Low fundamental and formant frequencies predict fighting ability among male mixed martial arts fighters

Abstract

Human voice pitch is highly sexually dimorphic and eminently quantifiable, making it an ideal phenotype for studying the influence of sexual selection. In both traditional and industrial populations, lower pitch in men predicts mating success, reproductive success, and social status and shapes social perceptions, especially those related to physical formidability. Due to practical and ethical constraints however, scant evidence tests the central question of whether male voice pitch and other acoustic measures indicate actual fighting ability in humans. To address this, we examined pitch, pitch variability, and formant position of 475 mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from an elite fighting league, with each fighter’s acoustic measures assessed from multiple voice recordings extracted from audio or video interviews available online (YouTube, Google Video, podcasts), totaling 1312 voice recording samples. In four regression models each predicting a separate measure of fighting ability (win percentages, number of fights, Elo ratings, and retirement status), no acoustic measure significantly predicted fighting ability above and beyond covariates. However, after fight statistics, fight history, height, weight, and age were used to extract underlying dimensions of fighting ability via factor analysis, pitch and formant position negatively predicted “Fighting Experience” and “Size” factor scores in a multivariate regression model, explaining 3–8% of the variance. Our findings suggest that lower male pitch and formants may be valid cues of some components of fighting ability in men.

Application of Data Mining in the Analysis of Martial Arts Athlete Competition Skills and Tactics

“…Compared with domestic modern martial arts, the traditional martial arts emphasize the characteristics of attack, which is the soul of the traditional martial arts. It will lose its base if it is not attacked [1]. For a long time, the traditional martial arts are inherited by the major factions which have their own style and characteristics, whereas there are many problems in the system and practicability of modern martial arts especially in the adapted martial arts routine [2].…”

Linking voice pitch to fighting success in male amateur mixed martial arts athletes and boxers

“…and fighting success in amateur (Šebesta et al, 2019) and professional mixed martial arts fighters (Aung et al, 2021). Please note that Aung et al (2021) used an extended version of the dataset used in Goetz (2015), to which we referred to in the introduction.…”

“…and fighting success in amateur (Šebesta et al, 2019) and professional mixed martial arts fighters (Aung et al, 2021). Please note that Aung et al (2021) used an extended version of the dataset used in Goetz (2015), to which we referred to in the introduction. Importantly, though, in Aung et al (2021), F0 was significantly linked to fighting experience and size of the fighters, and, thus, some components of fighting ability.…”

“…One potential explanation for these findings is that, in contemporary mixed-martial arts and boxing fights, fighters are typically matched by weight which might limit naturally occurring variance. That is, while body size is quite decisive for outcomes of physical competitions across species (e.g., Alcock, 1996;Aung et al, 2021;French & Smith, 2005), current datasets on human physical competitions are typically limited to within-weight class competition. In conclusion, F0 might still signal formability across weight classes, and thus be a signal of components of fighting ability related to size.…”

Predicting strength from aggressive vocalizations versus speech in African bushland and urban communities

“…Indeed, a recent meta-analysis of eight published studies showed a significant but very weak inverse relationship between adult men's mean f o and their upper body strength (r = −0.07) [24]. Some investigations further suggest a potential link among strength, fighting ability and sexually dimorphic vocal characteristics, but here too the evidence is equivocal for various measures of fighting success [27], hunting reputation [28] and strength [23].…”