In a close fight dictated by range and back and forth shifts in momentum what matters most is who controls the narrative. The narrative is found by obvious recurring themes. In this fight Jose's teeps, jab, wall defense, as well as opportunistic takedowns out shined Steven's takedown attempts and consistent left straight. What could have made this an even more dominant victory would have been a more timely use of the overhand left paired with a left cross. Jose's jab late in the fight would h...
2024-10-17 03:03:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
The story of this fight was teeps and leg kicks. A couple tweaks in stance and positioning and the whole fight looks different. After one fight in Yesenia looked comfortable and is starting to find an identity. That identity is of a pressure fighter willing to push the pace and put their nose in the pocket. This is good to know and now that we know this it has to be coupled with a good understanding of how to safely enter the boxing range. Checking kicks from the outside is a must in order to...
2024-10-16 22:23:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Quick takeaways from these two matches. Elbow discipline is key! Always strive to keep your elbows close to your body. Second key take away, get off your knees to pass guard and make sure you stuff your opponents knee to establish half guard or side mount. After that I think establishing an identity of what kind of grappler you are is important. A top pressure passing player needs to develop good guard passing skills. learning to fight the legs from a standing position in order to go through ...
2024-10-16 21:05:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Belal showed good cage craft in the form of cutting the cage and making it small as well as efficiently setting up shots while taking no damage. A familiar theme starts to emerge as this classic striker vs grappler match up unfolds. Kneeling against the wall becomes an obvious turning point on the wall. If the defender isn't able to get to his feet the other winds up on the back with a figure 4. Neither fighter had any luck efficiently escaping the figure 4.
2024-10-03 02:08:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fundamentals always. Keeping your base and breaking your opponents base is the name of the game. Biggest area for improvement would be lateral movement while in position. This will be huge for future development as the ufc has more disciplined strikers with better takedown defense. Richie also should he was susceptible to pull counters on his shift so another area for improvement is layering his entries into his shots. A balanced and technical approach in his stand up will set up his shots e...
2024-09-27 04:09:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
This is an example of better wall defense but still showcases missing layers that would improve escape time.
2024-09-24 03:06:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Basically what not to do on the wall vs a competent wall grappler.
2024-09-24 02:08:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Major takaways; finding direction and purpose with striking and wall defense will go a long ways, on your feet we have to not load up on every strike and set traps that will allow us to throw the kill shot, on the wall prioritize hand fighting and not allowing your opponent to connect their hands, lastly on the wall create funnels. Not every punch has to be a knock out shot, sometimes the subtler the punch the more effective it is to set up your opponent. Haydyn gets predictable by planting h...
2024-09-19 03:19:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Quick takeaways from this one; switch it up so counters aren't getting through, have multiple lines of defense in place in case one falls through, and work off whatever is working. Brielle gets countered multiple times over the top of her lead hand wether its a jab or hook with an overhand right. She adjusted in the second and third round by feinting the jab and throwing the cross in stead. When the counter did get through she got backed into the wall with all her defenses out of position, Br...
2024-09-19 01:29:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
In this training footage we see more examples of how to deal with a power half while your opponent has a hook in while the far hip is trapped and how to successfully use double unders to deal with the quad pod. These recurring themes resemble much of the kind of grappling that is currently happening in the cage thanks to the influence of Khabib and all the Dagestani wrestlers.
2024-09-05 02:57:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
High Level grappling is a high stakes cat and mouse game so figuring out recurring themes and capitalizing on them becomes the most important aspect of the match. In this match up Bodoni is able to make adjustments in the second half of the match after Jay Rod has an impressive opening half. Bodoni is able to capitalize on a couple positions; Back mount, the Iranian, and bottom guard dealing with Jay Rod's under hook pass. What was impressive about this match up was how much success Jay had e...
2024-09-05 02:14:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
More of the same for Nicky Rod. Nicky likes to hold on and attack with the body lock. Some times it seems that there is an over dependence on it almost leading to a switch and some other sweeps. Nicky's guard passing is very fundamental its his choice to attack the back with double unders and roll through to put in his body triangle that was interesting. Would this work vs another strong wrestler or top oriented grappler?
2024-09-04 19:12:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
We see a couple recurring themes in this one and that's how Kade deals with the body lock and how Andrew deals with Kade's whizzer. This is an area that will develop further in bjj and mma since wrestling is starting to have a bigger influence in both martial arts. Early on Kade tends to rush his whizzer throw and gets his back taken. What Tackett does a good job of in attacking his body lock is one of 2 things; he either has his hips in occupying inside position, or he punches a modified und...
2024-09-04 18:23:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Maycon likes to retreat in a straight line and struggles finding his range once pressured onto the wall. He relies on a rear uppercut and sometimes knee to alleviate or meet the pressure. Pressing him to the warning tracks and being patient on the shot entry will be huge to limiting any potential damage. Once on the wall he relies heavily on his overhook/whizzer. He feeds his hip hard as he pulls up on the overhook. that being his primary line of defense indicates he does not feel comfortable...
2024-08-15 02:25:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
A kick heavy striker that doesn't fight well going back. Pressure and good kick defense will be key to staying safe and entering into a clean shot. Cross checking is an easy defense that will allow you to deal with most kicks from an open stance. Check out the Petrosyan breakdowns to see how it should be used.
2024-08-12 21:48:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Biggest takeaways are, hand fight harder, be disciplined with your elbows, and stuff the knee into half guard. Even though the girl is a little bigger I'd love to see you push the pace and wear her out on your feet as you set up your shot. Be very aware of your elbow positioning as she's constantly looking for a kimura. Lastly, don't hold on to the crossface if she's framing off your hip line trying to get her knee in. Instead stand up and stuff the knee. If you can do those things then you c...
2024-07-30 02:22:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ring Craft is the systemic application of lateral movement, feints, frames, and punching (emphasis on the jab). Ring Craft can also be thought of in terms of 'layers' or 'systems' of discipline meaning knowing is not enough you have to be disciplined in your training by putting TIME IN on those systems. In this match up Bernard displays good fight iq and Ring Craft by 'GIVING DIFFERENT LOOKS' any time Felix gets on the 'mark'. He also 'LULLS' Felix to sleep while cooking him so that by the e...
2024-07-28 22:45:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
In an impressive debut things that stand out were Bri’s composure, movement, and combos. The lateral movement and stop and go with combinations was executed well. Things that would make it even better would be discipline with head positioning, being comfortable standing still and playing defense, and staying in position/stance longer in order to capitalize on counters. In the grappling department, although a hip toss worked early stay disciplined by not reaching for the head and giving up y...
2024-07-23 04:05:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Huge improvements were made from the first breakdown to this one. Overall incredible growth with 2 key areas to work on. First, hand fighting and stance matainence. The way you move on your feet reflects the discipline you’ve put in to it. Building the routine of just a couple rounds of stance in motion after a hard practice will help build stronger habits and cleaner footwork as well as build the stamina to hand fight harder. Second big take away, force the halfguard by stuffing the knee. ...
2024-07-22 21:41:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Another breakdown on Gordon Ryan's top half guard. More of the same here, affirming what we've learned in previous breakdowns. The biggest take away in this one is how obvious Gordon makes it look in this match on what his top half guard strategy is. Basically its this, lean on the knee shield and stuff the knee until you can get better knee to hip position.
2024-07-09 01:33:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
This fight will eventually be broken down into a Ring Craft Master Class collection that I'll add to the page. Hopkin's lateral movement, feints, the use of his jab, and his fight iq help him dismantle the legendary Felix Trinidad. Ring Craft and Fight IQ allowed Hopkin's to deal with and counter Felix's 'track stance'. This led to Felix getting overwhelmed and out classed by the older but craftier fighter. Good fighters counter punches but great fighters counter and attack positions.
2024-07-09 00:01:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jay Rod combines the sprawl escape and the knee pummel escape regain top position vs a world class opponent in Tainan Dalpra.
2024-07-08 22:17:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Andre Ward’s ring craft leads to a devastating 21 combo. Jousting for lead hand position to set up his jab frustrates and discourages Dawson. Ward also sets up this 21 combo by investing in an early right hand to the body. By the time this combo lands Dawson is unable to find his range or catch on to Ward’s timing. Ward switches up his timing and attacks so well that he’s able to land a jab and cross to the body consistently through out the opening rounds. He switches up once again this...
2024-07-08 18:14:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
The deciding factor in this one is fight iq or ring craft. Andre systematically picks apart and dispatches a world class opponent in Chad Dawson. Ward draws Dawson into a lead hand battle which eventually leads Dawson into getting overwhelmed and out classed as the fight progresses.
2024-07-08 04:50:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Switching things up is the trap!
2024-06-20 19:48:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fundamentals are the foundation for Bivol's success. Solid footwork, great jab, and amazing ring awareness all attribute to a flawless victory over Canelo.
2024-06-20 19:16:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
In rounds 5-8 Bivol begins to overwhelm Canelo landing extended combinations while not allowing Canelo to get off. By switching up how he uses his lead hand Bivol is able to keep Canelo guessing and always a step behind. Canelo's elite counter punching is nulified by Bivols elite jab and educated rear hand. This leaves little openings for Canelo to find the left hook to the body and the counter overhand right. This wouldn't be possible without Bivol's constant and disciplined footwork compare...
2024-06-20 17:32:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
Bivol's footwork and jab give Canelo a lot of problems. Bivol sets traps with his lead hand by switching up the tempo on his jab, manipulating the guard, and jabbing the body and head. Bivol's best punch is his step back jab which he seems to land by pulling Canelo into it with a step back. This leads to the most fundamental of all combos the 1-2-1 which is Bivol's base combo that sets up other punches off the same package.
2024-06-20 02:39:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Mayweather dictates the pace of this fight by fighting on the out side in what I'll call an athletic jousting stance. This makes him a small target since he's so bladed in his stance. From there Floyd focus on landing a jab to the body and playing a defensive minded game where he can go into a philly shell and pick off shots then counter. Canelo has a hard time dealing with Mayweather's defense (no surprise there). Biggest takeaway is the small steps Mayweather takes in this 'jousting stance'...
2024-06-13 02:21:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ring Craft, Shot Selection, and Head Slots (inside/outside) are all on full display by GGG in this fight especially in the first 2 rounds. Don't get caught staring stick your nose into the pocket while staying ready defensively while making your reads in order to find the right counter.
2024-06-12 21:38:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
