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

The Perfect Kicker-Wrestler

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Samurai Spiritual Pressure: Jiri Prochazka

More Than Just Volume: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen

The Pressure of a Champion: Alex Pereira

Dust or diamond, which will you be?

The answer to that question lies in how you will deal with pressure. Just that word itself casts a wide net in martial arts. Pressure can mean anything from simply moving forward with strikes, all the way to the mere idea of something influencing your opponent’s actions. Success in any art hinges upon your ability to deal with pressure.

UFC 320 was quite the event, but it was the 3 fights at top billing that were the most exciting. Every fight in this lineup was defined by the unique way fighters used the concept of pressure to their advantage, or let it overrun them.

Lets find the answer to the central question: what is pressure, and how can it be used?

Samurai Spiritual Pressure: Jiri Prochazka

'. . . the way of the warrior is a resolute acceptance of death'

                                                                                        -Miyamoto Musashi

Jiri Prochazka is a marvel of modern MMA. This is no better described than in’s Twitter Post on the subject, and he should be recognized for his devout resolution to martial arts as both a physical and spiritual craft. An esoteric who values what combat represents, the beauty of two souls dancing in blood. It produces a connection to God for these men, and to a lesser extent the viewer. Prochazka’s commitment to Bushido produces a spiritual pressure that is exuded in every fight. If you’d like to see it at its best, watch each stare down with Alex Pereira. He fights as if unafraid of of consequences, for he is not.

Prochazka’s approach to training is a gem in the sterilized landscape of modern mixed martial arts. Despite some technical shortcomings, he continues to win.

How?

By pushing through any and all threats the opponent may offer. He has solidified himself as an all time action fighter of the modern era, but he is underrated as a comeback artist. The spiritual strength he has honed is no doubt a reason for this. The man was losing significant portions of his fights against Rountree, Rakić, Teixeira, and Reyes, and came through a finish regardless. He is often punished for his forward bursts, heavy lead leg, and overcommitments, but this strange style ultimately produces some of the most potent and interesting offense in the light heavyweight division.

His success hinges on his ability to pressure opponent’s with unexpected volume; an array of strikes to different targets, often in uncommon positions or from uncommon angles. Before the avalanche gets going however, he needs to wade through hell.

Khalil Rountree Jr. is another violent addition to the top end of light heavyweight. He is more ‘traditionally’ violent; explosive, technically crisp on offense, and faster than just about every man in the division. You can read more about his game here. Prochazka has only lost in the UFC against another hard hitting offensive technician, and Rountree showed why early.

Rountree immediately took advantage of Prochazka’s biggest liability: a heavy lead leg. Prochazka’s wide stance and bouncing leaves most of his weight committed to his lead leg and a prime target for leg kicks. This is slightly less a consideration in the open stance, as a step up lead leg kick requires a tad more tell, but Rountree’s quickness more than makes up for that (V1). Despite the effectiveness, the technique did not make another significant appearance. Rather, it was Khalil’s counter-punching game that proved his greatest asset.

V1

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.

Prochazka is a man fully committed to offense and forward movement. He overwhelms opponents with his attacks, but his enthusiasm often leaves him vulnerable against strong counter strikers. He enforces pressure by being strong, unexpected, and undeterred. A good counter often won’t ward him off, but a powerful one will (V2). Rountree is not a pressure fighter, but a man of counters and bursts. He often concedes the back foot, but waits for an opponent’s mistake or overcommitment to blast in with powerful strikes (V3). Prochazka’s approach is ripe with these, and he squeezed his own game for every ounce it is worth. Look at the difference in step up low kicks in V1 vs. V3. Sharp, strong, and precise vs. long and meandering. Rountree perfectly blitzed in as Prochazka was recovering his stance to deliver some devastating punches. Khalil knew he won the first round, and punctuated his lead as the second began with a powerful combination (V4).

Rountree was largely picking Prochazka apart for most of the first two rounds. His powerful combinations were taking advantage of Prochazka’s poorer habits, and was more tepid as a result. Rountree nullified the pressure of Prochazka by staying calm in the face of a hard-to-read offense. Prochazka knew he was down, you can even see his frustration getting hit so hard in (V2). The crisp and patient counters now put the pressure on him, and Prochazka responded the only way he knew how.

V2

V3

V4

‘Do not be influenced by the opponent’

                                                                                        -Miyamoto Musashi

Jiri Prochazka is wholly committed to his die by the sword approach for better or worse. He has a chin of iron that he uses for all its worth, and should he encounter adversity, it is the durability of a man who meditates in ice cold lakes that re-ignites his own pressure. (V5).

‘How can he still be standing? I’ve hit him with everything I’ve got.’

It’s a demoralizing prospect, and the detriment to Rountree’s approach is that he is also ‘all or nothing’. His significant offense through the early rounds of his fights is so fast-twitch dependent, and he can only sprint for so long.

Prochazka led the third round much the same way Rountree opened the second: moving forward with hard shots, and his case, reckless abandon (V5). He wanted to establish his own initiative before Rountree could comfortable, and it set the stage for the rest of the fight. Prochazka was still getting hit with hard counter shots, but he persisted all the same.

He was now moving forward after hard shots by Rountree and keeping his lead hand in front of his face (V6). His wide stance and lanky stature gives him a nice, long jab to work behind, and in this case game him a non-committal weapon to maintain offense in between Rountree’s counters. It maintained offensive pressure on that needed to be addressed, and allowed him to build volume behind the jab. Using it more proactively even allowed hi to counter Rountree’s own blitzes in a lovely little sequence of hooking off the jab in V6.

Prochazka’s jab allowed him to maintain some level of offense, but it was his classic ‘right hand feint to front kick’ that completely demoralized the man standing across from him (V7). His most consistent weapon across his whole UFC career, the feint into the front kick looks almost goofy in execution, but is lands in almost every instance. It caused an immediate change of behavior in V7 as Rountree was caught mid-hook. He tensed up, brought his guard up, moved back, and threw some slow shots to try and keep the Czech maniac off of him, but the damage had been done.

Prochazka’s jab and front kick became synergistic weapons to maintain his offense from a long range and wear the already fading Rountree out (V8). Having only landed a few, the retreats from Rountree only became more obvious and side-on, to hide his body. Prochazka had not only worked his way back into the fight by moving forward in spite of a terrifyingly dangerous offense, but utilizing weapons that would systematically reinforce his initiative. He put the pressure back on Rountree both mentally and physically.

Rountree was still landing before he was finished, but Prochazka’s vicious assault to the body had done its work. His body language told Prochazka all he needed to know as he pushed Rountree to the fence, trying to push the man off of him with outstretched arms in a last ditch effort to make it to the closing bell (V9). The Czech samurai was too fresh, and landed a left hook on the chin that brought the fight to a close. Prochazka was met with every reason he couldn’t, and shouldn’t keep moving forward, but he did anyway, and is the better for it here.

V5

V6

V7

V8

V9

‘In duels of strategy you must move the opponent’s attitude. Attack where his spirit is lax, throw him into confusion, irritate and terrify him. Take advantage of the enemy’s rhythm when he is unsettled and you can win’

                                                                                        -Miyamoto Musashi

More Than Just Volume: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen

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• A Blistering Fight of the Year Contender

• Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford Cements His Legacy

  • The Stance Matchup

  • Canelo’s Single Shots

  • Getting Ahead

  • Enforcing Offense

A Blistering Fight of the Year Contender

Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva was an incredibly violent fight that did not teach us much new about either man. Many of Lopes' habits were taken advantage of by Silva, who himself made more trouble than he needed by getting overexcited. The man's love for fighting bleeds into his style.

Though the Fighting Nerds are in a lull as of late, the team is still well versed in executing tactical success in a fight. Silva was more than prepared to begin taking advantage of Lopes' stance immediately. Lopes stands with a high firearms guard, hunched over, heavy on his lead foot, and his head far forward of his hips. Being so heavy on the lead leg means calf kicks will be that much harder to defend and all the stronger when they land (V1). Though Lopes isn't a movement heavy fighter, it is always a good idea in MMA to invest in damage to the legs.

V1

His hunched posture also means that the front kick is a great weapon to attack the head (V1). I made another video on Lopes, explaining how he often attacks in straight lines. The front kick up the middle provides an additional deterrent to Lopes' forward moving barrages while investing in attritive work to the body, should he posture up to avoid getting hit in the face.

V2

V3

Despite Lopes' hunched boxing stance, he is not all that proficient at moving his head to avoid strikes. His head often stays on the centerline while he relies on his insane durability to stay conscious. Silva's assault from the outside continued by abusing this (V2, V3). The cross counter and its threat were one of Silva's most successful tools throughout because Lopes will often begin his combinations with non-committal jabs (V2). Silva banged his right hand against Lopes' head to keep him on the back foot, where he can't enact his offense.

Once Silva was able to get cooking, he got more creative in the ways he punished Lopes' lack of head movement. He used just about every straight line attack in the book (V3). The aforementioned front kick, jumping knees, right straights. The beauty of these sequences was how he was able to facilitate lateral movement while landing. He preemptively posted on the head while landing the knee to circle and push off, and landed a right straight inside of Lopes' lead hand work to dip outside of Lopes' lead shoulder.

Even as Lopes did move his head to take some mustard off the shots, Silva did a spectacular job knowing that his head would return to center without any additional movement (V3). He caught Lopes' dip with the left hook to bring it back, and throw another clean right straight, ending the sequence with a step in feint to get him dipping, hitting him with yet another lovely straight while returning to his stance.

Silva masterfully took advantage of Lopes poorer habits, so why did he lose his fight? Largely, his enthusiasm.

V4

V5

Silva's right hand was landing with abandon but he ended up overthrowing on multiple occasions. Overthrowing in these sequences incidentally put him into the phases of the fight where Lopes most excels: Transitional offense and the clinch. Silva spent much of the first round getting battered with elbows underneath Lopes after an all too close spinning back kick (V4), and gave up his back yet again in the second by overthrowing with his rear hand (V5).

V6

V7

Silva used the established threat of the straight to throw a long hook that he converts to a collar tie as it gets smothered. Though he tries to slot in an elbow, Lopes easily slaps on his own collar tie as the taller man to pull Silva right into an uppercut as he's out of his stance (V6).

These long hooks continued to get Silva in trouble, as he often went for a hook to the body that was countered every time by Lopes' own uppercuts (V7).

V8

Despite having success, Silva's own enthusiasm to fight creatively continually placed him in Lopes' best phases, and by the end of the fight he realized that he was facing a man as offensively opportunistic as him. It saw each man throw a flurry of every elbow variation in the book, and as Silva pressed forward while Lopes was on the fence, he moved out to the side just enough, to throw a spinning elbow that domed him for the finishing sequence (V8).

Lopes' finish was opportunistic. It was a great move at the time, but the fight as a whole still saw his worse habits being exploited. Silva himself is an incredible talent and intelligent in his approach, but once those cage doors open, the rush of adrenaline marred his decision making. He loves fighting, perhaps too much for his own good.

Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford Cements His Legacy

Terrence Crawford has catapulted himself into the top 2 conversation of pound for pound fighters in boxing. Though the of number one might seemed clogged between Crawford, Usyk, Inoue, and Bam Rodriguez, I believe it the first two of these men who occupy the zenith.

Before this super fight, many pundits had written off Crawford as a worthy opponent to Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez. The modern Mexican great has certainly slowed in recent years, coming to decisions against fighters that would have been layups in his prime. Despite this, Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford was coming up against some shortcomings of his own. He had a career defining beatdown over Errol Spence in 2023, but waited over a year to put on a somewhat convincing decision over Israil Madrimov up a weight class, but it was not a performance that blew the doors off the arena. Now, he decides to move up yet another 2 weight classes to take on an aging all time great, while himself 37, after another 13 month layoff? None of this looked good on paper.

Yet he prevailed. Not only that, he did it while barely dropping a round. Crawford put on a legacy cementing performance that will no doubt leave its mark on history. As yet, he wants to continue it, and well he should with how well conditioned he seems to be. Though I am excited at what could possibly be awaiting him to further impress, lets take a look at what he did so well, and more importantly, what we can learn from such a performance to improve our own striking games.

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Contents:

• Pre Fight Notes

  • A Natural Predator

  • Glimmers of Hope

• Another Classic Affair

Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier brought his storied career to a close, headlining UFC 318 this past Saturday in his home state of Louisiana. You can expect something more intimate regarding what Dustin Poirier means to an amateur martial artist and fight analyst, but lets start with what I do best and break down a spectacular fight. The first half of this article will compile my reads and notes taken before the fight, largely after assessing their second fight. The latter half will be a breakdown on their fateful trilogy fight from Saturday, and we can see how well (or horrible) I did at constructing a path to victory for Max Holloway.

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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.

Pre Fight Notes

Dustin Poirier is receiving all the shine this weekend, and rightfully so given his retirement, but I would find it remiss to not focus on Max Holloway as the loser of their second meeting. The clash for the lightweight interim title was a competitive but clear affair. Each man unlocked ever deeper levels of heart, grit, and adaptability, but it was the Diamond who shone out in the end.

When assessing Dustin Poirier, his early career and penchant as a heavy handed action fighter often mar his true skillset as a counter puncher (V1). His eponymous Poirier Shift (V2) is a wonderful tactic in MMA to punish foes retreating in a straight line and maintain forward pressure, but his signature use of the Hillbilly Shell (V3, coined by Jack Slack) keeps him safe in the pocket or moving backwards. Poirier’s eyes remain unobstructed, and his hands high and in position to counter punch quickly. Poirier’s latent tactics and habits proved a mountain for Max Holloway to overcome throughout the early rounds of their classic.

V1

V2

A Natural Predator

As a fan of the sport, the matchup between Max Holloway and Poirier at UFC 318 excited me in that their second fight was such a classic, but came as a disappointment since Poirier was up 2-0 and he seemed to have been the natural predator to Max Holloway’s unending avalanche of light punches. Max Holloway has just as storied, (more so in accolades) as Dustin Poirier. Through this career Holloway has reinvented his style on a number of occasions due to whims, age, and the habits of his opponents.

When he met Poirier to contest the next challenger to Khabib Nurmagomedov, he was in the midst of a Featherweight title reign that saw him shower his opponents with punches and wilt them through sheer pace and volume. ‘Muffin-Top Max’ as he dubbed himself up a weight class, came in with this style but was outclassed by the defense of the Diamond.

Holloway was able to land his right straight to the body with abandon (V3) but he did not enforce it enough in the first three rounds of this affair. Holloway instead opted to direct the majority of his offensive output towards Poirier’s head, which is exactly what he wants. Poirier’s Hillbilly Shell, so named because of Poirier’s Cajun roots and function as a modified ‘Philly Shell’, is suited to defend the head at all costs. Looking at Floyd Mayweather utilizing the traditional tactic (I1), we can how his side on stance give the opponent a smaller targeting area. His lead hand is draped across the midsection to defend the only viable targets on the body, and his he can easily duck behind his lead shoulder to defend his opponent’s attacks. His rear hand acts as a shield to the side of his head for oncoming hooks while slipping and dipping, and parrying single shots in the dead spaces of the fight. Poirier’s guard, by contrast, (I2, I found the clearest singular frame of it being used by Leon Edwards), lifts the lead arm up while pointing the elbow out. This leaves the body wide open (V9) but means most punches aimed at the head simply glance off the arms and shoulders (V3). Holloway famously said between rounds of this fight,

“He’s blocking weird!”

He’s right, very few MMA fighters utilize a defense like this to stay in the pocket and counter. They often opt for a linear retreat . Holloway is himself an all−time great of the sport, and will figure something out. He was able to sneak in punches in the few holes Poirier provided (V4), but was confronted with his next problem: He was staying in the pocket too long.

V3

I1: Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ‘Philly Shell’ or Stonewall defense

I2: Leon Edwards using the Hillbilly Shell (I’ve also heard it called the skull and crossbones guard) ineffectively against Belal Muhammad.

V4

Max Holloway’s success during this era was predicated on his ability to trade shots with his opponents and continue combinations through his opponent’s counters. As the fight wore on he would be met with less counter offense and a tired opponent (Ortega, Aldo) would become a human punching bag. These fights took place at Featherweight however, and Dustin Poirier, though not a one−punch knockout artist, is a thudding puncher who visibly hurts and wobbles every one of his Lightweight opponents. Holloway could not simply stay in the pocket in trade. He would often land with authority, but stay in the pocket to capitalize on his success only to be met with a hammer from Poirier (V5). Holloway’s style at this time was predicated upon overwhelming the opponent, though would have been much better served to land and exit range in this fight.

Dustin Poirier is one of the better southpaw operators in MMA. He is not a ‘pure southpaw’ like Conor McGregor; his game does not rely on traditional southpaw tactics, but is more than adept at taking advantage of the open−stance matchup. Holloway’s blistering pace was almost always preceded by the jab. Holloway has one of the better jabs in MMA, constantly occupying the open space between him and the opponent as a weapon, range finder, feinting and exit tool. An omnipresent jab comes with all these benefits, while also making Holloway’s offense predictable. Poirier’s right hook (with the lead hand) acts as a southpaw’s version of the cross counter, coming over the jab and clattering Holloway (V5, V6). Holloway’s offense was stifled at both ends, the right hook dinging him at the beginning of his offensive phases, and Poirier' overpowering him at the end.

Holloway’s penchant to retreat linearly was the last of his tendencies to bite him in the ass through this bout (V7). Holloway was often the aggressor this fight, despite most exchanges going the way of Poirier, but anytime Poirier advances his Poirier shift became the perfect tool to quickly close the distance Holloway sought to create, and punish him. Before this point, Holloway had never been hurt so consistently. Jose Aldo almost sent him to the shadow realm in each fight, but Poirier made the Hawaiian’s chin earn its keep. The majority of Holloway’s work was rendered moot throughout most of the first 3 rounds, and the more he tried, the more he seemed to eat Poirier’s counters at punching range (V8).

V5

V6

V7

V8

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Glimmers of Hope

Dustin Poirier’s ‘natural’ style was incredibly well suited to deal with the Max Holloway’s never ending offense. The result was a clear win for Poirier yet it was an incredibly competitive affair. Holloway fought his way back in the third round, switching up his style to more effectively deal with Poirier, punish his openings, and maintain a level of defense. His most consistent damaging tool was the right straight to the body (V9). Holloway’s jab (more accurately the double jab) was a great tool to enter range on a slight angle, obtain outside foot position, and bait out the Hillbilly Shell to stab Poirier’s midsection with a good straight. He did not enforce it enough in the early rounds where it could have paid off more later, but it did allow him to stay competitive after a few harrowing moments early.

Looking ahead to their trilogy fight, its prescient to note Holloway’s evolution as striker. Since his rematch with Volkanovski his kicking game has again become a cornerstone of his game, often leading with kicks from borders just as much as he jabs. Holloway’s kicking game has never disappeared but it was certainly deemphasized in this phase of his career. Holloway’s kicking in this fight came in spurts, but almost all of them had wrinkles of success to them.

Its a tad derivative at this point to say, and though not true in all cases, kicking into the open side from borders is a great idea in the dead spaces of the fight (V10). This is especially effective against Dustin Poirier given his Hillbilly shell is best suited to protecting his head. Kicking the head will simply hit the arms, which is never a bad idea, and a body kick will likely go in undefended. Holloway would find much more success against Poirier in shifting his focus from jabbing at borders, to kicking more. Kicking keeps Holloway outside of punching range and forces Poirier to be defensive. When he’s defensive, he can’t counter punch or enter mid range to start boxing exchanges where he found the most success. Kicking at the end of exchanges (V10) also keeps Holloway from sticking in the pocket too long, instead getting a free kick off on a defensive Poirier while re establishing kicking range. Where Holloway was susceptible at both the beginning and ends of exchanges throughout this fight, kicking can keep him ahead at both ends instead.

V9

V10

So much more can be gained from kicking Poirier than accruing attritive damage. The threat of the kick gives Holloway options from which to enter range. Stepping down into southpaw after kicking is a cheeky way to change stances without compromising oneself (you’re already on one foot from kicking anyway). Poirier usually leads the stance matchup by virtue of his Poirier shift, but Holloway can introduce some mix ups by stepping down into southpaw and dictating the pocket exchanges on his terms (V11). While effective, Holloway’s floating teep / stomp entry has been much more effective throughout his career at facilitating stance switches and entries (V12). The linked video explains its utility in depth, but its uses as a feint forces the opponent backwards and defensive while Holloway crosses a large swatch of empty space between them, giving him the perfect opportunity to punch without being countered. The threat of a forward moving attack is not dissimilar to Poirier’s own Poirier Shift, nullifying his deadly right hook counter that comes with stepping through into range more thoughtlessly (V13). Knee raises with the lead leg can keep Poirier just as defensive in pocket exchanges, allowing Holloway to step right into outside foot position (ideal in the open stance matchup) and tee off with his preferred combinations.

Holloway’s kicking game was best used as a positioning tool in sparse moments of this fight, and has since become one of the best aspects of his veteran game. Holloway’s kicks keep him out of Poirier’s preferred range in the pocket and facilitate safer entries. This is how he can dictate the geography of the fight in the rematch.

V11

V12

V13

V14

Holloway also showed flashes of brilliance within the clinch (V15, V16). He was able to land some stabbing knees in the middle of his combinations that only further added to his barrage of body straights that wore on Poirier late. His kicks can occupy his borders game, while his clinch work should be used to navigate the pocket. Holloway was often getting eaten up in the pocket; he chose to stay there and throw without much defensive thought. He would (and did) have much more success crashing into the clinch to smother Poirier’s punches after one of his patented flurries (V16), and pushing away to reestablish the long range. He can enforce his game in the areas where he is,

1. Better suited than Dustin Poirier, and

2. Actively taking away Poirier’s A game.

Kick from borders, and crash into the clinch to land some knees after throwing down in the pocket. This will wear on him, so by the 5th round, he can get back to fighting how he does best (V17). His fights against Arnold Allen (kicking from the outside, counter him as he comes in heavy hitting southpaw) and Gaethje (heavy hitting lightweight, kicks that mask entries, sitting down on punches) would perhaps be the best ones to model this weekend’s performance off of. Thankfully, Max Holloway has also begun sitting down on his punches since the Allen fight. Knocking out Korean Zombie and Justin Gaethje cold is something that wasn’t present in his earlier career. Holloway would often TKO his opponents through a sheer punching barrage, but rarely knock them out. While I do not mean to discredit his S&C team, which certainly played a role in his punching power and strength ceiling rising, his recent power is also due to him actively sitting into his stance to counter. Holloway has molded himself into an active counter puncher, where he was once an all out forward moving machine of arm punches. He punched for punching sake, merely to keep the opponent occupied and keep himself ahead. His newfound power and strategy will almost certainly be a hard hurdle for Poirier to overcome coming into this fight.

V15

V16

V17

Another Classic Affair

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Contents:

• A Refined Weapon

• Now He’s Got Subs?!

Great pressure fighters are able to slowly but surely remove their opponent’s offensive weapons. Pressure fighters approach a fight as if an arrow piercing through the layers of concentric circles, the innermost being their winning condition or geography. Despite withering an opponent’s offense through sheer pace in many a previous bout, Merab Dvalishvili has seemingly gone from strength to strength, pairing his manic pace with genuine tactical execution. His route to victory through sheer activity will still work against most, but it is no longer the only tool in his arsenal. Once a William Wallace type, wielding his heavy claymore of cardio, he has expanded his ability to become something of a Hoplite: his cardio his spear, tactical execution his short sword, and footwork his shield.

Dvalishvili’s initial meeting with O’Malley at Noche UFC was not the most convincing win of his career. He skirted around the edge of the cage, limiting most exchanges in a gameplan not suited to weaponizing his cardio until later in the fight. At UFC 316 however, Dvalishvili seemed prepared to shut down O’Malley’s weapons through forcing a gameplan that elevates his own strengths (V1).

V1

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.

A Refined Weapon

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Contents:

• Early Career

• Mentality

• Power

• Length

• The Stance

• Distance Management

• Starting a Fight

• Kicks Control the Center

• Feinting

• Coralling Kicks

• Punching Past the Black Line

• Intercepting Counters

• The Greatest Win of All Time

• Finishing

The Notorious Conor McGregor. MMA’s brightest star is a polarizing figure who has always provoked the public into following his exploits, for better or worse. McGregor’s career in combat is at an inflection point, few believe the comeback to MMA will materialize.

Recent fans of the sport tend to underrate Conor McGregor because of his latest form and personal woes. Criticisms have surfaced regarding his lack of title defenses and middling competition during his ascent. There is validity to these claims but they do not tell the whole story: many sell him short.

In his prime (2013-2016, Brimage-Alvarez) Conor McGregor was one of the finest fighters to ever exist. He was a genius in the cage and master of traditional southpaw tactics. Before we can understand the strategies that wrought success, we must understand his attributes that lay the foundation of his fighting style.

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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.

Additional Disclaimer: McGregor’s recent legal troubles are nothing to downplay. This article was written before the most recent legal decision, and is not meant to speak on those issues. This is solely an analysis of his fighting style, tactics, and technique.

Early Career

McGregor’s career took off as a young prospect in Cage Warriors, a European feeder league for the UFC. After a humiliating loss to Joseph Duffy in his Cage Warriors debut, McGregor shot through the MMA world like a cannon. He was tailor made for celebrity. His confidence, powerful left hand, and fearlessness made him an enigmatic fighter and more exciting to watch than any other.

Consistently knocking opponents unconscious garnered attention but McGregor’s unshakeable confidence was just as magnetic. Ambition oozed out of his movements whilst in the cage. He looked more comfortable fighting than most do lounging with a book.

McGregor was constantly attempting unorthodox techniques. An elbow TKO on an opponent attempting to take him down (V1), spinning kicks into takedowns (V2), and a firm belief that he could finish anyone with his left hand (V3). He was cocky, but it materialized as a playful fighting demeanor. He showed zero fear that their offense would affect him in any way. He knew that no matter what he tried, no matter how crazy it might seem, it would result in his victory.

V1: McGregor’s opportunism was as present in his early fights as it was in his later life. Creative and violent. Continuous elbows to the dome of a single-leg that should have been released, until his opponent slides into unconsciousness. 

V2: McGregor had an unparalleled ease and flow of movement even before his UFC tenure. He was completely unafraid to attempt unorthodox techniques and was rarely punished for his bravery. McGregor feints his lead hand to back the man up, and proceeds to land a spinning head kick. McGregor throws a spinning hook kick as they retreat out to the side, and times a double leg as the opponent over extends on his punches. 

V2: McGregor forged his fame through pressure and a left hand. McGregor throws a left straight to back his opponent towards the cage. Trapped, he feints his lead as if to punch and knees through the center of his opponent’s guard. McGregor allows the opponent to press, and the moment they throw their rear hand he dips out to throw his own over the top. 

Mentality

McGregor’s path to the UFC could not have been clearer after becoming a two-weight champion in Cage Warriors. Despite the stiffer competition McGregor’s aura did not dwindle. Some men crumble under the pressure when their strategy begins to unravel, when their opponent resists more than anticipated. He lacked such anxiety (V4). His opponents were bound to have moments of success, it is inevitable in a fist-fight. He acted as though the opponent could do nothing to phase him (V5). McGregor fostered an unmatched conviction in his victory and was not afraid to have fun while doing so (V6).

V4: McGregor gets dropped with a leg kick but he does not lose composure. He maintains the center of the octagon, continuing to move forward on Siver. He throws a 1-2 that forces Siver to the cage, and McGregor continues his hunt. He successfully evades an overhand left, body kick, and straight right after landing his own. 

V5: McGregor quickly moves forward with his hands raised high, completely disregarding any offense from the opponent. This is enough of an intimidation tactic that was able to back his opponent up to the cage. McGregor unloads with a flurry of punches that force the opponent to shell up. McGregor takes advantage of their broken posture by throwing endless knees to the opponent’s head until he is forced to shoot a takedown out of desperation. 

V6: McGregor’s confidence on full display against Dennis Siver. McGregor approaches Siver with his hands down, throwing a high kick followed by a front kick that are threatening enough to put Siver on the back foot. McGregor feels as though he is in complete control, and utilizes some stylish head movement and uppercut feints to jump into a strong head kick. Though Siver blocks the head kicks, they keep his hands defending rather than attacking. 

Conor McGregor’s boundless confidence was only half of the foundation that underpinned his style. His physical gifts composed the other. He has flirted with lightweight, welterweight, and everything in between since his loss to Nate Diaz, but it was at featherweight where he was truly able to shine. He might have looked like Skeletor on the scale (I1), but this never affected his in-ring performances.

I1: McGregor at featherweight

Power

McGregor’s punching power was a gift from God, creating some of the most iconic moments in UFC history (V40). He would choose to lightly kick the opponent’s lead leg to keep them occupied at kicking range, but his left straight, rear high kick, spinning hook kick, and front kick to the body were all meant to do damage and instill trepidation. He was rarely interested in throwing non-committal punches and then surprising his opponents with a power shot. He opted to feint and pressure, take note of his opponents reactions, and land full power punches that would lead to a finish. Even against those with legendary chins, McGregor’s power was enough to change their behavior (V7). Holloway was fiercely attempting to stay on the front foot despite McGregor’s pressure throughout the bout. Once McGregor hit him with a hard left straight, Holloway’s demeanor completely shifted. He hesitated, stopping in place to throw non-committal jabs. McGregor picked up on this immediately and pressed forward with a flying knee into an elbow frame. Even though the shot didn’t cause Holloway to wobble, his shift in behavior was evidence of McGregor’s power at play.

V7: McGregor keeps an outstretched hand to pull Holloway’s lead hand down, and stuns him with a rear left hand on the forehead. McGregor takes note of Holloway’s hesitancy following the shot and throws a flying knee into an elbow frame as Holloway is forced to the cage. When McGregor sees an opening for the finish he seizes it. 

Punching power is often a nebulous idea that most think is purely genetic. While there is truth to this, this does not mean it can’t be developed and enhanced. A well-publicized portion of McGregor’s training during this time was under the tutelage of Ido Portal. Say what you will about his focus on bodyweight movements and capoeira stylings, McGregor’s comfort and fluidity of movement were no doubt influenced by his training. McGregor’s hip turnover and mobility were integral towards enhancing his already spectacular power (V8). He wasn’t a perfect boxer but he developed an understanding of how to use his whole body while punching. He threw his left hand so that his rear hip and shoulder changed positions with the lead. Turning his entire body into punches with such ease provided the power and snap that shut the lights out of whoever stood across from him.

V8: McGregor jabs and feints his left hand, showing an incredibly mobile upper body and hip turnover for his left hand. McGregor continues to paw at Brimage with his lead hand, waiting for him to rush in. Brimage rushes in with a leaping left hook, and McGregor now fully commits to his left, countering Brimage over the top of his wide hook. 

Length

McGregor’s had beautiful punching mechanics aided by his long limbs. McGregor was average in height for a featherweight fighter today (5’8) but towered over most of his opponents (V10). His reach / limb length was the star of his range game. McGregor has a positive ape index of 5.0, where his wingspan is 5 inches longer than his body. This accentuated his straight punching power and elite distance management skills. When McGregor would open up with combinations, he could easily frame off the opponent and push them back out of range when they tried to counter (V9). McGregor controlled the range the fight took place but he was not afraid to simply push shorter fighters away to keep them at his preferred distance. His physical gifts at featherweight were abundant, but how did his style maximize their effectiveness?

V9: McGregor utilizes his reach to its fullest. He swings a long rear uppercut that is not punished by Siver, as McGregor simply pushes him back towards the fence to create space. McGregor jabs Siver and leans into a left straight to the body. Siver attempts to counter with hooks, but McGregor simply regains his stance, hits Siver with a lazy left, and leans again to let Siver’s high kick sail past his nose. 

V10: McGregor often benefited from a height and reach advantage at featherweight, but this was even starker against Marcus Brimage. Though he enjoyed a traditional southpaw/open-stance matchup, he had little issue in the closed-stance against Brimage compared to his later fights with Poirer. McGregor utilized knees and uppercuts much more in this fight than any other as the shorter Brimage often threw his head forward of his hips in a less tactical way than McGregor. He simply threw so hard that his head was forced forward by his momentum. McGregor would push him away when he tried to retaliate, solidifying the physical discrepancy between them.

The Stance

The stance (I2). McGregor’s stance was uniquely suited to accentuate his physicality and explosivity. He stood side-on to his opponent, with a wide base and outstretched lead hand. This wide base had him heavy on his front foot which allowed him to dart backwards out of range from an opponent’s punches. This puts him heavy on his rear foot, where he can dart back into range with punches of his own (V11). McGregor was a fighter wholly committed to being an overwhelming offensive force. He rarely threw non-committal shots save a jab, and even then his lead hand would rather occupy the space between his and his opponent’s (V12). Lead-hand fighting is such a staple in McGregor’s fights because he is a true southpaw. Other than Poirer and Brimage, who were not the craftiest strikers at the times he faced them at featherweight, McGregor was always fighting in the open stance matchup and built his game around it. The lead hands and feet occupied the same side because of this, and it makes establishing a jab in the open-stance different.

I2: McGregor imitating his stance before a fight

V11: McGregor’s wide, side-on stance gives him a strong base to dart forwards and backwards from. McGregor jumps back from a level change and left-hook from Alvarez, retreating on a slight angle out to his own left. From here, McGregor places himself more in line with Alvarez’s center, where he can jump back into range to land a rear straight. 

V12: McGregor hand-fights to get Holloway focused on the upper body, and then attacks low with a side kick to the leg. Holloway retaliates with his own and follows up with a pawing 1-2. McGregor does not rely on his head movement, instead opting to control the range between their feet. Here he shows he is more than competent at evading shots from close range, and doggedly maintains his position in the center of the octagon when his opponent pressures. 

McGregor’s right side (his lead side, made more prevalent by his side on stance) was used to feint, poke, and pester. Jumping low-line side kicks, jab feints, and hand fighting. McGregor utilized his lead weapons as way to clear the way for his rear weapons (V13). The lead hand, after occupying the opponent with the hand fight, could swat away the opponent’s. His left straight, uppercut, and rear kicks were only thrown with intent to kill (V14) the open-side.

V13: McGregor crowds Alvarez’s lead hand, and pulls it down in order to land the jab, leaning into it as his signature to exaggerate his reach advantage. Alvarez attempts to return with hooks as his back is up against the fence, but McGregor pushes off Alvarez’s chest before his hook can reach. 

V14: McGregor employs a text-book southpaw counter here. McGregor dips outside of the opponent’s jab in the open-stance and shoots his left hand down the middle inside of the jab. 

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Distance Management

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Contents:

• The GOAT Gets What He Wants

• Head In, Hips Out

• The Headbutt

• Stifling the Butt

Harumafuji, formerly known as Ama, was the sport of sumo's 70th Yokozuna. He rose to prominence alongside fellow Mongolian Hakuhō, the Dai-Yokozuna of the era and one of the greatest rikishi of all time.

V1: Harumafuji’s Zensho Yusho win against Hakuhō in the finals.

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.

Harumafuji's exit from the sport was uglier than most would have preferred, but I'd like to focus on what made him such a spectacular wrester, especially against his contemporary Hakuhō. He had a very competitive record with him, 22 wins and 37 losses (counting playoff bouts). Though on the losing end of the matchup, he has more wins over Hakuhō than any other wrestler.

His career is so impressive as he was often the smallest wrestler in the top division (makuuchi). At his heaviest he was only about 302 pounds. While large for an average person, Hakuhō himself was around 342 and the average among all rikishi is 330 pounds in the modern era. He utilized a litany of techniques, pulling off spectacular trips and throws that appeared gravity defying (V2). His kimarite (finishing techniques) were prolific. With 44 unique kimarite throughout his career, he even beat out his contemporary for variety, who had 42. If you want to be entertained watching this beautiful, ritualistic sport, Harumafuji does not disappoint.

I have a place in my heart for lighter combat athletes who find ways to compete and win among their fellow giants. I have a video on Midorifuji and an article on Enhō, two of the smallest wrestlers competing today. In a contest devoid of weight divisions, seeing how the more diminutive rikishi find success is ever the interesting study. I find it very helpful as a smaller grappler myself (I’m 5’7, and not yet the muscle shark I’m working to be. If you’re shorter and want to build more muscle, check this out). Even though sumo is unique among the grappling arts, the same principles tend to apply across them all.

Keep moving and take out the base.

While prescient, this is not what I want to focus on. Let’s first find out what made Hakuhō such a difficult matchup for Harumafuji.

V2: Harumafuji reverses a push out with a beautiful leg elevation, turning Hakuhō mid-air to secure the win

Hakuhō is a chameleon. He is incredibly versatile and defensively sound. He certainly has preferred positions, but he seems to be able to win from just about anywhere in the dohyō.

Hakuhō’s adaptability expressed itself in a protracted bout (V3). The longer it went, especially against Harumafuji, the more likely he was going to win. Why?

When assessing other combat sports, such as boxing and MMA, aerobic capacity is the perhaps the most important attribute to develop. How often have you heard “road work” be referenced in boxing circles? There’s a reason for that. A full length fight is 15 minutes minimum in MMA, 24 in boxing. Sumo bouts are often less than 20 seconds. It is an complete exertion of anaerobic capacity.

A smaller man usually has better cardiovascular capabilities, which is to their advantage in more aerobically taxing martial arts. The nature of sumo is so heavily weighed towards strength however that bouts will rarely reach aerobic exertion for Harumafuji to take advantage. The smaller man needs to work harder to stay competitive in a grappling exchange.

There are times which two rikishi are locked up, and seem to be doing nothing. Though they might need a breath, they are often making very tiny adjustments, looking for the perfect moment to push, throw, trip, or grip. A long, stalled clinch is largely predicated upon pure strength, especially when both men are rooted to the ground: two oak trees fighting for light. Both men are tense, looking for the moment they feel the advantage swing their way. The longer they work, the more likely it is that the larger, stronger wrestler will take over. Harumafuji, as the smaller, weaker man, must maximize his strength threshold just to stay competitive with Hakuhō in the clinch. He will tire more quickly due to his increased exertion. Hakuhō does not need to push himself to the limit in order to maintain an advantage. He can simply use enough force to keep Harumafuji at bay until he feels him fade. The longer of Harumafuji's bouts with Hakuhō often went the way of the larger man for this reason (V3).

V3

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Contents:

• Controlling the Range

• Exploiting Lopes’ Habits

• Beating Him at His Own Game

• Diego Doing the Same (and why it wasn’t enough)

Alexander Volkanovski has broken the “35-year old curse” in MMA. For those unaware, no fighter over the age of 35 has won a UFC title fight from Flyweight (125) to Lightweight (155). If you include Welterweight (170) in that calculation, there are only 2 (both by Tyron Woodley, a reigning champion who beat a fast-tracked Darren Till and a 40-year old Damien Maia). There are a myriad of reasons why this is the benchmark age a fighter’s elite ability begins to wane. Simply, fighting is a grueling sport.

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Perhaps more impressively, Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski was knocked out cold in both of his previous fights. Once by a head kick at the shin of the Islam Makhachev, and again by the demonic punches of Ilia Topuria. When the fight against Diego Lopes was announced, there was reason to worry. Though Lopes does not have the depth of abilities to match an all-time great fighter like Volk, he’s a physical powerhouse with an eye for strong counters. I knew Volk had a path to victory, but fighting is unpredictable. No matter how good you might be at controlling your opponent, you will undoubtably find yourself in tricky situations. For an aging man who’s durability is not his greatest asset, there was always a chance he could have his lights shut out early. To my utter enjoyment, Volkanovski survived all of Lopes’ best shots and pitched a near shut out to reclaim his rightful place at the top of the division.

Despite being the shorter, less powerful man (in terms of striking power), Volkanovski dictated the pace and the rate at which exchanges took place. As outlined in the video linked above, one of Lopes’ biggest hurdles coming into a fight with Volkanovski is his reactionary fighting style. Despite his heavy hands and fast, aggressive wins, Lopes is not a pressure fighter. He waits at the end of range to counter when an opponent comes in with strikes. Volkanovski was able to better anticipate and create opportunities through his jab and step-in feints (V1). Volk’s jab is a multi-faceted tool and at its basest level kept a barrier between him and Lopes. With how reactionary he is, constantly pawing the jab into open space can dull Lopes’ ability to sense when a real opening is coming, and pops him in the face should he decide to enter range himself.

Lopes is not a pressure fighter, but he does like to follow his opponents. He rarely presents tools to cut an opponent off and follows where an opponent was rather than anticipating where they will be. In between Volk’s jabs and step in feints to bait overcommitments from Lopes, he spent almost the entirety of the fight circling towards his right (V2). A more studied pressure fighter, like Ilia Topuria, will quickly shut this down with kicks or hooks to the circling side, and wide steps to cut off the exit. Lopes does not do any of this. Volk’s constant circling kept him out of the direct path of Lopes’ rear hand on the counter, and forced him to constantly turn to keep Volk in his line of sight. These moments where Lopes is turning give Volk split seconds to mask his entries from a favorable angle: out of Lopes’ line of sight to hopefully catch him out of his stance. Volk’s offense was even used to help propagate this movement at times (V3).

Lopes’ reactionary tendencies and lack of pressuring footwork were exploited well by Volk. Still, Lopes is a giant for the weight class and seems to have bags of bricks masquerading as his hands. No matter how well Volk maintained distance with his jab, he still needed other tools to contend with such a man at range.

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.

V1

V2

V3

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Controlling the Range

In the battle of feints (V4) Volkanovski was firmly in control. Lopes marched forward with a few jabs to match Volkanovski’s output and the odd uppercut to dissuade a takedown attempt, but Volk’s more committed attempts could often force a backwards leap from Lopes (something he does quite often, to his detriment). Lopes does not have the requisite footwork to cut off Volk’s exits, but he does plod forward throughout a majority of the fight. This leaves him very heavy on his front foot and thus a sucker for Volkanovski’s other favorite weapon: the low kick.

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Contents:

• Adversity Everywhere

• The Highlights

• Vulnerabilities

• “JAB!” -Trevor Whitman

• Another Thing He Barely Does

Justin Gaethje proves that he’s not done yet. Though Rafael Fiziev was coming in to face ‘The Highlight’ on short notice, Gaethje’s previous knockout at the hands of Max Holloway left many to question how much longer the paragon of violence had left. The answer is more than they thought.

In a fight that mirrored their first meeting, Gaethje struggled early but worked his way back into the fight with his stellar striking game off of the collar tie. His tactics became predictable, but Gaethje showed that he can switch it up when he’s in the right mind to do so, adding some slick entries to confound his opponent and eventually secure the win.

The problem with Gaethje is that he does not employ these tactics until he’s losing, and by then it might be too late. If he jabbed and shot takedowns more often, he could be even more of a force than he is now. What is Justin Gaethje’s clinch striking like, and how could it be even better?

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.

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Adversity Everywhere

Justin Gaethje leaps into the clinch with a long, sticky jab (V1). The use of punches as collar tie entries has been a staple of Justin Gaethje’s since his career in the World Series of Fighting (now PFL). The collar tie acts as a target for his rear hand, pulling the head and punching towards it to land violent punches in the clinch.

In round 1 he had trouble getting this combination off. Whether Fiviez entered the clinch on his terms or Gaethje’s, he stifled Gaethje’s collar tie with a deep underhook and controlled his usual punching arm with a tricep tie. As Gaethje was preoccupied fighting his grips or shooting tiny shots into the body, Fiviez had cleared a space for his thudding knees.

Body work was Fiziev’s M.O. this fight, much like in their initial meeting. Gaethje struggled on the outside as Fiviez landed body kicks with abandon (V2) that often occupied the dead spaces of this fight. For whatever reason Gaethje seemed unaffected in both fights, and Fiziev’s kick rate seemed to tire him out faster than his kick’s did Gaethje. Fiziev was fighting as if it would be scored like a Muay Thai bout (where it is weighed heavily towards kicks).

Without any real counter to Fiziev’s work from the outside, Gaethje did as Gaethje does. He barreled forward, and somewhere along the way, began to find craftier ways to impose what worked.

V1

V2

The Highlights

V3 showcases the highlights of Gaethje’s clinch game:

1. Dip deep to the right (outside the opponent’s jab/lead side)

2. Swing the left hand to the head or waist

3. Throw the uppercut or overhand right

4. Rip the body or punch off the break

Gaethje’s clinch game has maintained this general style for years because, most of the time, it works. Gaethje struggled through the first round as Fiziev had great clinch fundamentals, controlling Gaethje’s arms and disengaging on his terms. The longer the clinch, the more it favored Fiziev. So Gaethje shortened the clinch time (V4).

The moment Gaethje’s left hand touched Fiziev’s head, he was punching (V3, 4, 7, 8). Gaethje’s overhand right is the key to maintaining a short inside time and landing reliably. His left hand stills Fiziev’s head for just a moment and acts as a target for his right hand to punch to. Even if he can’t see what’s happening he knows where his hand is (try punching your own hand with your eyes closed). While his lead sits on Fiviez’s neck, he simply has to punch through the head to meet it. This adds additional power to it.

Gaethje’s right was his primary clinch breaker (V4, V5, V6). Despite Fiziev’s proficiency in the clinch, he was not often attacking out of it, something Gaethje’s former opponents have taken advantage of (V13). Instead, he opted to push away (V3) which often did little to prevent the right hand. Rather, no matter Fiziev’s defensive reaction, Gaethje’s overhand seemed to thwart it at every turn:

Fiziev tries to pull Gaethje into the clinch, but Gaethje’s overhand creates space, and allows follow up shots inside Fiziev’s outstretched arms (V4, V7).

Fiviez tries to turn off the cage and separate, but Gaethje breaks the clinch with his overhand (V5).

Fiviez tries to circle to get away from Gaethje’s collar tie, but circles right into the overhand instead (V6)

No matter what Fiviez did to escape the clinch, Gaethje seemed one-step ahead. Gaethje’s pattern is predictable though, so Fiziev was able to catch onto it. Gaethje always dips to the outside, except in V8. Fiziev throws an uppercut to catch him, but Gaethje actually dips inside of the preceding jab and weaves out, away from the counter. Gaethje’s mix-up kept him safe and provided him with a new entry into his collar-tie that is immediately followed up by a picture perfect uppercut.

Gaethje’s usual style and inventiveness (V9) afford him a violent close-range game that is hard to contend with. Even though he has a predictable pattern, Gaethje tends to improve on his mix-ups and entries throughout the fight (V8, V9). This is not to say that it is impervious to counters though: it has been stopped before he gets the ball rolling.

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V3

V4

V5

V6

V7

V8

V9

Vulnerabilities

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Contents:

• DriKickUs

• Countering the Jab

• Dealing with the Teep

Dricus du Plessis has again proved why he is one of my favorite champions in the sport right now. He is a man of contradictions. His boxing and wrestling is ugly and brutish (Chad-coded), yet he has surprisingly dextrous kicks. He talks of analysts over-thinking his fighting, but he comes into every fight with smart tactics and in-fight adjustments.

‘Still Knocks’ does not appear to pass the eye test, but succeeds in spite of it. Despite an initially competitive and somewhat repetitive first fight, du Plessis came prepared to deal with Strickland’s rote approach in the rematch. This was not a surgical dissection you might see from fighters like Volkanovski or Weili. It was instead du Plessis’ unique quirks forming entertaining and inventive counters to Stricklands game.

V1: du Plessis breaks Strickland’s nose

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.

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If you would like free breakdowns on his game, check these articles out:

DriKickUs

Lumpin-DDP first caught my attention in the Adesanya fight and only solidified as a cornerstone of his game at UFC 312. Of all the things the top-heavy oaf could add to his game, a great question mark kick was near the bottom of my expectations (V2, V5). When I refer to something as a ‘cornerstone’ of a fighters game, I realize that term can be somewhat nebulous. Here, and in most cases, it means thus:

A technique or tactic in which a fighters other actions stem from, or which induce in the opponent things for the fighter to take advantage of. Often times this is what they are doing in the 'dead spaces' of a fight, where they are not exchanging, but the fighter simply wants to stay busy and continue to induce action. A fighter uses this 'cornerstone' tactic to build other actions that will swing the fight in his direction. 

Ex: Dricus' kicks, Frankie Edgar's jab / post-single double attack, Adesanya's jab and calf kick, Stricklands jab and teep.

Du Plessis is often inducing the action with his kicks. They give him information with which to work. Did the question mark kick land? Yes, so keep doing it. Is he now reacting to the threat? Perfect, now kick him in the body.

The question mark / high kick itself is meant to subvert expectations. To be more precise, du Plessis lifting the knee (from both legs in both stances) was the true tactic from which his initiating actions were built. Given Strickland’s own propensity to teep and check kicks, the threat of the knee raise could force a defensive response. We see this response in V3, which is followed by a lead leg high kick thereafter.

A high kick is a risky technique in MMA. It is high commitment, taxing, and leaves a wide opening to be taken down. This matters little here. Strickland is not much of a grappling threat and DDP has deceptively good cardio (he simply always looks tired, while fighting through it). Strickland instead wants to jab at all costs and likes to lean away from shots. The high kick keeps him on the end of kicking range and even if he blocks it (V4, V5), it is a strong enough strike that it can significantly damage the arms (V5).

V2

V3

V4

V5

Countering the Jab

DDP’s kicks and knee raises up the middle created the majority of his initiating action, but how did he take advantage of Strickland’s tools and habits? For all of the criticism of Strickland’s style, most fighters at middleweight simply cannot deal with his straight punching and kick defense. It is simple but effective. That said, Strickland has almost no ancillary tools to fall back on. If his jab and teep are not working consistently, his odd right hand is not going to change the course of a fight. Remove the threat of these weapons, and you will easily impose your will.

DDP was aware of the threat right away, taking the first round to defend against Strickland’s jab with his active high guard and parries (V6). He always put something in the path of the jab. He spent 5 rounds prior finding the feel for this stagnant game, so it did not take DDP long to try and exploit the jab. Unsurprisingly, DDP found his own way. He tried his hand at the ultimate jab killer, the cross counter (V7), but Strickland’s shoulder roll blocked the path of his right.

V6

V7

A more typical response to punishing an opponent leaning behind their shoulder would be to step forward with the left hook. DDP is no typical fighter. Instead, he hops forward with his jab to get Strickland leaning back, and arcs his right hand over Strickland’s shoulder and down to catch his temple inside of Strickland’s counter (V8). Strickland’s own hooks are straight-armed, not nearly tight enough to catch such an exaggerated technique. From the closed-stance, he was able to throw this right hand more conventionally after occupying Strickland’s pawing hands (V9), but the real fun came in the open-stance.

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Contents:

• Too Far Gone

• Just a Tad Closer Now . . .

Cardio is the ultimate weapon. No one imposes it like Merab Dvalishvili. Colby Covington, Cain Velasquez, and Max Holloway are fighters known for their incredible pace, having outlasted and drowned their opponents. Merab Dvalishvili is simply on another level, outputting so much that his foes can barely mount any form of offense.

At UFC 311, Merab showed us yet again why he is the bantamweight champion, taking the heralded Umar Nurmagomedov into the deepest waters he has yet had to tread. It was an inspiring performance, and in all honestly had me taking my HIIT much more seriously.

It was not without its challenges. Dvalishvili dropped the first two rounds quite convincingly. It was not until the third round that we saw him pour on the pressure with his unending takedown attempts. What changed?

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Too Far Gone

Dvalishvili’s early problems were the result of what we see in V1. Dvalishvili was standing so far away from Nurmagomedov that his punching feints were not even convincing. He was nowhere near hitting him. Dvalishvili is shorter even for bantamweight standards, and is not known for his abnormally long limbs like Alexander Volkanovski. Why stand this far away? I wondered watching the fight.

I received a little clarity from one of his coaches, John Wood of Syndicate MMA:

“I expect Umar to be able to deal with all that [Merab's pace and wrestling]. But come 3rd, 4th, 5th round I think it's going to be a Merab fight. I expect a hard first couple rounds. But I expect Merab to take over and put that grind and that pace."

He did not care if Merab dropped the first two rounds, but it was still strange to me that Dvalishvili willingly started the fight from Nurmagomedov’s preferred range. He loves throwing kicks with his lead leg, his favorite being the question mark kick (V2). It does not often land, but it must be respected if you are hanging around at kicking range. Nurmagomedov will then use this threat for a stepping knee fight that covers distance and forces an opponent backwards.

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Contents:

• Proactive Defense

• Punishing the Frame

• Usyk’s Weapons

• The Dipping Jab

• The Rear Hand

Oleksandr Usyk again reigned supreme against The Gypsy King.

To any and all who thought Tyson Fury was robbed or that the decision was particularly close, it was not.

Fury impressively brought adaptations that were rendered moot by the in-ring reactions of the Ukrainian champion. Despite his best efforts, Tyson Fury could not manage more than a few good moments throughout the rematch.

To stop the fleet-footed giant, Usyk simply prevented Fury from using his lead hand.

V1

Fury found success early in trapping Usyk’s jab and pounding the body, but he could not keep hold of Usyk’s lead hand for long.

Fury relies on his own lead hand for offensive success. It has the dual purpose of jabbing to set up offense, and framing to keep distance or pull an opponent into the clinch. If Fury is not able to establish this double attack, he becomes much less effective.

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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.

Proactive Defense

Usyk’s proactive head movement and high guard were the base of his lead hand counter attack. Constantly slipping while pivoting around Fury, gloves high on his head, Fury’s slapping jabs slid off the gloves as Usyk circled around (V2). Even if a punch was able to land, it rarely did so with authority.

Usyk maintains a higher pace than Fury by constantly occupying the space between them with his lead hand (V3). Feinting the jab, parrying, meeting Fury’s jab with his own. These keep Fury reactive and prevent him from landing the jab. As a natural southpaw, Usyk is accustomed to the open-stance matchup where most fighters struggle to enforce their jab. Rather than trying to land it from a non-optimal angle, he feints and prods Fury to get him punching back (V4). Though he is showing his opponent offense, it fulfills a defensive purpose in keeping Fury from proactively creating offense. From here, Usyk can begin throwing committed punches that also allow him to move around Fury for dominant offensive angles (V5).

V2

V3

V4

V5

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Punishing the Frame

Fury’s lead hand is more than just his jab. While his jab is his primary setup tool for further offense, it also provides the crux of his defense: frames. Tyson Fury is an incredibly long man, even by heavyweight standards. Against a former cruiserweight he would appear a giant. He uses his framing lead hand to keep distance or enter a clinch.

Usyk’s mobile head and bicep ties nullified the threat of a clinch or a consistent frame, so he began punishing Fury’s lazy defensive reaction with jabs and straights (V6-V8). If Fury was able to keep his hand on the front of Usyk’s head he might have had success forcing him out. Had he established this consistently, he could have built uppercuts off of this. Usyk’s head movement was the difference maker.

In his mastery of the open-stance matchup Usyk is always looking to obtain outside foot position (V7-V8, V25). Getting one’s foot outside the opponent’s not only gives you a more favorable position to punch and not be countered, it has the added benefit of free movement after attacking. Without Fury’s leg to block the path of the shin, he is able to pivot to Fury’s outside after throwing. From behind the opponent’s lead shoulder, Usyk can continue an offensive flurry, but the true utility is that the opponent is not able to land any punches from this position. It can even trip the open up when they try to exit range themselves (V25).

Fury is not a dumb boxer and is more than aware of this, so he often backs up after trying to frame to prevent this from happening. This comes with its own problems. Usyk’s defense is of course integrated with a salient offense. Do not simply negate an opponent’s tools: punish them. Even when Fury thought he had a frame to keep Usyk out of range, Usyk’s foot positioning was deep enough that he could still land his rear hand to the body with ease (V9).

V6

V7

V8

Usyk’s Weapons

It’s been alluded to already, but the stars of Usyk’s performance were his jab and rear straight to the body. To punish Fury’s lead, Usyk endlessly tapped Fury’s greedy belly to mount the most consistent offense of the fight.

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Contents:

• The Clinch and Back Body Lock

• Back Control

The UFC’s latest venture into Vegas painted the nerdy fight fan a picture in MMA grappling fundamentals. The starkest of which was provided by Bryce Mitchell (V1), letting everyone know that MMA has evolved in the past 30 years. The Old Gracie way is not sustainable, and pulling guard will leave a fighter comatose on the canvas.

V1

Before Saturday night, many a fan likely expected Shavkat Rakhmonov to show us a new facet to MMA grappling. My friend Ryan Wagner wrote a beautiful article breaking down his stellar offense from the clinch. Be sure to read it as it isn’t invalidated by last nights performance, merely adding more nuance to the discussion.

Mixing The Martial Arts

The Clinch Mauling & Ground Devastation of Shavkat Rakhmonov

Striking…

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a year ago · 12 likes · 2 comments · Mixing Martial Arts

He’s looked like a killer here against every opponent until Ian Machado-Garry. Garry’s similar stature, insistence on wrist control, and pushing his hips out and to the side largely neutered the Kazakh’s Clinch (V2, V3). It was also revealed that Rakhmanov suffered a knee injury prior to the fight, which assuredly impacted his performance. Thankfully, Alexandre Pantoja, Aljamain Sterling, Movsar Evloev, and Chase Hooper all provided Rakhmanov a blueprint from which to work for future success.

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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.

The Clinch & Back Body Lock

Rakhmanov is an offensive dynamo in the clinch. He is constantly throwing knees to both enter the clinch and punish while in the over-under (one overhook and one underhook), and they force the opponent to move or knee themselves, paving the way for a myriad of trips and throws. His strength, even in this fight, was evident. Though often considered 50/50 position, Rakhmanov makes it look like he is in complete domination.

Garry threw a wrench into this (V1).

The majority of Rakhmanov’s resume till now has been filled with individuals shorter than him. The few who matched his frame (Wonderboy) had a significant grappling disadvantage. Garry is the first opponent in his prime who has both a similar stature to Rakhmanov as well as his own grappling experience. Since the result of this fight much has been made of Garry being a judo black belt. One does not typically associate judo as having the transferable skills to MMA compared to wrestling or jiu-jitsu, but against a man who’s offense and grappling hinges on his upper body clinch, understanding defense and weight distribution in these positions makes life much more difficult (V3).

As great fighters do, Rakhmanov changed tactics (V3). Surprising many (including Garry in all likelihood), he began shooting on the legs. His finish was stellar, breaking the posture with a clubbing collar tie to slam Garry down. This worked the first time but Garry was more than ready the on Rakhmanov’s second attmempt (V4). He slipped underneath the collar tie and was able to take the back with relative ease, a hook already in place as Rakhmanov refused to let go of the single. Garry’s back control had its own issues (I1), but the focus now is on the winner of this bout.

Rakhmanov’s change in tactics was necessary, but after the initial shock, his entries became predictable. The star of UFC 310, Alexandre Pantoja, was keen to not commit to his wrestling lest he become an easy target for the potent counter punches and knees of Kai Asakura. Rather than sell out in an attempt to enforce his grappling, Pantoja realizes that he can make better use of his transitional offense on an opponent ready to defend(V5). Rakhmanov found some times to enforce his knees, but not nearly as expected. Garry’s defense and his own injuries likely played a role, but when one half of his clinch game suffers, the other does as well. Without an active offensive threat, his attempts to bring Garry to the ground became less effective (V2, V3). Pantoja had established his double-attack, and was thus ready to react to Asakura’s attempts to escape (V6, V7).

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Contents:

• The Right Tools for the Job

• Opening Up

I had the blessing to finally witness Charles Oliveira fight live and was elated by the experience. Michael Chandler gave Charles Oliveira the opportunity to put on a 4 round masterclass. Until the shot that rattled him in the 5th and subsequent to the back of the head, Oliveira calmly executed his brand of violence a notch below his usual torrid pace. Despite my heart attack in the fifth, I assessed the fight as such:

A fighter showing a more reserved approach is usually the first sign of their physical decline, but there are a few things to consider.

1. I did not see any evidence of Oliveira looking worse physically, merely better technically

2. Chandler’s balls to the wall approach gave Oliveira the perfect opportunity to showcase this

3. He very well might appear over the hill in his next fight, but being able to approach fights without risking himself as much, and a better wrestling game, will only improve his ability to compete longer in the tooth

With that said, lets assess how Oliveira approached this fight, and how it differed from his previous outings.

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.

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The Right Tools for the Job

Charles Oliveira is an offensive dynamo. From his kicks to clinch striking to submission game, Oliveira is in possession of every finishing weapon The problem is that he has not always chosen the right weapon for every encounter. Take the finishing sequence of his title loss to Makhachev in V1. Oliveira enters from long to mid-range with a flying knee while Makhachev has all the space in the world behind him to retreat. He catches Makhachev primed to counter while he is still recovering his stance, leading to the knockdown. He has a lovely knee, but this was one of the worst times he could have thrown it, there was nothing to set this up or indicate its utility.

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Contents:

• A Spectacular Finish

• Stances and Movement

• Back Foot Pressure

• Layer 1: Kicking Battle

• Layer 2: The Jab

• Final Layer: The Intercepting Hook

  

I keep coming back to the fact that Ilia Topuria’s nickname is El Matador when no fighter exhibits ‘El Toro’ more. Charging forward with limited, potent weapons, Topuria forces every one of his opponents to live up to his ring name. Max Holloway gave the best effort, but was ultimately left gored and supine.

Ilia Topuria has now achieved the greatest back-to-back wins in MMA history. The Featherweight championship is a heavy burden; your legacy is tied to four fighters who have been the greatest pound-for-pound talents in MMA. Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski. Three of these four would not be out of place in the top 10 greatest fighters of all time, and Conor McGregor’s talent in his prime cannot be undervalued despite his form post-Eddie Alvarez.

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Having separated Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway from their consciousness within 10 months, El Toro has firmly established himself as a worthy successor to the Featherweight lineage. Neither of these men looked out of form either. Max Holloway looked as prepared as a fighter could have. Holloway’s success in this fight cannot be understated, but he was not the man with the belt around his waist at the end of the night. Ilia Topuria cracked the diamond chin of Max Holloway.

A Spectacular Finish

Topuria’s finish was not mere happenstance. You do not knock out Max Holloway through luck alone, there’s a reason he’s survived fight ending shots from Aldo, Poirer, McGregor, and Gaethje. Though his weapons are limited his breadth of skill is exhibited in the array of feints and setups he uses to land his strikes, as well as some exceptional foot work. Topuria accomplishes the most with his jab, left hook, overhand right, and calf kick. Of these, it was the overhand right that began the finishing sequence.

He begins by dipping under Holloway’s hooks, and slowly stepping into range with a jab and left hook feint (V1). Holloway responds to this by throwing some short hooks that do not quite hit the mark, but they both know that Topuria can enter range safely without overcommitting. When Topuria uses this same setup to enter range, Holloway instead exits range by changing stances rather than risking a pocket exchange with a power puncher.

Unfortunately, this leaves Holloway in transition, not rooted in his stance to better absorb strikes, as Topuria follows up his hook as its thrown with an overhand right, visibly stunning Holloway more than any other strike he has taken in his career.

Topuria is not as dynamic as Holloway, which makes him more predictable in some ways, but his style is much more reliable in others. Topuria always fights in orthodox, and is always ‘in stance’, where his feet are always under his hips. Most of his footwork involves small steps that shorten his stance rather than extend it, and as of late has only over thrown when his opponents are backed up to the cage. This leaves him in a position to absorb strikes and return in pocket exchanges with power.

V1

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.

We see Topuria truly sit down on his punches in V2. At the very end, we see the overcommitment as he falls into the cage once Holloway circles off, but the damage had been done. A prolific body puncher, he reserved his devastating body hooks to fence exchanges in this fight, likely for the best given how they can leave you susceptible to counter (against a sharp counter puncher in Holloway). His power punching is mechanically beautiful as well. He fully rotates his body and hips into every punch, and even takes pauses in the onslaught to frame off and re-asses, giving a beat to change his rhythm and keep Holloway pinned to the cage. Once Holloway circled off, I thought the fight would continue, but this was simply the beginning of the end.

V2

As Holloway returned to the center, you can hear Topuria’s corner urging him to maintain the pressure. Topuria marched forward with combinations, slowly pushing Holloway back until he landed a short overhand right that fulfilled his coach’s wishes (V3). Interestingly, the finish came in a similar way to Topuria’s over Volkanovski. Holloway reaches for a collar tie as Topuria enters range which blocks his hooks, and lands a sharp knee to the body. As Holloway regains his stance to circle off the cage, his hands are low and Topuria is already pivoting outside of Holloway’s lead leg. Topuria’s pivot has his feet facing perpendicular to the line he and Holloway are on, allowing full rotation of his hips into a left hook that drops Holloway. A perfect punch as Holloway is exiting range, and the follow up ground and pound finishes the job.

V3

The finishing sequence was a thing of beauty, and it allowed us to see Topuria’s weapons, footwork, power punching, rhythm changes and different choices in different areas of the cage. This sequence was not an isolated incident of Topuria being the better man though. He was only able to get here in battling through a series of adjustments each man made to each other. Topuria was the star of the night, but he had to work his way through a version of Max Holloway that was performing spectacularly against the problems he presented. Lets find out how Topuria got here, and the struggles he had to overcome in doing so.

Stances and Movement

Everything a fighter does and can do well is borne from their stance and how they move. In V4 we see Topuria and Holloway utilize good fundamental principles of footwork (small steps, shorten the stance before returning to it) to advance and retreat, respectively. Topuria gets his lead foot inside Holloway’s while jabbing, prompting Holloway to hop back just enough to throw some hooks on the inside. The follow up shows Topuria regain inside foot position to throw a hook, and Holloway having to hop out of range and pivot while hooking after slightly over-extending on his previous strike. Both men are also more than adept at gaining slight angles on the advance and retreat (V5) when jabbing, but most of their differences come in their forward movement and commitment.

V4

V5

Topuria has become more reserved since his fight with Bryce Mitchell, where he was over-extending and falling over himself. This does not mean that old habits are ever eviscerated though. Topuria likes to hit with power, and Holloway was more than happy to try and bait this out. In my articles before and after Holloway’s performance against Gaethje at UFC 300, I harp on his newfound love of offensive counter-punching. Holloway has become defensively sound enough to either hop out on an angle (V6), or stand his ground (V7) as Topuria overcommits on his hooks, and nail him with counter strikes. Holloway exploited this tendency often, but not enough for it to change the course of the fight.

V6

V7

Topuria can over-extend himself (head forward of his hips) on straight lines, but Holloway can be caught out of position while changing stances (V1), or moving with punches (V8). I previously broke down how this worked in Holloway’s favor in the Gaethje fight, as the punches masked his movement against a fighter who often blinded himself with the high guard.

While Topuria has a good high guard, he keeps his right hand glued to the side of his head, rather than his forehead, and his lead hand in the open. This allows him to see his opponent and react, sacrificing a bit of proper defense for vision and counter opportunities. Holloway’s large steps while punching simply leave him open without a solid base against Topuria. Holloway often lunges in with his forward moving combinations, despite not punching with power. While it can be a good opportunity to gain a dominant angle, it was not the best tactic to use against Topuria.

V8

Back Foot Pressure

Holloway has been a forward moving dynamo in the past, but his recent form, and that in this fight, was of a back-foot offensive counter-puncher. Topuria on the other hand is always moving forward. As we can see in V9, Topuria’s forward movement was often propagated by being heavy on the rear foot. This sounds counter-intuitive but was key in Topuria’s nuanced entries and feinting.

We can see another difference in Holloway and Topuria’s stances influence their jab feinting (V9). While Topuria is heavy on the rear foot, he can step in hard with his jab and even feint the level change to force Holloway into the defensive, or move him backwards. These step-in feints make his committed entries more difficult to predict while keeping his head firmly above his hips in stance. We see the exact opposite dynamic in Holloway. Though light and moving around the cage, Holloway often stays heavy on the front foot. He steps in and moves his head forward when feinting the jab, using it to keep Topuria aware and cautious.

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Contents:

• Boxing

• Future Blueprint

• Kick Defense

• The Back Foot

Khalil Rountree had an inspired performance against one of the scariest men in mixed martial arts. His prospects looked bleak. A violent man who often fails when he is ready for the next big step, ranked 8th without a grappling threat. Khalil Rountree is not the prototype for beating Alex Pereira in MMA, but he forged 13 minutes of success anyway.

The light heavyweight champion retained his championship, but this does not mean that there is nothing to learn from Khalil Rountree. Khalil Rountree fought well until the end of the third but could have created a more competitive fight had his tools matched his strategy.

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V1: Pereira opens the fight with a lead leg front kick, immediately caught by Rountree who spins Pereira to the ground. Khalil punches towards Pereira’s face as he stands up without committing, and backs off to the center of the cage.

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.

The opening sequence of the fight showcased the problems that would permeate through Rountree’s performance (V1). Rountree is able to catch Pereira’s kick and bring him to the ground. We see Rountree feint the punch as the champion stands up and he retreats to the center of the cage.

Why?

Rountree abandoned a dominant position that Pereira gave to him, and allowed him to reset. Rountree had the option to punch Pereira as he stood up and/or push into the clinch and bring Pereira to the cage. Neither of these options afford Pereira, not known for his grappling ability on the bottom, to retaliate. Throughout the 4 rounds of this fight, we consistently see Rountree utilize tools that work in isolation. The issue is that said tools are suited to pressuring a defensively porous Pereira, while Rountree waited on the back foot to explode in with punches. Even in moments he would push Pereira back, we see him back off without an obvious reason like in V1.

Boxing

In the first three rounds of the fight, Pereira chose to build the low kick and high kick as the pillars of his offense. In his previous title defense against Jiri Prochazka, his head kick secured the win. He seemed intent to replicate this success, but it hinged on his stealthy outside calf kick. Once established, he can create a double attack with his kicking, switching between targets high and low. Fortunately for Rountree, his being a southpaw complicated this just enough.

In the open stance matchup, Pereira is forced to step up into his calf kicks. His kicks are usually without tell and incredibly quick, but this step up adds an additional moment for an opponent to react. A moment can be everything in fighting. Rountree seized it by exploding into punches every time Pereira kicked the calf (V2, V3). I cannot tell wether he was able to check in V3 given his mixed success in the past but achieved nominal success reaching Pereira by punching as he committed to kicking.

V2: Routree steps into a 2 to the body and shifts through on a 3 to the head the moment Pereira steps up into an outside calf kick. He follows up with a 2 and a slight pivot as Pereira finds his stance.

V3: Pereira steps up into an outside calf kick. From this angle I cannot tell wether Rountree is checking or gets off-balanced from the kick, but after the action he steps up into a wide 3 that clears Pereira’s guard for a left straight that barely misses the chin, landing on the chest as Pereira backs away.

Rountree’s primary form of boxing offense came on the back foot. In V4 we see Rountree coil up before exploding into his shots. While this provides an obvious tell to his punches his power and range are maximized. Though Rountree cannot quite meet the mark from kicking range (V4), we do see Rountree rattle Pereira with a left overhand as he dips inside to counter Pereira’s jab (V5). From V5 it is important to note that Rountree’s boxing fundamentals are actually quite sound. Though Pereira is lauded as the more accomplished kickboxer, he can be defensively porous. Within the exchange we see Rountree with more efficient head movement and retraction on his punches, throwing two before Pereira can retract his jab. Though Pereira moved his head out from Rountree’s jab, his exaggerated movement leaves him a sucker for the follow up shot.

V4: Pereira throws a snappy front kick that bounces Rountree back. You can see him coil up from here and explode into a jab to the chest and rear hand that glances off Pereira’s chin. He throws with such force that the rear hand squares his stance before he re-blades it himself.

V5: Pereira follows Rountree along the perimeter of the black line. Rountree stops to trade with Pereira. Rountree’s jab falls outside of Pereira’s, sliding off his shoulder, and he is able to dip inside of Pereira’s jab as it slides over his own shoulder. Rountree’s slip is much less exaggerated, and his head stays over his hips and he is in a much better position to follow up relative to Pereira, who dipped wide to the outside. From the jab, Rountree stepped outside of Pereira’s foot to gain a dominant foot position, and cracked Pereira with a rear straight. He tried to follow up with the same combination but Pereira was already backing out of range.

Rountree’s boxing fundamentals and timing could not overcome the harsh range differential between the two men. Alex Pereira is not a defensive striking savant. His primary reaction to pressure is to simply back away on a straight line. He finds some nuance in framing off the opponent as he retreats, but rarely do we see him move laterally or counter (V6). Though Rountree sought to counter the beginning of Pereira’s combination, leaping through range could not overcome the difference in height and reach between the two men (V7). Rountree’s head hunting (with no follow up) did did little to overcome this hindrance.

V6: Pereira catches Rountree’s non-committal jab, sliding it away by jabbing Rountree hard. Rountree coils into his stance after being jabbed, and explodes into a shifting 2-3-2. While the first rear hand smashes the chin in, the 3 lands with less authority and the final rear hand merely boops the nose as Pereira retreats.

V7: As Pereira jabs, Rountree slightly retreats to coil his stance as the jab slides off his forehead. Rountree jumps into a rear hand, shifting lead hook, and shifting (back into his original stance) rear hand (the same 2-3-2 as in V6). This time, Rountree’s punches fall just short of the mark as Pereira retreats and maintains a long frame from his jab on Rountree’s head.

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