The influence of aerobic capacity on the loads and intensities of mixed martial arts sparring bouts.

Abstract

The influence of aerobic variables on mixed martial arts (MMA) performance is currently unknown. This study aimed to compare the laboratory-measured aerobic variables of MMA participants to the external load and intensity of MMA sparring bouts to determine the effect of aerobic capacity on performance. Ten participants (age = 24 ± 2.8 years; mass = 74.3 ± 8.2 kg; stature = 176.8 ± 7.9 cm) completed the following: a treadmill-graded exercise test to measure V̇O₂max, VT₁ and VT₂; 3 × 5 mins sparring bout equipped with a Catapult Optimeye S5 accelerometer recording Playerload (PLd_ACC) and Playerload per minute (PLd_ACC∙min^-1), with a sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) recorded as internal intensity. Median V̇O₂max (53.3 ml∙kg∙min^-1) was used to split the cohort into the top 50% and bottom 50%. Pearson's r correlations (BF₁₀ ≥ 3) were calculated between GXT and sparring variables. V̇O₂max (53.1 ± 5.9 ml∙kg∙min^-1) was found to have very large (r ≥ .70) linear relationships with PLd_ACC (161.4 ± 27.2 AU) and PLd_ACC∙min^-1 (10.7 ± 1.8AU). The top 50% group maintained moderate sRPE (4-6AU) and greater PLd_ACC∙min^-1 throughout the bout, with the bottom 50% group's sRPE moving from moderate to high (>7AU) indicating V̇O₂max <53 ml∙kg∙min^-1 is related to increased internal intensity. These data support the aerobic nature of MMA and may provide aerobic capacity targets for athletes and coaches to aim for during competition preparation.