User blog comment:Killermoves/A Challenge To Single Combat: Nai Khanomtom vs Daniel Mendoza/@comment-3189283-20200130115048

Let’s see shall we

Punching

Well yeah, this one is pretty obvious going to go to the boxer. Boxing is one of the few martial arts that almost exclusively uses the arms and so naturally Daniel is going to come off the better in a straight punchout.

Edge: Daniel Mendoza

Kicking

Much like the last edge this one obviously goes to the guy who primarily uses kicking in his combat style, in this case Nai. Except in this case it’s an even bigger advantage because the type of kicking Daniel is going to be doing is fairly simple and even more limited than the punching Nai would be doing.

Edge: Nai Khanomtom

Grappling Nai would appear to only really use one type of grappling, the Double Hand Plum and while if he pulls it off, it gives him free rein to do as much damage as he wants the likelihood of him pulling it off is slim. This is because Daniel is used to defending against punches and grapples as that is the primary way of doing damage in Boxing so he’ll be ready to defend against any attempts to grab the back of his head. Daniel himself has a much wider variety of grappling moves to pull from and the Cross-Buttock Throw gives him a way to directly counter any holds Nai tries, including the Double-Hand Plum. Where Nai does have an advantage is that he can try and drag Daniel to the ground by going for his legs and put him in a situation he wouldn’t be used to. However again this requires him to actually get the grab in and Daniel has the tools to defend against that.

Edge: Daniel Mendoza

Guard

Now in a general sense, neither of these guards are suited to the others fighting style. Muay Guard is focused largely on defending against kicks and limited punching and grappling but as Daniel won’t be focusing on kicks and his punching style is much more complex than what Nai is expecting it’ll fall short. The traditional Boxing Stance is meant to defend against punching and grappling but not such much against kicking, sure it could help defend against kicks but not against a primarily kicking style, especially any kicks which target the lower body. Neither stance is bad per say, just not suited to a fight against a different style. However, the actual stance itself is only part of it and each of these guys had their own personal strategy as well. Nai is focused almost entirely on power, absorbing whatever blows his opponent throws at him and trying to end the fight with a powerful kick. Daniel has gone for the complete opposite strategy, using the ducking and weaving strategy to avoid taking blows. And honestly that really seems like the better option. The Muay Guard is already weak against the Boxing fighting style and relying on absorbing damage rather than avoiding it is only going to emphasis that disadvantage. Conversely by taking a more passive approach and trying to dodge around and tire out your opponent it puts less emphasis on the actual guard itself as a defensive tool, which is handy when your guard isn’t all that good at dealing with your opponent’s fighting style.

Edge: Daniel Mendoza

Equipment

Interesting that both these guys opted to try and cover their weak area rather than trying to strengthen the area they already dominated in. The Hemp Wraps give Nai a better punching and grappling game but in those areas, he’s going to struggle against Daniel even with the advantages the wraps give. The Steel-Toed Boots give Daniel better striking power with his feet but he’s not likely to use kicking all that often especially against a guy whose used to countering them like Nak. While the intent was admirable it would only really help them if they were fighting against someone in the style they are specialised in, not so much against someone with a different style.

Edge: Even

Final Verdict

While on the surface this is a battle between two highly skilled martial artists the real debate here is which is the better fighting style; Boxing or Muay Boran. Now the answer to that is a bit of a cop out; neither is better. Muay Boran is better if you want to focus on kicking, Boxing is better if you want to focus on punching. However, in a direct comparison of the two in a fight I have to give the edge to Boxing. Mostly this is because the Muay Boran Guard isn’t really very effective against punching or grappling because, well, punching and grappling wasn’t a big part of the fighting style. Granted a Boxing stance has this problem against kicking but with the focus on absorbing blows that Muay Boran has it highlights the weakness more whereas with Boxing you can use evasion tactics to minimise the amount of direct defending from kicks you have to do.

So, I would say that generally a Boxer would beat a Muay Boran fighter but on top of that Daniel has a few more advantages. For one, he’s actually fought more frequently in his chosen style, yes Nai was a soldier but he wouldn’t have been breaking out the Muay Boran in a battlefield unless he really had to. There is only really one recorded instance of him actually using Muay Boran and that was in his 10 man bout, which is impressive no doubt but nothing on the 37 recorded fights Daniel had under his belt. The second advantage he has is that there was more evidence of an intelligent tactical fighting style which he could adapt to different types of opponents. I’m not saying Nai was stupid by any means but his fighting style seems to be the same for whoever he’s fighting which doesn’t leave much room for improvisation, which he’s going to need against a style he’s not used to coming up against. Now this isn’t to say that Nai has no chance quite the contrary; if he can manage to land one of his powerful strikes, he could end the battle in a single blow. And Daniel is going to have trouble defending against a largely kicking style with a defence based around stopping punches. But I feel Daniel has the better staying power and the longer the battle goes on the better chance he has as his style allows him to go the distance whereas Kai’s style is based around ending the battle as quickly as possible.

Daniel Mendoza: 3,000

Nai Khanomtom: 2,000