and I breaking down how Aldo sets up his knees, fully animated and reanalyzed.

How are you enjoying the animated breakdowns? (You can expect them posted here every Monday if you ever miss them, for as long as this series goes)

Do you guys like Jose Aldo as much as me?

Thanks again and God Bless!

The Movement Martials are proud to partner with Grappler’s Graveyard.

If you’re looking for more resources to elevate your training, we at the Movement Martials use Grapplers Graveyard for the best hands-on guidance for gear, recovery techniques, supplementation, and fitness. Check out their site here: http://grapplersgraveyard.com/

and I breaking down the GOAT of sumo wrestler, and my favorite sumo wrestler of all time, in one of his more athletic wins in sumo.

Let me know what you think. Do you like the sumo content? What else might you wanna see? What is your favorite part about the sport / do you know how to get it going? Let me know below and enjoy, God Bless!

and I doing another animated analysis on my favorite left hook in combat sports history.
A lot more animated breakdowns coming up, so make sure to subscribe here and on the YouTube so you dont miss everything thats coming.

Have a lovely day and God Bless!

I realized that trying to get to the bottom of this would require a deeper investigation than simply putting my feelings and experiences down on paper, as effective of a method as this may be. So I decided to take a different route in answering the question:

Why do human’s love fighting? What makes it such an integral and eternal aspect of the human experience?

Aside of course from any evolutionary theory you might want to propose, there is something deeply human and spiritual about fighting; surmounting, expression in a violent dance with another. Rather than look at more fights and fighter interviews, I will delve into the things that capture the essence of fighting: movies, books, manga, tv shows, even instructionals. Pieces of culture that seek to capture the very essence of martial arts.

I will be studying the piece itself, what we can take from it in a practical sense, and most importantly, how it captures this vital essence.

I would love for this to be a collaborative venture, akin to a book club, so I will announce what pieces I will be delving into a fair amount of time before the release of the episode so you send any questions, spur discussions in the comment sections, and enjoy these pieces for yourself as well. Full episodes will be available to paid subscribers of the Substack, and there will be a short free preview for the free subscribers. The more support I have, the more time I can utilize for in depth and interesting projects such as this.

Episode 1 will be detailing heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey’s seminal work, Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense. If you do not yet have the book, I highly recommend getting because it is a wonderfully easy and intriguing read, and allow for more informed discussions once these episodes drop (you can find it pretty easily on Amazon or most major book retailers). This first episode will be dropping on Saturday, October 10th. I expect to see you there, feel free to send me any questions in the comments of this Substack post, or associated posts on Instagram, YouTube, or X/Twitter.

Thank you as always for the support, and I look forward to seeing you there, God Bless you all!

Appendix

Why is fighting so human? What does it mean for a fighter to speak through their fighting? Many times have we seen a fighter awkward on the mic, Nick Diaz a prime example, but we understand who they are so clearly when they fight. their style paints a better picture of who they are at the core of their being than they could ever possibly tell us in words. Why is this? Why is fighting so fundamental to the human experience.

Compare fighting to something like football. football is a beautiful sport. Perhaps no other endeavor more perfectly encapsulates the simulation of war. The head coach as the general. the quarterback an avatar of Achilles. It paints a beautiful, cordial picture of war with an American coat of paint. However, is there a real expression to football? In subtle ways, absolutely. There’s variants of quarterbacks. Bombers, scramblers, etc. But each position favors a certain set of athletic capabilities. If you do not meet a threshold of athletic ability, forget about competing at the highest level. I respect this, i do, but football is perhaps too esoteric in its construction to truly allow for one’s personality to shine through in their play style. At least, when compared to the pure art of fighting. 

It took many steps to get from war to football. Fighting on the other hand, is as old as time. Its first professional roots are perhaps in pankration, the Ancient Greek expression of mixed martial arts, but the simple idea of fighting another human being is as old as time itself. It is in our blood to fight. Blood memory is real, and it is expressed no more purely than in the art of fisticuffs. 

Fighting and dancing are both the most human arts
Interconnected
The posture of the artist shows the nervous system the body is tapping into in order to succeed
Fighting is sympathetic. Based on survival. All your vitals are guarded as you protect your livelihood, and damage that of the opponents. Each aiming for solar plexus, chin, livers, ribs. You want to break and maim their body, and prevent the other from doing that to you. Limbs are in positions to defend and absorb, or, in different styles, be maximally evasive. You are defending or avoiding. Tapping into an ancestral need to survive, what it was like to be wired out of your mind at all time while your life hangs in the balance.
Fighting is reactionary. There can be a gameplan but your opponent is acting against you, so you can only prepare in very specific ways. A fight between two people can look a million different ways. The best gameplans look like they are not trying, but that they have every possible answer to what an opponent might be doing.

The best dancing is done in the opposite form. Proud chests, outstretched limbs. Dancing is the fact of literally baring your heart to the world. Exposing your gut to criticism. Your body is on display. Your body seeks to outwardly present the soul and its wants, its connection to the divine and beauty. Unfettered with survival. It is living embodied. It is the manifestation of a soul unburdened, or, in a moment, represents the unburdening of the soul. Dancing is working in tandem with a partner. There is no randomness. There is an ideal form of what you are trying to do, and you are trying to live up to it. A dance can look a million different ways too, but there is something of an ideal form that each dancer is trying to achieve. It is hyper structured but looks almost the opposite when done at its best.

Both athletes black out when its time to compete to an extent.

Another wonderful collaboration with breaking down the wonderful clinch game of the great Matt Brown. I truly do believe he is the purest ‘Muay Thai’ stylist we have yet seen in MMA. Don’t let his checkered record fool you, he was a spectacular fighter with nary a boring fight. Let me know what you think of his clinch game in the comments below.

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If you want to be updated when these shorter vids drop, please subscribe to the YouTube channel as well so you never miss a piece of analysis. Thank you for the support as always and have a lovely day, God Bless!

My friend ⁨ and I analyze a clip I animated on a sequence from Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo I at UFC 212. We talk the what, how, and why of analyzing sequences in MMA, and what made both of these fighters such incredible talents.

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If you want to be updated when these shorter vids drop, please subscribe to the YouTube channel as well so you never miss a piece of analysis. Thank you for the support as always and have a lovely day, God Bless!

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Check out and I’s free preview on the film room we did on one of the most interesting fights of the year. Check out the full film room here, and become a paid subscriber if you’d like to see the full thing:

Movement Martials

John Haggerty vs. Yuki Yoza Film Room

Back from my honeymoon to catch up on posting this wonderful film room I did with the great Phantom Punch Breakdowns , who I always have a great time working with. One of the best analysts today and hoping you can learn som…

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2 months ago · Movement Martials and 9h6st21

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Islam Makhachev vs. Ian (Machado) Garry

While Ian Garry has become one of the most insufferable people in the sport, especially as of late, Islam Makhachev has continued his stoic place at the pinnacle of the sport. If he can overcome a title defense in a second weight class, he will inarguably be the sports P4P best talent, and one of the best talents the sport has ever seen. A slick counter striking game, unbelievable top pressure, and potent finishing ability mean Garry has a mountain to surmount ahead of him.

Garry is consistently one of the best strategists in the sport, and though he can take his eye off the ball late and reach a bit of a ho-hum rhythm when fights are going his way, I am intrigued every time he comes out nonetheless. He looked stellar for about 23 minutes against Carlos Prates, but his dynamism is something of a different ilk than the current welterweight champion. He faced his staunchest grappling test against the perennially injured Shavkat Rakhmanov, and showed a surprising competency against upper body grappling against the fence, where Makhachev finds himself in nearly every fight.

Unlike Rakhmanov however, Makhachev is just as comfortable shooting on the legs, where he secured just about every takedown in his domination of JDM.

Before the fight, I did believe JDM would trouble the Dagestani. His scrambling from the bottom certainly avoided his finish by submission, but he was simply too deflated by the later rounds to confidently mount a counter attack. Garry’s strategy, length, and anti-wrestler weapons he showed against Belal Muhammad are sure to give Makhachev pause, but I am not confident in his ability to maintain this over five rounds or even consistently defend against Islam’s grappling. Makhachev himself is a very composed striker, so finding openings for counters won’t come easy unless he actually bothers his opponent enough to force them.

I can’t see Garry troubling Makhachev in the same way Dustin Poirier:

or even Alexander Volkanovski did, but it does remain to be seen. Ilia Topuria was on the wrong end of one of the most shocking and spectacular performances in UFC history while defending up a weight class, and I see Garry’s chances as far better than Gaethje’s were. This sport has a funny way of proving me wrong however, so it remains to be seen!

In the comments below, let me know:

1. Shat you’re most looking forward to on this card (be specific!)

2. What you’ve taken from Garry or Makhachev’s game to amplify your own training, and

3. What you’d like to see from me next, fighting or otherwise.

Enjoy the fights and as always God Bless!

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Check out and I’s preview podcast on the main event of UFC Freedom 250. Enjoy, and check out the full film room below!

Movement Martials

Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria Film Room

Film Room breaking down the greatness of Justin Gaethje at the best UFC event of all time for all of my beautiful paid subscribers. Done with the ever spectacular 9h6st21 , one of my greatest friends in the…

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3 months ago · 1 like · Movement Martials

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I sincerely hope you are all doing well my friends. I have to apologize for my lack of activity of late. Life has a funny way of getting in the way when you’re getting married, getting sick, and the like. Life is truly a blessing, and the past few months have been exciting to say the least. I assure you that a bevy of film rooms, articles, and videos on this platform and the substack are all to come, and I am thankful for the support you all have continued to provide to me.

With that, we have something we haven’t had from the UFC in quite a long time: a true spectacle. UFC Freedom 250 will have the distinct honor of taking place on the South Lawn of the White House, the first professional sporting event to take place there. Teddy Roosevelt hosted some personal training sessions and sparred with famous boxers and judoka, but an event of this magnitude is simply unprecedented. Unprecedented is the operative word, as the UFC is also putting genuine effort to make this card a spectacle. They are spending money without an immediate return, (all guests are invited, building a structure from scratch, bigger bonuses, vignette style videos between fights) investing in the gravitas and enormity of the event to celebrate America. Prioritizing shareholder value at all costs has seemingly been their modus operandi for the better part of 10 years and the product has suffered as a result. This follows in the vein of their event at the Sphere and UFC 300 as their annual ‘high-effort’ event and though I am skeptical, the optimist in me hopes this can lead to to even more.

Usyk just fought at the Pyramids of Giza, now we’re at the White House. Fight sports are eternal to the human spirit, what better way to tap into that then fighting at the greatest monuments around the world? Simply having such a backdrop adds to the weight and historical significance of such an event. 30 years ago this sport was in the trenches, and now it is on the most prestigious stage imaginable.

The most impressive fighters in the sport today will put on an event we can only hope is worthy of the hype that has been generated from it. Let’s start from the top.

Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje

In isolation this title fight is intriguing. Every single one of Gaethje’s fights is illuminating as he appears in a slightly different mold. In the Ferguson fight he was composed, the Khabib and Oliveira fights he couldn’t stay on his feet, clinched and wrestled in the Fiziev fights, and fought from the front headlock in the Pimblett match. In this way, its nigh impossible to really know what strategy Gaethje is going to come with on fight night. He will always have his uppercuts, leg kicks, and looping punches, but will he head kick? Will he jab? Will he enforce the clinch without providing openings? Whichever Justin Gaethje decides to show up on fight night will determine his chances against the most dazzling talent the sport has ever seen.

Topuria Looking BULKY

Not many are giving Gaethje his flowers for this fight, largely because the Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan fights seem much more tantalizing for Ilia Topuria than the veteran lightweight making his third attempt at the undisputed belt. So what kind of Gaethje is needed to beat Ilia Topuria? Strictly speaking of weapons, his jab, leg kicks, high kicks, pressure, and the clinch (with one large caveat) should be immediate priorities that have troubled Topuria in the past, it’s merely determining how he can adjust his levers and slot each of these into his game.

The Jab: Surprise Topuria with the speed of his jab, let him feel the power, and use it as an initiating tool to enforce pressure

Leg Kicks: Topuria tends to out low kick more prolific calf kickers, but he has yet to contend with someone who throws them with as much stank as the Highlight. Every commentator notes how his stance naturally makes them a weapon to utilize. Cannot be thrown naked as Topuria will throw an overhand to counter.

High Kicks: Caught Ferguson with a high kick in the closed stance, and the lead leg high kick he was caught with by Herbert is stark in everyone’s minds given his tendency to slip punches.

The Clinch: Still a bit of a grey area for Topuria’s striking, important to note that he KO’d both Volkanovski and Holloway as they defensively reached for collar ties.

I talk about the concept of Gaethje as a chameleon in my preview podcast with ahead of his most recent win:

And if you want to see Gaethje mixing his weapons somewhat competently, read my breakdown of his rematch with striking dynamo Rafael Fiziev:

Movement Martials

UFC 313: Justin Gaethje's Clinch

Still Chuggin…

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2 years ago · 6 likes · Movement Martials

The focus has been on Gaethje thus far solely because of how impressive Topuria is as a product. Apart from being one of the most composed and skilled fighters I’ve ever seen, he is on one of the most impressive runs in the sport. Volkanovski, Holloway, and Oliveira, though all past their absolute peaks, all won their next 1-2 fights after losing to Topuria. Topuria’s most (maybe 2nd most) impressive performance was the one where he had the most adversity, against Max Holloway, and in the following article I dive deep into the quirks of his game:

Movement Martials

Ilia Topuria: El Toro

Forging a Legend…

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2 years ago · 7 likes · Movement Martials

and I also spoke ahead of Ilia’s destruction of Charles Oliveira, and how elements of Oliveira’s game might trouble him:

Finally, though I doubt Ilia Topuria will take the same approach, his former rival Max Holloway provided the most comprehensive breakdown to beating The Highlight:

Movement Martials

Blessed Man Forever at UFC 300

Max Holloway is one of the greatest fighters of all time…

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2 years ago · 5 likes · 1 comment · Movement Martials

Alex Pereria vs. Ciryl Gane

Alex Pereira will be the first man to contest for a title in a third weight class. Puffy Poatan is primed to make this happen, but Ciryl Gane presents some unique issues. Gane’s tepid back-foot style, great jab, lateral movement, and bevy of front and low kicks provide interesting questions for the Brazilian to answer. Both Ankalaev and Prochazka troubled him with the same two kicks in their meetings, but other than the lone loss to Ankalaev, it was Pereira who was standing at the end of those matches.

How well his speed and power translate to heavyweight will likely determine how much success he is able to accumulate. Other than a wrestler, Gane is one of the worst matchups for Pereira at heavyweight, being the fastest and most athletic man in the weight class.

I wrote about how Khalil Rountree has had some of the most interesting success in his loss to Pereira, and what a gameplan for that might look like:

Movement Martials

Khalil Rountree: A Valiant Effort

Rountree Makes His Stand…

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2 years ago · 8 likes · Movement Martials

And how Pereira overcame what seemed like a poor stylistic matchup with sheer aggression, something that wouldn’t be the worst idea against Gane:

Movement Martials

UFC 320: What is Pressure?

Contents…

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a year ago · 5 likes · Movement Martials

There’s so many unknown X-factors surrounding this fight that its difficult to fully grasp what it will look like from a technical perspective.

Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi

I don’t have much to say on Zahabi’s end, other than that he robbed the GOAT Jose Also, but he’s been quietly moving up the rankings and O’Malley is certainly the toughest test he’s yet to face. O’Malley himself has not the best run of it, and I break down how Merab broke him in their second meeting here:

Movement Martials

Funny Car to F1: Merab Dvalishvili's Subtle Evolution

The Machine…

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a year ago · 5 likes · Movement Martials

Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler, the avatar of America is unfortunately old and well past his best, made most obvious by how comprehensively he was beaten down by Paddy Pimblett after creating moments against Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira. I analyzed how Charles Oliveira (almost) completely boxed him out of striking exchanges in their second meeting here:

Movement Martials

Contained Chaos: Oliveira vs. Chandler

A Legend in the Flesh…

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2 years ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Movement Martials

I’m sure is he is absolutely ecstatic for the opportunity to fight at the White House, but Ruffy is a man who is streamlining his game with Volkanovski’s team, setting himself up to be a force in the mid to high end of Lightweight. Funnily enough, Michael Chandler is getting his wish to fight Conor McGregor granted, but in the way a genie might pervert it, as I discussed how Ruffy’s early fights saw him doing a poor imitation of an orthodox Conor McGregor:

Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

Though disappointed in how stagnant Lopes looked against Volkanovski, he continues to be one of my favorite fighters (when he’s not fighting someone who knows how to circle). Though unlikely to ever reach the top of the division until Volkanovski’s retirement, he is taking on another up and coming featherweight in Steve Garcia. I was very impressed by Garcia’s last performance (even if the questions around Onama and betting scandals might be true) as he’s a genuinely potent boxer. The last time Lopes took on a surging prospect, he came out on top:

Movement Martials

Good, Dirty Violence

Contents…

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a year ago · 6 likes · Movement Martials

But Volkanovski showed us that his issues with footwork are well known, and unlikely to improve:

Movement Martials

Breaking the Curse: Alexander Volkanovski

Rising from the Ashes…

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a year ago · 5 likes · Movement Martials

Even if Lopes can pull some interesting ideas out of his hat:

With that we are about 6 hours from one of the most historic UFC events of all time, and I suggest you spend it heating up the grill, taming a bald eagle, and grabbing some brewskis while you read and listen to the most primo analysis around.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS

GOD BLESS AMERICA

AND GENTLEMEN

START

YOUR

ENGINESSSSSSSSSSS

-Kick

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Joshua Van

Who else would top this list off but one of the most exciting fighters of the generation? The new champion certainly didn’t get to prove himself over another crafty action champion in Pantoja, but thankfully Tatsuro Taira brings an analogous set of skills that Van has yet to deal with at this level. If you wanna see how he’s handled it in the past, check out this film room:

While his anti-grappling has been a treat thus far, his striking has always been the most eye catching part of his game. His pocket boxing in particular is just lush, and this video is a quick look into the how and why of it:

And I have a podcast with the lovely where we break down the intricacies of his striking against gangly range moggers:

I think he’s got a good shot against Taira, but I was very impressed with the Japanese prospect in his last performance. Here’s hoping they make 100k as everyone hopes it should.

Sean Strickland

And the ever polarizing Sean Strickland. Whether through his mouth or his fighting style, everyone has something to say! No one can claim he’s the most exciting fighter out there, but I tend enjoy his fights all the same. In fact, I give him quite a good shot against Khamzat Chimaev this weekend, which you can read about more here:

Now if you want to get into the meat and potatoes of Strickland at his absolute best (or one step below, as he was just so varied in the Fluffy fight) I break down his sensational upset over Israel Adesanya, and why he had the perfect style to take him down:

Yet you can’t call me biased! As I have also written about how his monotony can get him in trouble:

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Khamzat Chimaev

The man Strickland is looking to wreste the title from: Khamzat Chimaev. A bright spot for Strickland in this fight is that Chimaev had a lot of trouble dealing with Usman’s job after he survived the first:

Yet the Chechen is an enigma, as his general strategy always appears to be the same, but it expresses itself in an innumerable amount of ways through his fights (Quick finishes, stand and bang with Gilbert, can’t finish and can’t deal with the jab with Kamaru, Position-Maxxing vs. DDP, etc). His last performance solidified his mystique, as the ‘Grappling Conor McGregor’ came out with a fairly boring fight, but showed some spectacular tricks nonetheless:

An interesting fight, and one with two fairly obvious outcomes, that also seem to have just as likely a chance to happen in either direction.

Sean Brady

I do quite like Sean Brady’s hulking technical grappling, but I’ve only written about him in any depth as a case study against the brilliance of Islam Makhachev on the same night, at a card I was fortunate enough to attend in person with the mystical Thick himself:

This fight card is full of lowkey bangers, and though I’d love to make content for them all, let me know what fight you’re most excited to see and which one you think I’ll be making a video about come next week. Have a blessed week friends, and enjoy the violene!

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Fight analysis videos: http://youtube.com/@MovementMartials
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Apologies for the delay, been tooling around with some new video editing software, so let me know what you think. Planning to add some more fun elements as well (title screens, the works).

We will have a film room for the paid subs coming this month as well. Would love to hear your thoughts on the new logo (finals still in progress by my designer, she’s awesome), and what else you might like to see. Appreciate the support as always!

Fair Use Disclaimer:
The footage used in this video is owned by the UFC and its respective copyright holders. This video is transformative in nature and is intended for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are the copyright owner and would like this content removed, please contact me directly.

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Petr Yan Adapts his Strategy

UFC 319- Straight Line Advances and the Year of the Spinning Elbow

Phone-Booth Striking Mini-Study with Jared Cannonier

Petr Yan Adapts his Strategy

Petr Yan delivered the best performance of 2025 in a drubbing of Merab Dvalishvili. It seemed a hopeless effort for the former Bantamweight Champion. He had to overcome a stylistic nightmare which was illustrated in their first meeting: Merab Dvalishvili’s all cardio output was perfectly suited to outpace Petr Yan’s ability to ‘download the data’ in the early rounds of a fight, and Yan himself was coming off very impressive victories that only seemed to show him an elite operator that could not find consistent success at the absolute apex of the division. Mere seconds into the rematch did it become obvious how prepared Yan was to slay his personal boogeyman.

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The Big Picture

Petr Yan, notorious for dropping the first round of almost every fight to acquire reads, came out strong on the front foot, pressing Merab Dvalishvili to the cage (V1). I have written extensively on Merab Dvalishvili the past year; his prolific body of work necessitated it. The approaches of his opponents held elements that could diffuse him but were rendered useless without coming together in a cohesive gameplan. In studying his championship run (and the Jose Aldo fight) the following stuck out as the most impactful ways to solve the Georgian:

1. Staying on the front foot. When you’re pressuring, he’s not. He also drops back and circles through large portions of his fight. He’s not a ‘come forward at all costs’ fighter like some see him as.

2. Feinting to punctuate the pressure and draw out his active jabs and left hook counters. This also competes with his own array of level change feints.

3. Attritive work to the legs and body to even out the cardio disparity he wins every fight with (the front kick being chief among the most effective)

4. Punishing his many (some half-hearted) takedown attempts with weapons up the middle (knees and uppercuts, best shown by Jose Aldo and Sean O’Malley in their first meeting).

Petr Yan was miraculously able to put all of this together in a performance for the ages. It was all made possible by being more aggressive. He’s more skilled than just about anyone and had the tools to beat Merab, he just needed to present Merab with questions earlier so the champion could not run away with the fight by the third. The strategy was set, so how did he tactically dismantle the impending bantamweight GOAT?

Petr Yan’s long guard was the basis for his success throughout the fight (V2). From a defensive perspective, it allowed Yan to hand fight (from both stances) by using a hand trap and cross hand trap to stifle Merab’s active jab, and stuffed hooks short as Yan backed out of range. Offensively it kept Merab aware of the jab threat while Yan’s arm stayed in range to simply step in with a small jab. One might look at this long, high guard and think ‘Isn’t that what allowed Merab to get takedowns in their first fight?’. It certainly helped, but that was before Yan incorporated his most impactful weapon of the fight: The Dipping Jab (V3).

I have a video coming out diving deep into Yan’s dipping jab in this fight as it was the cornerstone of his success.

1. The jab is a long range weapon that allowed Yan to mount consistent offense without falling behind Merab’s activity.

2. It can be thrown to both the body and head, slotting in as a more prolific attritive tool than the more seldom (but devastating) body work that came later.

3. Dipping with the jab brings Yan’s head off the center line, making it more difficult for Merab to jab WITH him

4. Dipping with the jab is key against wrestlers, as it brings the head and arms down for better head positioning, underhooks, and down blocks against takedown attempts.

Yan’s Dipping Jab was also a ‘sticky jab’ where instead of retracting his lead hand, he kept it on Merab’s head and was able to pull him into the clinch. Despite Merab’s lauded wrestling and judo, Yan was a step ahead in every clinch exchange (V4). Yan’s more active approach was integral to denying Merab his momentum but his usual strategy of ‘downloading the data’ to find his openings did not go away.

Yan established his dipping jab to stay ahead on the scorecards and took note of Merab’s habit to simply raise his high guard when met with offense. Yan ensured that Merab’s hands stayed high throughout the fight with his outstretched lead hand to induce the hand-fight. His constant pawing either brought out Merab’s own jab, or the high guard, opening up the avenue to attack the body by the third round (V5, V6). Yan had been winning prior, but investing in powerful body attacks cemented his lead. Merab has more than once shown the ability to secure the win after losing the first two rounds due to his cardio capabilities, but Yan’s investment in the body sapped Merab’s strength to the point where he could maintain his output while Merab tried in vain to find success.

Petr Yan was able to dismantle The Machine by starting with aggression, using the dipping jab as the perfect offensive and defensive counter to Merab’s weapons, and building on this foundation by attacking the body to take away his physical advantages. It was a spectacular performance, wonderfully entertaining, and the perfect way for Yan to live up to the ability everyone has known him to have.

V1- Yan Taking Initiative

V2- Long Guard

V3- Dipping Jab

V4- Innate TD Defense in Long Guard

V5- Naturally Opened Up Body Kicks

V6- Body Hook

Little Things I Liked

Petr Yan’s improved strategic approach allowed his tactics to flourish, and when he’s having success he feels comfortable enough to open up with more creative sequences. The following were simply small, isolated moments that I loved in this fight, without necessarily being tied to his pattern of success.

V8- Slamming Merab on his head after he throws on a non-committal guillotine

V9- Pushes Off the Face to create space to punch after Merab attempts to clinch

V10

V11- Yan finding sneaky Punches Off a Perfect knee and a kick off the same side

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UFC 319- Straight Line Advances and the Year of the Spinning Elbow

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On the Outside

The Perfect Kicker-Wrestler

What an event!

Thick and I both had the pleasure of attending UFC 322 live, and despite a slight mishap on his part during the main event, we had a wonderful time. While the exciting momentum of the card slowed by the co-main event (feel for my girl Zhang Weili, still my favorite female fighter), MMA has come away with a bevy of interesting contenders and one of the best fighters the sport has ever seen: Islam Makhachev. He becomes the 11th fighter to win a belt in two weight classes.

Jack Della Maddalena’s work from the bottom made it difficult for Makhachev to steal the show, but his control and well-roundedness was all the more impressive when considering JDM’s success in winning the title against another grappler in Belal Muhammad. The Dagestani had about as dominant a performance as one could have up a weight class. Two other welterweights on the main card attempted to have this success grappling their opponents, but both were knocked out in their attempts.

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On the Outside

UFC 322 was nothing if not a showcase for the Welterweight division. Sean Brady and Leon Edwards both were up against tall, lanky strikers who seem all too large to ever weigh 170 lbs. These types of men are perfect to grapple: Their long limbs are easier to get under when they strike, and their stature / higher center of gravity makes it all the simpler to get them off their feet. The danger when facing these powerful lankcels is in crossing the threshold from striking range to the clinch.

Michael Morales is an undefeated prospect who has shown athletic takedown defense and heavy hands, while Prates is easier to grapple but one of the more dangerous strikers in the division. So if you’re looking to wrestle, what’s the approach?

Kick from the outside, deny the middle range (V10), and get all the way inside to start grappling (V9). Jiu-jitsu phenom Ryan Hall embodied the most extreme version of this game plan, where he often threw side kicks and leg kicks from range, rarely punched, and rolled onto the legs as soon as he saw an opening.

Kicking is an essential skill for a grappler to develop. Caught, checked, and counter cut kicks are great ways for grapplers to get a free leg, but this is irrelevant if you have a superior skillset (V5). You can kick with abandon, without fear of being taken down. Head kicks occupy their hands with defending, body kicks deplete their cardio, and leg kicks, most importantly, hamper the striker’s movement, making them even easier to take down as the fight continues (V1, V4, V6). Should the fighter be able to maintain kicking range while accruing damage, the opponent will no doubt get frustrated and attempt desperate entries. Thus enters the takedown.

V1: Brady Leg Kick

Disclaimer: The video clips included in this article are not owned by the author. They are included for educational purposes only to illustrate key moments in the fighter’s career and demonstrate aspects of mixed martial arts techniques and strategies. All rights to the video content belong to their respective owners.

V2: Brady Sticking Outside

V3: Double Jab Leg Kick

V4: Leon Leg Kick

V5: Leon Leg Kick TD

V6: Islam Leg Kick

V7: To Hamper Jack’s Initial Approach Rd 1

V8: Jack Slowing Down by Rd 2 (due to wrestling as well)

V9: On Distance Management as the Wrestler, to land low kicks. all the way in or all the way out.

V10: Prates at mid range

At Madison Square Garden, Islam Makhachev executed this game plan to near perfection (V7, V8). The same cannot be said of Edwards and Brady, so where did they go wrong?

Leon Edwards made a very simple mistake: he retreated on a straight line, collapsing his stance by galloping his lead foot backwards. He was hit by a gorgeous left straight just as his feet met. Neither of his feet were firmly planted on the ground, and he absorbed the bulk of Prate's left hand right on his jaw, knocking him out cold. Leon Edwards was very effective at neutralizing Prates with his grappling throughout the first round (V5), but poor defensive habits can always be taken advantage of.

Sean Brady on the other hand opened the fight with a huge leg kick (V1) and pressured Morales to keep him on the back foot (V2, V3). Brady paired his forward movement with the double jab to more consistently damage the trailing leg (V3). All salient ideas when pressuring an opponent. The missing link was his grappling. Brady’s first and only real takedown attempt was promptly negated when Morales stepped his lead leg back (V12) and though Brady tried to strike off the attempt, he was worse for wear by the end of the exchange. Brady was fine at the end of range, but he could not successfully pass through mid range to enforce his grappling. His takedowns became a defensive escape valve when they should have been a tool to keep Morales on the back foot (V13). In MMA, the threat of the takedown can shape a fight just as much as the takedown itself. In so earnestly pursuing the takedown Brady was showing his hand, while Morales’ own met his chin with an uppercut, spelling the end for the perennial top 5 welterweight.

V11

V12

V13

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