# Are some fighters legs too skinny?



## tomjones (Mar 18, 2007)

Anderson Silva and Jon Jones are two fighters that come to mind. Jon Jones in particular does have extremely skinny legs for his size. Obviously they come in handy for making weight in a lighter weight division. But silvas freak injury honestly looked like the result of having legs which were too skinny. I remember Tito Ortiz saying that his skinny legs was how he could make the LHW division. These are three of the more famous fighters obviously but does this make fighters prone to injuries or are skinny legs part of the mold of a great fighter. Imo Jon Jones looks like a heavyweight with extremely skinny legs that toys around with LHW fighters until he fought Gus who looks like a skinny heavyweight. People in the past said that Tito Ortiz was a weight cutting heavyweight but many of the modern LHW's are a lot bigger that Tito and tall and super skinny weight cutters seems the norm.


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## AmdM (Apr 13, 2010)

I was thinking that watching the Patolino fight and also everytime i see Jon Jones fight!


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## John8204 (May 13, 2010)

Yep...
Jose Aldo - constant leg injuries
Travis Browne - popped his hamstring
Dominic Cruz - out two years
Cyrile Diabate - had to stop his fight
Corey Hill - horrific injury
Jon Jones - has to be carried out after almost every fight
Anderson Silva - horrific injury

I think it's weight cutting, until a Cole Miller or George Roop actually loses a leg to a compound fracture we're just gonna keep seeing it because their is such a huge advantage to fighting one weight class below.


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## Killz (Oct 5, 2009)

I was thinking just this... Especially when I was watching the Michael Johnson fight. That dude most definitely skips leg day.


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

Killz said:


> I was thinking just this... Especially when I was watching the Michael Johnson fight. That dude most definitely skips leg day.


******* everybody does, I'm recovering from major knee surgery and I still squat and dead more than 97% of people at my gym.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

There's a ton of pros and cons. A lot of the weight comes from the thighs and quads. Evidently that's where the power of punches and kicks come in. Anderson just has pure technique. 

Most superstar athletes have lean legs. There was a time in my life where I trained my vertical and I realized genes play a role. Arch of the foot, longer legs/calf means longer tendons which translates usually to more athleticism. Look at the b-ball players. Most MMA fighters are not extraordinary athletic although some are. Look at Roy, Matt Serra, Barnett, Pat, etc. Most are trained to become it vs born genetically gifted like the LHW title holder. His entire family are pro athletes. 

I've seen people with skinny legs that can kick you and break you in half. The sound they make when they hit the shield pads is DEAFENING. Faster velocity. Jon Danaher and I suppose Ray were the evil geniuses behind the mishap. The breakage is a possibility (not planned), but it was definitely aimed to maim + deflect future leg attacks.

Then you have leg locks. I always said that the LHW title holder or anyone with lean legs should be very susceptible to leg submissions.

This is the beauty of the sport. There's PROS and CONS to every size. Think Stefan Struve has the advantage. Well, he should if he was like the Klitchkos. Hunt disproved the notion by getting on in the inside and breaking his jaw. Pat Barry has wicked leg kicks, but he's slow carrying all that weight around. Fighters with lean legs may be susceptible to injuries, but they have a higher velocity in kicks. Which does more damage. A foot long baton or a baseball bat.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

I instantly thought of Jon Jones, Anderson and Corey Hill. It's the fighters who are very tall for their weight class so they can't afford putting on that extra weight. Muscle helps to absorb strain to the bone so a little training would help. Not sure if it makes any difference when slamming your shin into another man's shin but it's usually the thin legged fighters that are subject to these freak injuries.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

Does this man...

(red shorts)










Have skinny legs?










Seems like it can happen just about anyone.


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## SideWays222 (Sep 9, 2008)

I dont know what the ratio is of skinny people to medium people to heavy people is when it comes to breaking a leg when kicking or being kicked.

I was thinking about that while at work today.

Is the body type of Anderson Silva, Jon Jones which many consider the perfect body type for MMA susceptible to leg breaks whether when kicking or being kicked?? 

I really dont know... would be nice to see a doctor talk about this.


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## Killz (Oct 5, 2009)

Yeah, you'd imagine that guys with bigger legs what be less likely to brake them due to a larger amount of supporting muscle and tissue but then at the same time, a checked kick is a direct shin to shin contact so would it make much difference?

I wouldn't like to say.


It's worth noting that the perfect build for Muay Thai is long and slim, ergo, the Jon jones/Anderson silva build.


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## SideWays222 (Sep 9, 2008)

Killz said:


> Yeah, you'd imagine that guys with bigger legs what be less likely to brake them due to a larger amount of supporting muscle and tissue but then at the same time, a checked kick is a direct shin to shin contact so would it make much difference?
> 
> I wouldn't like to say.
> 
> ...


yeah that is what i was thinking myself. It isnt like the muscle/fat is in the front of the shin to absorb the impact. There does not seem to be much between your skin and your shin bone. I mean i guess i could see the "Force" being dispersed through a thicker leg better and thus reducing the impact at the main contact point... or some mumbo jumbo like that haha :confused02: but i have no clue one way or the other. Would be a good question for someone who specializes in that field. Quiet frankly im not sure who the best person (Professional field) would be to ask. I dont think just any doctor would know the answer.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

There were two big factors in that breaking:

Fistly Silva's vicious kicking technique. His kicks usually don't look that hard, often even rather playful, but several of his opponents have stated that they have never been kicked as hard as by Silva. He has mastered his kicking technique so well that he brings so much power in his kicks. The more power in his kicks, the more force also applies to his leg when the force can not be properly transfered to the target (usually the muscles on the opponent's thigh)

The second factor was Weidman's "perfect" checking of the kick. He checked with the upper part of his tibia, close to his knee where the bone is the thickest and due to the closeness to the joint (knee) the lower leg would not give in like a spring, but would just stay there like an irresistable object. Silva hit it with the lower middle part of his tibia where the bone is the thinnest.


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

Killz said:


> Yeah, you'd imagine that guys with bigger legs what be less likely to brake them due to a larger amount of supporting muscle and tissue but then at the same time, a checked kick is a direct shin to shin contact so would it make much difference?
> 
> I wouldn't like to say.
> 
> ...


Yeah it is doubtful that your average nonheavyweight could put on enough muscle on the shin to make any kind of difference. It isn't a likely enough outcome to change your body to prevent it anyways.


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## SideWays222 (Sep 9, 2008)

One thing that could be a factor is if the skinny people are getting enough nutrition. It could effect the strength of the bones. To what degree i dont know.


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