A quote from an internet forum;
'It has been said that real fights—true hand-to-hand combat—are tantamount to a head-on car-crash. Bodies violently collide and the energy and pressures involved are ferocious. The dominant combatant in such engagements will be the one that is able to stabilize the whirling forces of this storm and achieve dominant position, first. It is a race—a drag-race; a sprint. This is perhaps the most overlooked benefit to training MMA: The ability to take hold of the reins, so to speak, and control the energy of the fight.

If we remain reactive to the forces of our opponent (his flailing fists and feet; his feral attempts at eye-gouges and clawing; his attempts to access weapons), we stand at a distinct and dangerous disadvantage. We must stabilize the situation by controlling his body and momentum, thereby nullifying any initiative he may be gaining. Once that is accomplished, we can force our will upon him. We do this by applying a properly timed strike (afforded by the timing garnered through countless hours of sparring); and/or by controlling his movement and balance (afforded by the positional dominance hierarchies garnered through countless hours of rolling on the mat).'