This would be battle for the ages, a Navy Seal vs trained and experienced MMA fighter! Only one can win, and we will tell you our opinion on this interesting duel, and explain why we think it would go that way.
In a street fight, Navy Seal would win against experienced MMA fighter, because they are trained for exact that life or death situations.
If we were talking about a ring, we would almost for sure go with experienced MMA fighter. Both are without doubt excellent fighter, but they are the best in the surroundings they train for.
Table of contents:
Training for Navy SEALs is very rigorous, and one of the most difficult in the world. Sometimes more than 90% of candidates give up during exercises.
One SEAL spends more than a year in a formal training environment before being awarded a Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating badge and enrolled in the Navy Classification List (NEC) 5326 as a swimmer, or in the case of commissioned naval officers, receives the SEAL designation of a Special Maritime Warfare Officer.
All Navy SEALs must attend and pass Elementary “A” school, known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL). In some cases, personnel from foreign military forces that are in an allied coalition with the United States are invited to participate in BUD/S training. Every year about 1000 men start SEAL training.
Although success rates vary by class, usually about 200-250 students manage to pass each year. In BUD/S class 301 (2012), only 40 candidates were declared Navy SEALs.
- preparatory school lasting 8 weeks
- basic underwater demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) lasting 24 weeks
- parachute school lasting 3 weeks
- qualification training (SQT) lasting 26 weeks
After graduating from SQT, the trainee receives the prestigious “SEAL Trident”, after that he can be called Navy SEAL. They are then assigned to one of the SEAL teams or the SEAL team in charge of delivering vehicles whose training before implementation lasts 18 months before their first six-month task consisting of:
- special individual training
- training to work in a unit
- training for group task execution
Those enrolled Navy SEALs with a medical rating desire will embark on an advanced medical course (provided by the U.S. Army Special Forces) before joining the team and becoming SEAL physicians (Hospital Corpsman). Those who want officer positions attend junior officer training to learn about operations planning and how to make reports for teams. Overall, it takes more than 2.5 years for the full Navy SEAL to go on a mission.
Navy SEALs must be in shape, that is physically-mentally fit, sharp, mature and resilient. For those who want to become SEALs, their potential for success in the community is determined. In addition to meeting the basic requirements for enrollment and joining the Navy, interested candidates must meet strict physical and mental requirements.
To obtain a Navy SEAL contract, a candidate must pass a Physical Screening Test which requires:
| PST Event | Minimum | Competitive |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Yard Swim | 12:30 | 8 Minutes |
| Pushups | 50 | 80-100 |
| Sit-ups | 50 | 80-100 |
| Pull-ups | 10 | 15-20 |
| 1.5 Mile Timed Run | 10:30 | 9-10 Minutes |
ASVAB: learning ability
ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is used to read learning abilities. This exam contains subtests on verbal expression, arithmetic inference, mechanical comprehension, trade information, information on motor vehicles, electronics, mathematics, general science, object building.
CSORT: testing mental strength and stability
The C-SORT (Computerized-Special Operations Resilience Test), a computerized special operations resistance test, is designed to assess the mental strength of SEAL candidates. The exam includes multiple passages made to assess abilities in three areas, performance strategy, psychological stability, and personality traits.
The test for performance strategy is for things like goal setting, monologues, and emotional control. Psychological stability/resilience focuses on assessment in several other areas such as acceptance of life situations and the ability to cope with cognitive challenges and threats.
Other requirements
Participants must be 17-30 years old. Vision must be correct on 20/25. Impaired vision must be at least 20/70 in the worst eye. Color blindness is disqualifying. The candidate must be a U.S. citizen with a high school diploma, an employee of the U.S. Navy, or an immigrant with an I-551 card.
An investigation of the Level 2 security clearance (secret) by a particular organization should also be conducted, which can be a very long process that takes approximately 2 or even 18 months, depending on the legal status of the candidate. If the investigation passed without any problems, security clearance is given to the candidate, which means that he may have access to confidential information.
The student must complete the ASVAB test, general technical scores must be 107 or more, in combat operations 90, and in physical tests 98 or more.
As you can see from above, Navy SEALs training is extremely hard and rigorous, and only the toughest candidates can pass it. Also, not only do they need to be strong, fast, trained, but they also need to be smart and deadly. All of these make them the best fighters in the world in a street fight.
Just as MMA fighters, most Navy SEALs train a wide variety of martial arts. SEALs want to be able to deal with the opponent in the most effective way. Being experts in a wide array of martial arts gives them those options. Not every martial art is perfect for every situation, but the SEAL fighter has a wide variety of hand-to-hand combats styles to draw from, which makes him very dangerous in any situation, especially street fight.
Navy SEAL David Goggins
He’s the only man to ever complete U.S. Navy SEAL training, United States Air Force TACP, and U.S. Army Ranger school. Navy SEAL David Goggins held the world record for most pull-ups in 24 hours – at over 4,000. He regularly runs ultra-marathons at distances greater than 100 miles.
MMA Fighters training
Strength, speed, flexibility, and endurance are the four foundations of the MMA fighters training regime. All together they build a level of athleticism that determines fighters’ success or failure.
Their training is extremely tough, they have to be extremely fast and explosive, strong and durable, and have enough energy to fight 3 to 5 rounds (5 minutes per round). MMA fighters also have to know how to lead and calculate the fight inside the octagon – when to rest and how, go all in, or have they already made an advantage and now just need to complete the fight and so on.
All of this is something you don’t see in a street fight. Street fights can often be deadly, without calculations, and without someone to stop the fight if things don’t go as planned.
Experienced and good MMA fighter use more than one martial art, which means they are at least good in stand-up, clinch, as well as on the ground, and that makes them formidable fighters, even in a street fight.
But, MMA fighters are trained to win in the octagon and to win any way they can, while following the rules. This is what they train for, they train to win by the rules, inside closed quarters of the octagon, with the referee that will put the end on a fight if he thinks that fighters have no more chance. That is not something they will have in a street fight, and they for sure haven’t trained for such situations.
Yes, we certainly think he could. Their training does not differ much, however, Navy SEALs are ready for street fights, they are actually trained just for that, while MMA fighters are trained to fight in a closed octagon according to the rules of their organization.
Another thing to notice is that Navy SEALs have almost fanatical resistance to all sorts of dangers, including pain. SEALs endure things in training that would break almost anyone else and probably even an experienced MMA fighter.
Navy SEALs have to have the ability to endure epic pain, broken bones, all kinds of injuries, etc. In their line of work they know they will never have the luxury of “tapping out,” so, if we are looking at a real-life situation, like in a street fight, Navy SEAL would probably win over experienced MMA fighter.
But, if there are all kinds of rules and limitations to protect the fighters like if they would fight inside the octagon, then things change drastically, and in that case, I would go with the MMA fighter, but only if the Navy SEAL doesn’t train for that match, if he does, it would again be a tough call.
In the end, it all depends on both fighters, their virtues, and their determination.
