Originally Posted by Kewpie Dan

with regards to the biting and eye gouging argument the problem with that is the context in which the biting and eye gouging come into play.

i have heard many people say that if they are fighting a rear naked choke they could bite or eye gouge to get out of it.

the problem with that is the biter is in an inferior position, the guy can bite or try and eye gouge, but the person with back mount could then sit back and start walloping the person in the back of the skull.

same goes with mount, and side mount.

now if you are in somebody's guard i can maybe see the bite/eye gouge working, but remember, when you are in someone's guard the person having guard has more options than you do.

while you put your head down to bite you could open yourself up for a guillotine or a triangle, and if you try to eye gouge you could get arm barred, omoplata'd, or swept.

and if you are in a superior position, why bite when you can pound the person's face into pulp?

also chi'i, not to slam you or anything, i am sure you are a good fighter if you really train full contact 3 times a week, but mma has really distilled what has worked and what does not.

i take muay thai and have started wrestling, in a muay thai context i can throw clinch knees all day and be great, but when i do mma, i have to do my clinch knees much differently or else i will be single legged and have to fight off my back.

also look at kesa gatame, or the scarf hold, or the head and arm side control. mark coleman was killing guys with it in wrestling, but when he fought maurice smith he lost because maurice kept pushing off and kneeing his kidneys until he couldn't hold him down anymore.

all of striking doesn't work, and all of wrestling doesn't work.

learn as many arts as you can before you start mma, you will find that what will work in one context will not work in another.