<![CDATA[Movement Martials: Video Breakdowns]]>https://movementmartials.com/s/video-breakdownshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F-2V!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa1d80b5-0811-4111-a3fc-5967d73417df_800x800.pngMovement Martials: Video Breakdownshttps://movementmartials.com/s/video-breakdownsSubstackWed, 08 Apr 2026 09:49:47 GMT<![CDATA[Kevin Vallejos' Split Step Dismantled Josh Emmett: A Counter Striker's Secret Weapon | MMA Breakdown]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/kevin-vallejos-split-step-dismantledhttps://movementmartials.com/p/kevin-vallejos-split-step-dismantledFri, 03 Apr 2026 14:17:29 GMTKevin Vallejos systematically dismantled one of the hardest hitters in featherweight history, and it all came down to one adjustment. In this breakdown, we analyze how Vallejos used the split step to counter Josh Emmett’s aggressive entries, sit down on his punches with more power, and force defensive reactions that opened up devastating combinations.

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Apologies for the delay, been tooling around with some new video editing software, so let me know what you think. Planning to add some more fun elements as well (title screens, the works).

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

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

]]><![CDATA[Joshua Van: Flyweight's Anti-Grappler]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/joshua-van-flyweights-anti-grapplerhttps://movementmartials.com/p/joshua-van-flyweights-anti-grapplerSat, 28 Feb 2026 16:18:43 GMTCasual Film Room breaking down some of Joshua Van’s defensive tendencies in grappling. I recorded this prior to his fight with Alexandre Pantoja, and though the specifics will be different, a lot of …

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]]><![CDATA[On the House that Volk Built: JDM vs. Islam Makhachev]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/on-the-house-that-volk-build-jdmhttps://movementmartials.com/p/on-the-house-that-volk-build-jdmFri, 14 Nov 2025 14:08:21 GMTBig focus on footwork, little bit on some of the grappling tendencies, who do you think takes it home this Saturday?

Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the fights frens

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]]><![CDATA[Charles Oliveira's Guard Film Room: Offense as Defense]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/charles-oliveiras-guard-film-roomhttps://movementmartials.com/p/charles-oliveiras-guard-film-roomThu, 16 Oct 2025 10:31:04 GMTThis is my first film room! You can find the first 20 minutes for free here and on YouTube, and the rest is available for paid subscribers. Let me know what you think, how I can improve, and if you l…

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]]><![CDATA[Joe Rogan is WRONG About Diego Lopes]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/joe-rogan-is-wrong-about-diego-lopeshttps://movementmartials.com/p/joe-rogan-is-wrong-about-diego-lopesMon, 09 Jun 2025 11:15:34 GMTCheck out my full breakdown on Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes, here:

]]><![CDATA[Habits for Success: Conor McGregor]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/habits-for-success-conor-mcgregorhttps://movementmartials.com/p/habits-for-success-conor-mcgregorMon, 02 Jun 2025 22:00:57 GMTConor McGregor, despite any recent woes, was one of the most electrifying fighters of his era. Here are just a few of his habits that I like, but if you want to get into the real details of what made him such a spectacular fighter, read the article right here:

]]><![CDATA[How George Foreman Dismantled Joe Frazier]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/how-george-foreman-dismantled-joehttps://movementmartials.com/p/how-george-foreman-dismantled-joeMon, 26 May 2025 11:31:20 GMTAn All Time Great left us not too long ago. Enjoy one of his greatest performances here.

]]><![CDATA[Can Diego Lopes Become Champion?]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/can-diego-lopes-become-championhttps://movementmartials.com/p/can-diego-lopes-become-championWed, 09 Apr 2025 10:30:18 GMTHow do you see this matchup going? I’m curious to see how other people see it. I have trouble seeing Lopes if he can’t spark Volk early, but how likely do you think that is to happen?

Lot of questions around this fight so feel free to discuss in the comments.

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Also, here’s the article about what Lopes does well in case you missed it!

]]><![CDATA[Mauricio Ruffy: The New McGregor?]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/mauricio-ruffy-the-new-mcgregorhttps://movementmartials.com/p/mauricio-ruffy-the-new-mcgregorWed, 02 Apr 2025 10:31:10 GMTDo you see the similarity in their games? How high do you think Ruffy's ceiling is?

Let me know below.

If you love great Featherweights / Lightweights, you'll love this article:

]]><![CDATA[Leon Edwards at his Worst against Belal Muhammad]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/leon-edwards-at-his-worst-againsthttps://movementmartials.com/p/leon-edwards-at-his-worst-againstMon, 24 Mar 2025 20:30:45 GMTWe didn’t end up seeing much more against Sean Brady. His classic ‘taking the eye off the ball’ showing up as an ill-advised takedown attempt. Edwards is easily one of the coolest most inconsistent fighters because of his clinch work.

If you want to see Edwards at his best, read this:

]]><![CDATA[Hōshōryū: The New Yokozuna]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/hoshoryu-the-new-yokozunahttps://movementmartials.com/p/hoshoryu-the-new-yokozunaWed, 05 Feb 2025 12:31:06 GMTHōshōryū was crowned the new Yokozuna in light of his latest win at the 2025 January Basho. Some were skeptical of his promotion given 3 losses, but his playoff performance to cinch the win was enough to convince the JSA.

A huge part of his success was due to his ability to counter pusher-thrusters by clearing their arms to gain a favorable position.

I’ve written a bit on sumo already, but I have a huge project coming up for the paid subscribers. Subscribe now so you don’t miss out when it drops.

]]><![CDATA[One-Step Forward, No Steps Back]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/one-step-forward-no-steps-backhttps://movementmartials.com/p/one-step-forward-no-steps-backWed, 29 Jan 2025 14:06:22 GMTHere we break down how Merab’s game completely changed after taking just a step forward starting in the third. Pretty incredible how much the initiative swung in his favor once he was in punching range. How did you like this fight? It was probably my favorite of the card and Merab’s sheer reliance on pace is making him one of my favorite champions. Merab Confirmed Gritty

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.

If you want a deeper breakdown for this fight, feel free to check out the paid article below, and subscribe for just $6 a month.

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]]><![CDATA[Countering the Lead: Oleksandr Usyk]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/countering-the-lead-oleksandr-usykhttps://movementmartials.com/p/countering-the-lead-oleksandr-usykWed, 22 Jan 2025 12:31:05 GMTA video summarizing my article on Usyk nullifying Tyson Fury’s lead hand, and how doing so allowed him to mount the most consistent offense in their rematch. Once Usyk shut down Fury’s lead hand, Usyk was free to enforce his game as he saw fit.

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.

Read the article that goes deeper into the subject here:

]]><![CDATA[When Good Ideas Fail: Sakuraba]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/when-good-ideas-fail-sakurabahttps://movementmartials.com/p/when-good-ideas-fail-sakurabaSun, 12 Jan 2025 19:15:08 GMTConverted a recent thread I made on Sakuraba into a video. Its quite long but still pretty bare bones. Let me know what you think.

I’d love to do more Saku content in the future, likely on his arm bar game. Given the big article coming this month on the guard in MMA and the fights on UFC 311, January seems like a great month to study grappling some more, even if I need to get a new fight gym membership.

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.

]]><![CDATA[Grappler 2 Wrestler: Charles Oliveira]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/grappler-2-wrestler-charles-oliveirahttps://movementmartials.com/p/grappler-2-wrestler-charles-oliveiraWed, 18 Dec 2024 13:55:57 GMTCharles Oliveira’s interplay between his takedowns —> upper body trips —> grimy top control and eventual back control and submission game have grown into a violent, sustainable game. In dialing back his aggression and willingness to be on his back by a tad, he’s added a little more “grime” to his game that lets him rest, do damage, and control the opponent while still working towards a finish.

Michael Chandler was the perfect opponent to showcase this ability, and how it looks agains the top tier remains to be seen. If you want to read about Oliveira’s striking in this fight, read this article:

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.

]]><![CDATA[Max Holloway's Floating Teep / Stomp Kick]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/max-holloways-floating-teep-stomphttps://movementmartials.com/p/max-holloways-floating-teep-stompWed, 13 Nov 2024 12:30:57 GMTMy longest video breakdown yet detailing the versatility of Holloway’s floating teep / stomp to the leg.

It worked wonders in the third round against Topuria, but he was not able to capitalize upon it before getting knocked out. If you want to get a deeper breakdown into Topuria’s game, be sure to become a paid subscriber to get the full article, which can be found here:

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.

If this fight made you sad and you want breakdowns into Max Holloway’s recent form, read these:

]]><![CDATA[Forcing the Opening]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/forcing-the-openinghttps://movementmartials.com/p/forcing-the-openingTue, 08 Oct 2024 11:31:27 GMTBam Rodriguez’s win over Estrada was sensational, and not without its challenges. Though I haven’t watched enough of him, he seems to be one of most exciting things in boxing today.

In this clip, we see his beautiful body shot KO. The real key was in noticing and drawing out Estrada’s reactive hooks. Once in exchanging range, Bam knew Estrada was looking to land them with authority, and the expectation made them much easier to defend. He started to draw them out and defend with less committal jabs and straights.

Once able to confidently defend, he began looking for the counter, and kept Estrada at the end of his range. Forcing an overcommitment and keeping inside foot position allowed Bam to draw out the reactive hooks, stay within a position to target the open side, and drill a body shot under Estrada’s attempts to the head.

If I were to watch more BAM, which fights are essential watching?

]]><![CDATA[Dorian Olivarez Passing]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/dorian-olivarez-passinghttps://movementmartials.com/p/dorian-olivarez-passingTue, 01 Oct 2024 13:01:20 GMTDorian Olivarez is a young phenom in submission grappling today. At only 17 years of age he has some of the more impressive wrestling in the sport.

Here we see a great principle at play when passing the open-guard: not selling out.

We see Olivarez do a lot of work to clear the legs and get to North-South, but his opponent gets his guard just a bit too quickly. Rather than forcing it and risk getting caught in a submission or swept, Olivarez transitions to a knee-cut while prying open the guard to get into side control.

Its easy to think “Well why didn’t he just knee cut from the start?”

The opening for the knee cut would not have appeared had he not done the work to pass the open guard initially. Its easy to get caught in sunk-cost fallacy of “I did so much work to get here, I have to get it!”, when in reality this is a silly way to play the game.

The most effective options are often those that trick the opponent, achieved by lacking the hesitancy to switch gears on a moments notice. Don’t force it if its not there, and keep trying things. You might find your new favorite entry this way.

Bonus points if you name the song

]]><![CDATA[Joshua Van's Lovely Boxing]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/joshua-vans-lovely-boxinghttps://movementmartials.com/p/joshua-vans-lovely-boxingWed, 25 Sep 2024 11:35:55 GMTJoshua Van is an incredibly gifted prospect who’s style mimics my own, so I suppose I’m biased.

How do you see him faring against the top ranked flyweights?

Who are some of prospects you have your eye on that you want to see a long form breakdown on?

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.

]]><![CDATA[Joe Louis: Fundamental Punching]]>https://movementmartials.com/p/joe-louis-fundamental-punchinghttps://movementmartials.com/p/joe-louis-fundamental-punchingWed, 18 Sep 2024 11:30:31 GMTLouis had an incredible ability to flow one punch into the next, and maintain a dominant position.

Do you want to see more historical boxing?

A Joe Louis article perhaps?

Let me know!

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