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Chin (combat sports)

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In combat sports such as boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts, a fighter's chin is the ability to tolerate physical trauma to the head, in the form of concussive or sub-concussive blows, without being knocked unconscious or severely disoriented.

Overview

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A fighter is known to have a "strong chin" if they have the ability to absorb blows to the head without being struck unconscious or visually impacted by the blow through a loss of control. These fighters are commonly referred to as having a "granite chin", an "iron chin", or similar. Generally, the jaw portion of the skull, and specifically the point of the chin, is the area most vulnerable to a knock-out blow and therefore having an exceptional tolerance to punishment in this area is a great advantage to a fighter.

Fighters are said to have a "weaker chin" if they exhibit limited ability to absorb punishment to the head before they are severely impacted. Some boxing experts, such as Teddy Atlas, believe it to be a mindset.

The "chin" of a fighter is widely considered genetic, but is generally agreed to be affected by the amount of blows the fighter takes throughout their career. Many athletes formerly known to possess a 'good chin' have been known to develop a reliance on this attribute, and this reliance eventually leads to them taking additional concussive blows, which can damage them long-term. The cumulative damage to the brain affects its ability to recover from trauma, weakening the person’s ability to take a punch in the long-run.

Certain factors are speculated to be the size and shape of the skull, strength of the neck as well as overall strength and weight. Other factors could be less visible, such as the brain being more efficient at replenishing the electrolyte balance after trauma, or more cerebrospinal fluid to protect the brain.

Many analysts have observed that the ability of a fighter to absorb blows to the head without loss of consciousness can be affected by the process of weight cutting. Combat sport athletes are known to dehydrate themselves at weigh-ins in order to make their optimal weight class class for competition. Weigh-ins for competitors usually take place the day before competition meaning that the athletes may not be fully hydrated by the time of their contest. This can reduce the amount of fluid surrounding the brain, exacerbating the damage caused by blows to the head. [1]

Notable chins

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Athletes well regarded by pundits and fans for possessing a strong "chin" are listed below:

Boxing

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Kickboxing

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Mixed martial arts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Concussion worse after MMA and boxing weight cuts | University of Essex". www.essex.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  2. ^ a b "The Fight City - An independent boxing websiteThe Fight City". Bestboxingblog.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  3. ^ a b c "Top ten chins in heavyweight history". Livefight.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  4. ^ "Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez ends in a split draw". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  5. ^ a b c Houston, Graham (2008-01-08). "The Ten Best Chins in Boxing History". ESPN. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  6. ^ "Best I've Faced: Nigel Benn - Ring TV". Ringtv.craveonline.com. 2013-08-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  7. ^ "Jake LaMotta". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 28 October 2023. AT THE RING MAGAZINE'S gala 75th Anniversary Dinner, Jake LaMotta was recognized as having the best chin in boxing over the last 75 years.
  8. ^ "Respecting the great Larry Holmes". boxing247.com. 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  9. ^ a b c d "Heavyweight Kickboxing Hardest Heads". Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  10. ^ "LiverKick". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  11. ^ "UFC on ESPN 44 pre-event facts: Will Arnold Allen crack Max Holloway's historic chin?". MMAJunkie. April 13, 2023.
  12. ^ "5 fighters with the strongest chins in recent UFC history". sportskeeda. April 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Marvin Vettori overcomes a massive Paulo Costa who blamed an injury for weight issue". Yahoo Sports. 23 October 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Dustin Filloy (2014-09-14). "Ranking the 7 best (and worst) chins in MMA history". [Bleacher Report].
  15. ^ a b c d "UFC Power Rankings: Nick Diaz and the Top 5 Chins Right Now". Bleacher Report. 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  16. ^ http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/features/viewarticle.php?id=4928. Retrieved June 12, 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link‍]
  17. ^ "UFC 131 Results: Shane Carwin's Face after Junior dos Santos Bloodied It". Bleacher Report. 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  18. ^ Dustin Filloy (2014-09-17). "Ranking the 7 Best (and Worst) Chins in MMA History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  19. ^ Mike Henken (2016-03-21). "Iron Chins: The 10 Toughest Fighters in the UFC". LowKickMMA. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  20. ^ "Why Frankie Edgar Is the Toughest Fighter in MMA Today". Bleacher Report. 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  21. ^ "5 Reasons Why Fedor Emelianenko Could Beat Dan Henderson | MMA News". Fighters.com. 2014-06-20. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  22. ^ "Justin Gaethje Wasn't Stunned at Tony Ferguson's Chin, Doesn't Understand Recent Knockouts". 28 May 2020.
  23. ^ Lima, Orlando (2011-08-26). "Don Frye vs Tank Abbott - The 50 Best Submissions in the History of MMA". Complex.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  24. ^ Diggin’ Deep on UFC Vegas 34: Can Cannonier crack the chin of Gastelum? Dayne Fox, Bloody Elbow (August 20, 2021)
  25. ^ Liam Ward (2011-03-06). "Strikeforce Columbus: Dan Henderson and the Top 10 Chins in MMA Today". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  26. ^ "Mark Hunt". Best MMA Fighters. Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  27. ^ "Mark Hunt Recalls the Several Times He has Seen the Grim Reaper". bjpenn.com. 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  28. ^ Darren Wong (2010-03-02). "The Top 10 Threats To Fedor Emelianenko (and 12 Non-Threats)". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  29. ^ "Dana White picks his ultimate UFC fighter". sportbible.com. 28 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Experts debate: How dangerous is Dominick Reyes for Jon Jones?". espn.in. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  31. ^ "Dominick Reyes Gives Huge Compliment to Jon Jones After Five Round Battle at UFC 247". 11 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Ten greatest light heavyweight fighters in MMA history: Jon Jones tops the list, but who's No. 2?".
  33. ^ Dustin Filloy (2014-09-17). "Ranking the 7 Best (and Worst) Chins in MMA History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  34. ^ "Joe Rogan on Yoel Romero: "The man is made out of some other worldly material"". 18 August 2019.
  35. ^ Seekins, Briggs (2014-06-13). "Ranking the 10 Best Chins in Boxing Today". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  36. ^ "Insane stat shows Robbie Lawler's insane ability to absorb damage". sportsjoe.ie. 3 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Marlon Vera and 4 other active UFC fighters with the best chin". 28 March 2024.
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