during the dark, and they could get beaten by multiple attackers. Further, they could also get stabbed or have a huge, steel bed fall on them which would result in death. So, although the MMA fighter would most likely survive, the chaotic nature of this game would possibly work against them due to the randomness of the event.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the Tug Of War game?

Another area where the pro MMA fighter would excel is during the infamous tug of war game. This is where two teams face off and those that lose the game fall off the edge to their death. Like the night fights, this would possibly be the strongest game for the MMA fighter. This is because the average MMA fighter is incredibly strong. Even the smaller pros are ridiculously strong and are probably as strong as two older people or those that are severely out of shape. The result of this would make the MMA fighter an incredibly valuable asset.

Like the night fight, they would be in high demand and would be in high stock. As you could imagine, the MMA fighter could easily pick the strongest contestants and win their game with relative ease. Even if they didn’t use their strength, their athleticism and conditioning would mean they could hold the rope for an incredibly long time, proving to be another top asset. Ultimately, even if there was an opposing team with the likes of player 001 who used a clever strategy, the MMA fighter and their team would prove too strong and would result in survival.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the Marbles game?

Whilst the previous two games may have played into the hands on an MMA fighter, this game doesn’t. Like the honeycomb game, this one is based on strategy rather than physical strength. Here, you would face off against a singular opponent and play games with marbles to win survival. Those with the most marbles after 30 minutes would win.

As you can imagine, an MMA fighter would have no better chance of winning compared to a regular person during this match up. Even to get to this point and still be alive would be a pretty big deal for an MMA fighter. Nonetheless, the chance of survival at this point would be slim and due to pure mathematics, you’d do incredibly well to get passed this round. With this in mind, an MMA fighter would roughly have a 50% chance of surviving this game, provided they somehow got through the previous rounds.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the Glass Stepping Stones?

Overall, the glass stepping stones were probably the toughest game in all of the series. Here, players would have to jump on glass panels from a height. One panel would be hardened glass, whilst the other would be sugar glass. Therefore, every time you guess, you’d have a 50% chance of death. This means that the earlier contestants would have a high probability of almost certain death as there were over 10 panels to jump on. However, those at the back of the queue would be able to see the previous players’ mistakes and adjust accordingly. As a result, the players at the back would have a significantly higher chance of survival.

In this game, the likelihood is that if an MMA fighter went first, they would die. However, if they went later they may survive. In all honesty though, they’d probably have a similar chance of survival compared to an average human. Perhaps their physical attributes would give them a 10% higher chance of survival provided they were towards the back. The reason for this is they could easily make the jump, which may not be possible for very elderly contestants. Similarly, if they were at the back and time was running out (resulting in all glass panels smashing), then they could quickly jump towards the end and survive.

Basically, their physical advantages would be situational and dependent on their queue position. Regardless, most attempting this game would die and although MMA fighters are in peak physical condition, you’d still expect them to die at some point.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the knife dinner battle game?

This was one of the less notable games and like the night fight wasn’t technically a game. Nonetheless, as it caused deaths – it should still be looked into. Regarding an MMA fighter here, they would be at a significant advantage. Even though MMA doesn’t involve Kali or Eskrima, you would think that the speed and strength alone would be enough for an MMA fighter to win.

Firstly, the reality is that the other two contestants would probably avoid the MMA fighter if they were smart. Secondly, if they did try a surprise attack with a steak knife, then the MMA fighter would also be armed with the same weapon. At this point, their footwork and defensive boxing would come in useful. Also, grappling and getting grips on the hand with the blade would be vital, as would strength and conditioning. In brief, this would be one of the strongest rounds for the fighter who would have to be alert but should be ok.

How would a pro MMA fighter do in the final Squid Game?

Now, let’s imagine a pro MMA fighter gets to the end of the rounds and approaches the final Squid Game. This was based on an old Korean park game that combined grappling with physical fighting. In other words, if a pro MMA fighter got to this point then they would almost certainly win. In fact, you could argue that their chances of winning this round were close to 100% as it suits an MMA fighter perfectly.

Imagine a regular citizen trying to wrestle or out-box a pro MMA fighter. It just wouldn’t work. Therefore, they would win with relative ease and this game would be the easiest for an MMA fighter. In short, if they got to this point then they’d be almost certain to win. The only thing going against them would be if the opponent somehow had a hidden weapon. Whilst this is possible if they didn’t then the victory would go to the MMA fighter.

Closing thoughts

Looking at the above points, the reality is that a professional MMA fighter would probably be the best person equipped to win the Squid Game. Even an amateur fighter would be statistically more likely to win compared to a typical person. Having said this, the pro fighter would still have a very slim chance of winning the entire game. Overall, there are 456 contestants which means the odds are literally against you from the start and each game provides more chances of death. Not only this but the rounds which don’t involve physical strength would also mean the MMA fighter would be just like a normal person, therefore diminishing their rate of success in the process.

In conclusion, this is a good exercise in showing us that even though the MMA fighter may be a favorite, they’re still unlikely to come away victorious. Imagine a horse race with 500 horses. Statistically, one horse would be the favorite and perhaps if the race was to be simulated 5000 times, they would win the majority of the time.

However, if this race were to be done once, then the likelihood is the main horse would not be victorious, due to the sheer number of competitors and also factors such as chance and luck would go against you. This is the same for the MMA fighter, who may be a physical specimen but would still have to be incredibly lucky to win such an event.

If you’re a fan of the Squid Game series – then check out the masks here.