UFC Fight Night 122 is in the books. Kelvin Gastelum walked away with a big name win, Li Jingliang shined, and several new Chinese talents got introduced to MMA fans. So, it’s time to examine some interesting moves from the event in order to polish our skills and keep developing both as students of the art and fans alike.
That being said here is a breakdown of memorable techniques from UFC pros in action:
Technique #1
Fight: Jingliang Li vs Zak Ottow
Description: Zak Ottow attacks with a lead right hand (tip: not a great idea) and Jingliang Li ducks under the punch, landing a right cross to the body and finishes with a left hook that connects with Ottow’s chin. This is a great move, similar to the one GSP used to knockdown Michael Bisping.
Technique #2
Fight: Guan Wang vs Alex ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Caceres
Description: I cannot fully comprehend why, in modern MMA, fighters seem to think that attacking with a lead back hand against an opponent in an opposite stance is a good idea. These punches are easy to counter as they have to cover a longer distance. Here, Caceres, in a southpaw stance, goes for a a lead left hand. At the same time, Wang attacks with a jab/duck-under and clips Alex in the jaw as the American’s punch misses its target.
Tip: Just by a fighter keeping their chin down as they punch, this will help them survive 70% of boxing exchanges.
Technique #3
Fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Sheymon Moraes
Description: Zabit Magomedsharipov is an aggressive and versatile fighter. He completely outclassed Sheymon Moraes. Here, after a couple of suplex takedowns Moraes keeps his head and upper body low in order to avoid getting taken down again. Magomedsharipov controls his hips with both hands and shin-kicks Moraes’ left foot, compromising his balance and pulls him down. Notice how Zabit pivots to his right to make space for Moraes to land on the canvas.
Technique #4
Fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Sheymon Moraes
Description: Moraes is on the bottom and tries to get up by transitioning to the turtle position. Magomedsharipov is able to push his right hand under Moraes’ chin, going all the way to his right armpit and connecting his right hand with his left bicep. Notice in photo 3 that Moraes posts his right foot to prevent the anaconda choke, which is an obvious incoming attack with his opponents hands connected in this manner. In order to finish the choke, Magomedsharipov cannot roll-under. So instead, he kicks his right foot under, falling to the side, unbalancing Moraes and is able to get the tap.
The video below shows Marcelo Garcia offering more details on the choke. The instance above is variation #3. Note: Embedding is disabled for this video, please click on the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4LQMLYJ9yo
Additional resources: The Difference Between the Brabo & Anaconda Chokes… And Tips for Both!
Technique #4
Fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Sheymon Moraes
Description: Moraes goes for a right kick to the midsection and Magomedsharipov, in a southpaw stance, uses a low kick to attack his opponent’s supporting leg, sweeping him to the floor. This is a great counter when fighting an opponent in an opposite stance and can demoralize opponents, thus discouraging them from attempting kicking attacks.
Technique #5
Fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Sheymon Moraes
Description: Moraes attacks with a right kick to the midsection. Magomedsharipov pulls back a bit to minimize the impact of the kick and grabs the foot under his armpit. There are several attacks from this position but Zabit chooses to extend his right hand to push/control Moraes’s right shoulder and lift his right elbow up while sweeping Moraes’ supporting leg with his right foot. This is done in perfect form; fighters can study how Magomedsharipov keeps full control as he lands on top side control.
Technique #7
Fight: Xiaonan Yan vs Kailin Curran
Description: Readers that follow this series know by now that I fully support using traditional martial arts strikes in MMA. That being said, landing a lead left sidekick to the head is no easy task. Here is a rare application of this technique, as Xiaonan Yan replaces her left foot with her right foot to close the distance and lifts her knee up launching this beautiful sidekick. The photos above show two different angles, which will allow readers to study the mechanics of this kick. This kick is often used in Sanda kickboxing, a very popular sport in China.
Technique #8
Fight: Shamil Abdurakhimov vs Chase Sherman
Description: Shamil Abdurakhimov attacks with a ‘wrestler’s punch.’ This is an overhand right launched in a manner similar to a wrestling shoot. This punch is usually successful because opponents cannot ignore the possibility of the takedown and can easily get distracted. Abdurakhimov catches Sherman flush on the chin and keeps following him. As Sherman turns his back, Abdurakhimov is able to finish him with a left hook while using his right hand to control his back.
Technique #9
Fight: Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Description: Gastelum is in a southpaw stance and attacks with a left kick to the midsection. Bisping steps his front foot to the left to minimize the impact of the kick, providing him with a great angle to counter with a right cross.
This is another great way to counter kicks to the body when fighting southpaws. I would follow up with a left roundhouse kick to the head.
Technique #10
Fight: Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Description: This one is a great counter combo! Gastelum attacks with a lead left hand while moving his head to the right. Bisping tries to catch him with a left hook and misses due to Kelvin’s head movement. Michael tries to follow up with a looping right cross and Gastelum uses a beautiful pull-right hook-left cross counter that knocks Bisping out cold. Pretty impressive work by Gastelum, who is one of the most exciting fighters in the current UFC roster.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed UFN 122 more than I expected. As usual, I was particularly impressed by Zabit Magomedsharipov. He seems to be a solid, albeit unorthodox fighter. I will be looking forward to watch his fights in the future.
It was a mistake by the UFC to let Michael Bisping fight three weeks after the hard loss to GSP and especially against a tough opponent. Besides the obvious health risk issues, fighters also need time to prepare and work on game-plans for their fights. In modern MMA there is no such thing as a fighter that can fight anyone unprepared.
That being said, Gastelum is a dangerous fighter. A wrestling heavy approach, like the one Chris Weidman used, is likely the best way to fight against him.
Please join me next week for another breakdown. For a list of my previous technique breakdowns on Bloody Elbow, check out this link.
About the Author: Kostas Fantaousakis is a researcher of fighting concepts, tactics, and techniques, and a state-certified MMA, grappling, and wrestling coach in Greece. He teaches his unique Speedforce MMA mittwork system © which combines strikes, takedowns, knees, and elbows applied in the Continuous Feedback © mittwork system of the Mayweather family. Kostas is a brown belt in BJJ under MMA veteran and BJJ world champion Wander Braga (the teacher of Gabriel Napao Gonzaga).
Follow Kostas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kostasfant and search #fantmoves for more techniques.
Website: www.embracingthegrind.com
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