Kostas Fantaousakis
MMA Technique Analyst
Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia: Moves to Remember
For those training in combat sports, here are several boxing moves that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis used to dominate his rival Ryan Garcia this past weekend. Learn from the pros in action.
Moves to Remember: Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen & Barboza’s perfect counter knee
For those in training, here are several moves that UFC fighters used to press the action at UFC Fight Night: Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen. Learn from the pros in action.
UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 Moves to remember
For those training in the sport of MMA, here are several technical moves that UFC fighters used to press the action this past weekend at UFC 287. Learn from the pros in action.
Joshua vs. Franklin moves to remember
For those training in combat sports, here are several boxing moves that Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin used to press the action this past weekend. Learn from the pros in action.
UFC San Antonio – Vera vs. Sandhagen: Moves to Remember
UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen (also known as UFC on ESPN 43) took place this past weekend on March 25, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas featuring a highly anticipated main event that did not fail to deliver. Cory Sandhagen executed a masterful MMA game-plan and took a tough Marlon Vera […]
UFC 286 Technical Breakdown: Moves to Remember, part 2 (Main Event)
We will continue with part two of our technical breakdown of UFC 286. Main event: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman I really enjoyed watching the fight between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev just for the spectacle of it, but after watching hundreds of MMA fights during my lifetime I really prefer substance over spectacle. And […]
UFC 286 Technical Breakdown: Moves to Remember, Prelims and Co-Main Event
UFC 286: “Edwards vs. Usman 3” is in the books and the event showcased a highly anticipated and exciting title fight between welterweight champion Leon Edwards and former champ Kamaru Usman. When the fight ended, Edwards earned a hard-fought majority decision victory, retaining his title after putting on a striking clinic against an all-time great […]
Video analysis: Mike Tyson’s offensive body punching
This exclusive video is a continuation of the popular Mike Tyson breakdowns here on Bloody Elbow. The presentation is narrated by British actor, MMA fan and Jiu Jitsu Purple belt George Asprey. Body Punching During his prime, especially when Cus D’Amato was by his side, Mike Tyson was a devastating body puncher. His body punching […]
Video: Interview with legendary kickboxing coach Thom Harinck
Coach Thom Harinck is part of Dutch kickboxing’s rich history. Chakuriki, his gym in Amsterdam, the Netherlands has produced several kickboxing and Thaiboxing champions. Founded in 1972, it is one of the oldest kickboxing gyms in the Netherlands. Harinck was the man behind the successful careers of many kickboxing and Muay Thai fighters including but […]
Video: Kickboxing coach Thom Harinck on the legacy of K-1 champion Branko Cikatic
Branko Cikatić (4 October 1955 – 22 March 2020)* was a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian-born fighter to achieve international success. He was the first K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, winning the title in the inaugural tournament on on April 30, 1993 in Japan. Among Cikatic’s greatest achievements were his two knockout wins over […]
UFC 248 Moves to Remember: Zhang vs. Joanna, Adesanya vs. Romero
UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero took place this past weekend on March 7, 2020 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada featuring two highly anticipated title fights. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO WATCH ‘UFC 248 – ‘ADESANYA VS. ROMERO & WEILI VS. JOANNA’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a single second of […]
UFC 246 Quick Analysis: Breaking down Conor McGregor’s shoulder bumps
Conor McGregor returned to action with a vicious beat-down of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in under a minute at UFC 246, in his first mixed martial arts fight since losing a lightweight title bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov. This is a quick breakdown analyzing the series of techniques that helped the Irishman to get his hand raised. […]
UFC 246 Main Event Analysis and Prediction: Enter ‘Cowboy’
The UFC returns to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday for UFC 246 for the year’s first pay-per-view card. The main event is a welterweight fight between former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor and gritty ex-lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone. Watch ‘UFC 246 – ‘MCGREGOR VS. COWBOY’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a […]
Conor McGregor Technical Breakdown: Part 3, Grappling
The previous parts of this series of technical breakdowns analyzed the punching and kicking aspects of Conor McGregor’s fighting skills. Watch ‘UFC 246 – ‘MCGREGOR VS, COWBOY’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a single second of face-punching action! Plus, you get access to the best of the UFC Archives & more! […]
Conor McGregor Technical Breakdown: Part 2, Kicking
In part one of this breakdown we analyzed the punching techniques of Conor McGregor. It is time now to examine other aspects of his game. Although this breakdown was originally scheduled to be a two-part series, two more parts will be posted before the fight in order to cover more techniques and include some techniques […]
Conor McGregor Technical Breakdown: Part 1, Punching
Conor McGregor is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic fighters in the history of the UFC. He is an asset for the Las Vegas based promotion company as he brings to the table a rare combination of showmanship and fighting ability. This makes him one of the most marketable fighters in modern MMA. […]
UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington – Moves to remember
UFC 245 event is in the books, and now that the hype has settled a bit, it’s time to focus on the technical aspects of the fights. Colby Covington’s volume punching was once again on display, as was Kamaru Usman’s increased body work. Petr Yan showed off his impressive clinch work, and Alexander Volkanovski highlighted […]
To catch an Eagle, part 5: Surviving Khabib’s grappling
Last week, we analyzed how to beat Khabib’s striking game. In this (final) post we will analyze how to counter Khabib’s grappling. Khabib has been a dominant fighter in the UFC and it’s not just because he is a very talented and well trained competitor. Nurmagomedov is lucky in a sense, because the lightweight division […]
To catch an Eagle, Part 4: Beating Khabib’s striking game
Author’s note: this was originally scheduled to be a single article, but due to space requirements, the grappling section will be posted in the next and final part. In the first parts of this series we analyzed Khabib’s striking, wrestling/submission game and his tripod and ground control system. Here are the links: Pt 1: striking […]
To catch an Eagle, Part 3: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s tripod & ground control system
In the first part of this series, we focused on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking game that enables him to establish a grappling connection and take the fight to the ground. In the second part, we analyzed his pure takedown game and provided some examples of his submission grappling arsenal. Our main objective in the first three […]
To catch an Eagle, Part 2: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s wrestling & submission game
In the first part of this series, we focused on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking game that enables him to establish a grappling connection and take the fight to the ground. In this second part, we will analyze his pure takedown game and provide some examples of his submission grappling arsenal. As mentioned in part 1, this […]
To catch an Eagle, Part 1: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking game
Photo by Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images In the first part of this series, we will examine some signature moves used by Khabib Nurmagomedov to dominate his opponents. This is a modified version of a previous post that was published prior to Khabib’s fights against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. This version includes several moves […]
Essential MMA techniques: Spectacular High Kicks
In part one of this series we analyzed basic low kick attacks for MMA and kickboxing. In the second part we continued our analysis by focusing on kicks to the body. In the previous part we covered all the basic/conventional high kicks. This post is the last part of our analysis of the kicking game […]
Essential MMA techniques: High Kicks, part 1
In part one of this series we analyzed basic low kick attacks for MMA and kickboxing. In the second part we continued our analysis of basic striking techniques by focusing on kicks to the body. In this post, it’s time to examine basic kicks to the head. Next week we will continue with some spectacular […]
Essential MMA techniques #2: Kicks to the body
In part one of this series we analyzed basic low kick attacks for MMA and kickboxing. In this second part we will continue our analysis of basic MMA techniques focusing on kicks to the body. As in the previous post, we will include video tutorials from YouTube as it is important to provide all information […]
MMA Essential Techniques: Low kicks & Sweeps
In this new series we will examine basic MMA techniques that are an essential part of a modern fighter’s arsenal. We will include video tutorials from YouTube as it is important to provide all information required in order to make these techniques work. Although there are many variations of each technique, the desired end-result determines […]
Technical Analysis: A kick to remember, Andre ‘Touchy’ Fili edition
Andre Fili put an impressive performance on display at UFC Fight Night 155: Sacramento, when he beat Brazilian featherweight Sheymon Moraes via first-round KO (punches). There were two counter combinations that helped “Touchy Fili” get the win: a left kick counter and an overhand right counter. The latter was the one ended the fight as […]
Deep half guard techniques in MMA
Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports Rafael Lovato Jr. accomplished his goal of becoming a champion in a major MMA promotion on Saturday, June 22, when he outworked Gegard Mousasi to win the Bellator middleweight title in the main event of Bellator Europe 3. Lovato Jr. (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) implemented a grappling-heavy strategy to wear out […]
MMA technique: High crotch takedown slams and how to avoid them
Jessica Andrade shocked the world at UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when she knocked Rose Namajunas out with a slam in the second round. This slam earned her the UFC women’s strawweight title. At this point Rose was controlling the fight but Jessica was gaining momentum and I believe that once it was […]
MMA Technique: Landing strikes from top half guard, with BJJ black belt Wander Braga
Wander “The Crusher” Braga, is a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He was promoted to black belt by Rickson Gracie’s black belt, Jorge Pereira. Wander has trained extensively with Rickson Gracie himself and is the master of UFC fighter Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga. Currently, Wander has a 16-1 record in MMA and decided […]