Is parrying strikes an underrated and underused skill in MMA?

I do not block by striking attacks away. That is just wasting a better opportunity. Instead I deflect attacks so as to both effect the attackers balance and control their arm (or leg if it is a kick). It puts me instantly in control of the attackers balance, options, and their mind. for the second they are not thinking about hurting me. They are, for that short time, distracted and thinking, "Oh crap". During that short time I'm finishing the fight, or putting the attacker in such a situation that they can't continue to fight. Trading strikes and blocking only allows the attacker to keep trying to get you. Why would anyone do something like that? That is sparring or gambling on your own survival. why not stay safe rather than spend time trading techniques. Life is not a game of sparring. If you spar rather than fight, you are betting on luck, speed, and being lucky. One mistake, or one fight against someone better will likely get you hurt. A person fighting smart can beat a person that has better physical skills.

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I'd say underused. There is a general acknowledgement among most wrestling fans that Kane is one of the best big men that WWE has ever had. Plus, it's tough to argue with his accomplishments. I mean, if you ask the average person to name some wrestlers, I'd bet you that Kane will pop into the minds of many along with other Attitude Era stalwarts like Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H. I guess that in the PG Era it's difficult to find a place. I mean, his gimmick is much more geared towards an edgier era of programming, and having a satanic giant who lights things on fire and enjoys torturing people probably doesn't sit all that well with the FCC. But I have always been a big Kane fan. Yes, he's past his prime and he's not nearly in the same physical condition that he was in ten years ago, but I still think he's one of the better wrestlers on the roster. Part of the problem is that Kane has stated that he has no desire to push himself. He's not the type of guy who's going to play backstage politics or make a power play. He's said before that he's perfectly happy putting younger talent over in the mid-cards, which is admirable. I just think that he's proven over the years that he has so much to offer, if Vince would open him up so to speak and put him back into real, main event feuds he'd be surprised.

I would suppose that 1-parrying relies too much on your speed/reflexes -and so as a safety default option an obstacle is put between the face and any incomming strikes i.e arms.

2-A longer distance guard like horizontal guard has some drawbacks as you may be grabbed/locked and have less power in punches.

3-Single punches are generally non-commital in that its not about landing the strike but causing a reaction in your opponent and 4-any commited punch is 99 times out of 100 followed by a combination so its 'risky' to focus on the first or second one alone.

I suppose it would be seen more often it it was effective against trained opponents but trained opponents have good balance.Against a random attacker attempting to land a knock-out blow=very effective but this is just imo

I think it is a little bit and stance and foot work have something to do with it at times. I do see Nick Diaz though trying to catch opponents strikes and punches or reach out slightly, intercepting them and deflecting them and probably his reach and height aids him in being able to do this.

I myself when I spar just try to deflect things a little and not let them hit me flush on sweet spots like the point of the chin or jaw and such and also rely on foot work and positioning more so. Trying to parry or block them to much causes you to reach sometimes and makes you susceptible to that second, third, and fourth shot that might be coming in combination with that first shot that you might be blocking. Diaz however seems to use this tactic a lot and it seems to work for him pretty well given his height and reach.

Yes it is, even in traditional martial arts it is. We have blocks and everybody tries to knock the punches away with the block rather than making it a combination of guiding the punch away and also maneuvering yourself around the punch. Your feet are not in concrete. I was always told like water when it hits a rock it will flow around it but close to it. It will give you a lot more counters and move you to a much more advantageous position than if you just knock the punch away and start again in a 50/50 position. Objective in a fight should always be to end in a more advantageous position than your opponent.

I also tend to agree with LIONDANCER here. I think much more could be done with this, again in agreement this includes the TMAs as well. On the other hand, it is kind of technical, and quite hindered by the gloves. Still, there is much to be learned from study of parry and trap techniques.