● The short answer
Fighters use three energy systems: the ATP-PC system for short, explosive bursts (a fast flurry), the glycolytic/anaerobic system for high-intensity efforts of up to ~1–2 minutes (sustained exchanges, producing the 'burn'), and the aerobic system for steady output and recovery between bursts. Good fight conditioning trains all three — an aerobic base to recover, plus anaerobic work to handle and repeat exchanges.
"Cardio" is too vague to be useful. Your body runs on three engines, and a fight uses all of them.
The three engines
- —ATP-PC — instant, explosive, lasts seconds. Your fast flurry.
- —Anaerobic (glycolytic) — high intensity up to a minute or two. The sustained exchange, and the burning legs that follow.
- —Aerobic — steady, endless, and the one that recovers you between bursts.
Why it matters
Train only long slow miles and your explosive top end is unprepared for a firefight. Train only sprints and you can't recover between them. Fights demand the full system.
A fight is bursts on top of a base. Build both.
The smart conditioning plan develops an aerobic base so you recover fast, and anaerobic capacity so you can spend — and repeat — the explosive efforts a fight actually requires.
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