UFC 322: Wrestling Ranges

Islam Makhachev, Leon Edwards, Sean Brady, and Arman Tsarukyan

Contents:

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.

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