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

The influence of aerobic variables on mixed martial arts (MMA) performance are 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±8.2kg; stature = 176.8±7.9cm) completed: a treadmill graded exercise test to measure VO2max, VT1 and VT2; 3x5mins sparring bout equipped with a Catapult Optimeye S5 accelerometer recording Playerload (PLdACC) and Playerload per minute (PLdACC∙min-1), with sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) recorded as internal intensity. Median VO2max (53.3ml∙kg∙min-1) was used to split the cohort into top 50% and bottom 50%. Pearson’s r correlations (BF10≥3) were calculated between GXT and sparring variables. VO2max (53.1±5.9ml∙kg∙min-1) was found to have very large (r≥.70) linear relationships with PLdACC (161.4±27.2 AU) and PLdACC∙min-1 (10.7±1.8AU). Top 50% group maintained moderate sRPE (4-6AU) and greater PLdACC∙min-1 throughout the bout, with bottom 50% group’s sRPE moving from moderate to high (>7AU) indicating VO2max<53ml∙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.