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It’s rare to see a relatively experienced fighter involved in an outdoor scrap, and it’s rarer still to see two. The footage shown here captures just that, a fair fight between skilled and conditioned sportsmen. Miami has a thriving informal combat sports scene, and this is a signature example; the rules were evidently stand up striking only.

In blue we have James “Murda” Rodriquez, a veteran of MMA as well as formal bare knuckle boxing, and it’s informal cousin, seen below. In black shorts is a man with a street fighting background, called “Back Mamba”.  The bout is a lively collision of men, and styles.

What Happened

The versatility Murda brings with his kickboxing gives him the immediate edge, and he begins the fight by pressing the pace. He shows greater diversity in his strikes and is the significantly busier of the two fighters. Rodriguez spends most of the early exchanges landing at will, with an assortment of strikes ranging from kicks, jabs, combinations, and knees in the clinch, to spinning techniques, and even a superman punch for good measure.

To Black Mamba’s credit, he is tough and does a reasonably good job at avoiding taking serious damage. At one moment in the fight, it even looks like he might turn things around, when he catches a hasty kick thrown by Rodriguez. But it was all for naught, as he could not capitalize, given his comparatively sloppy technique.

Murda begins to dominate Black Mamba at an increasing rate as the fight progresses and eventually drops him with a stiff jab. The knockdown was undoubtedly aided by the accumulation of blows that Rodriguez lands throughout the fight.

Black Mamba gets back up to his feet and continues to fight, but the outcome seems inevitable; Murda begins to tee off on his beleaguered opponent. The video ends with Black Mamba wisely conceding defeat, and the two men shake hands in a show of genuine respect before they part ways.

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The Lesson

Conditioning is hugely important. There was a dramatic difference in skill level, but if Rodriguez had not been in great shape, he could well have been outlasted. But skill matters hugely – the better man won.

As is characteristic of informal bouts, the level of sportsmanship is quite high, and deserves to be commended.

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