The surface-level answer, that UFC President Dana White values profits over safety, holds water, but there is a deeper explanation. Holding fights during a pandemic is irresponsible and unexpected, but it isn’t unprecedented.

Throughout history, in times of crisis, emperors, kings, and presidents have consistently provided their citizens two staples: food, to keep them alive, and entertainment, to keep them distracted. With an unparalleled ability to capture human attention, organized, competitive combat is the obvious choice for entertainment.

In Ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, or pre-colonized Mesoamerica, a marathon of gladiator games, jousting tournaments, or human sacrifices was an effective way to entertain the masses and stave off violent deposition. In a contemporary scope, if an administration bungles the response to a pandemic during an election year, it helps reelection chances if the electorate is watching knockouts on ESPN rather than a rising death count on CNN. It’s said religion is the opiate of the masses, but the churches are deserted on fight night. The Romans had a term for this superficial appeasement — Bread and Games.

The Past is Prologue

The word “gladiator” brings an iconic scene to mind: two men, armor-clad and wielding swords dripping with blood, circle each other, looking for an opening. Disfigured bodies and discarded weapons lay scattered across the sand. Above, the crowd cheers. Drunk on ale and excitement, spectators from all walks of Roman life — from poor bakers, to high-born nobles, to the Emperor himself — eagerly await the finale. The men charge; swords clatter; one man falls; the Emperor turns his thumb down, and the crowd celebrates their victor.

While accurate, this picture fails to explain why these games were held. Along with accumulating political popularity, gladiator games were a proven way for the emperor to quell public unrest during war, disaster, and plague. The opening of the Colosseum, the Mecca of gladiator combat, was used for this exact purpose.

In AD 80, Emperor Titus’s reign began disastrously: a plague killed thousands, a fire razed Rome, and Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying entire cities in lava and ash. If you’re a meager Roman citizen who believes natural disasters are punishments from angry gods, you might think the deities despised Titus and wanted him deposed.

So, Titus announced a spectacle — one hundred days of games, to inaugurate the architectural wonder of the Colosseum. Beast hunts and criminal executions were preliminary to the main event: gladiators. Equipped with an array of armor and weaponry — from the swords and shields of the Roman army to the tridents and nets found on rickety fishing vessels — gladiators fought grueling, bloody duels. Some bouts were one-on-one while others recreated famous pitched-battles. Regardless, the crowd was enthralled. Addicted to the rush of combat, they forgot all about their concerns for the Emperor. But Roman emperors weren’t the only ones to use competitive combat as a distraction.

A millennium later in Medieval Europe, royal tournaments highlighted the wealth and prestige of royalty. Archery and sword fighting were captivating, but jousting was the headliner. A pair of knights, their identities concealed under glistening armor, charged each other atop monstrous steeds. The clatter of hooves on compact clay; the explosion of a lance as it collides with a breastplate; the roar of the crowd as a competitor is ripped from his saddle and thrown to the ground. A thousand years after the Romans, combat still enthralled nobles and peasants alike.

In 1348, amid fears the Black Plague would cross the English Channel from mainland Europe, King Edward III of England displayed a lively tournament season. Ignoring the epidemic (which had already claimed his daughter), Edward held “splendid tournaments at Windsor, Reading, Eltham, Canterbury, Bury, and Lichfield, inviting all the nobility.”

On mainland Europe, mass death was threatening the social order, the bedrock of European nobility. Displaying his authority to the English nobility through an energetic tournament season undoubtedly helped King Edward reinforce his station before the plague crossed the channel.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Aztec Empire, ever creative in the practice of human sacrifice, used competitive combat as a means of enticing the gods to end droughts, famines, and plagues. Prisoners of war fought to the death, battled vicious beasts, played a hyper-violent version of racquetball, and were subjected to the “gladiator stone.” Tethered to a ritualistic alter, prisoners fought off waves of enemies with nothing but a blunted sword, lasting as long as they could before being killed.

If sacrifices fail to appease the gods and end the crises, it’s inevitable the citizenry will wonder if the gods didn’t like the king, and wanted the people to instill another. Creative methods of human sacrifice were a way for Aztec Kings to entertain their subjects and push revolutionary thoughts from their minds.

40 Fights in 90 Nights

“40 fights in 90 nights” bragged the chyron overlaid on the UFC’s Fight Island broadcast, a striking echo of Emperor Tiberius’s “100 days of games.” While four-ounce gloves have replaced two-handed swords, the symbiotic relationship between competitive combat and worrisome leaders remains. American incumbents at the state and federal level are desperate for sports to return, hoping it will restore a sense of “normalcy” and stave off an electoral reprisal. When Dana White showed no signs of slowing down for the pandemic, elected officials from both parties happily stepped out of his way.

Since the beginning of social distancing, the UFC has held three events in Jacksonville, Florida, and six events at its private training center in Las Vegas, Nevada. They’ve also held three events at “Fight Island” on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Future events are planned for Las Vegas and Fight Island.

The UFC is a private company, but because MMA is sanctioned by state governments, these events have gone ahead with the blessing of elected officials. The governors, senators, and representatives of Florida and Nevada easily could have stopped them, as Senator Diane Feinstein did for UFC 249 back in April. And President Trump, who sees his reelection contingent on a restored sense of normalcy, had no interest in leaning on the states to stop the events in the name of public safety.

As for Fight Island, just like before the pandemic, the U.A.E. uses the UFC to soften its reputation of egregious human rights abuses to a western audience. Between rounds, tourism ads show families frolicking in the Yas Island sand before returning viewers to the arena that the U.A.E. government paid the UFC to come to.

“Why is the UFC still holding events?” was an inevitable question. Corporate greed and self-focus are partial answers, but stopping there lets those who are supposed to act in the public’s interest — elected leaders — off the hook. Like the emperors and kings who came before, American presidents and governors, as well as Emirati monarchs, have exploited the human attraction to violence for their own political gain.

The post Bread and Games: The History of Organized Combat During Times of Crisis appeared first on The Body Lock.

We saw the initial phases of Demian Maia vs Ben Askren, two world-class grapplers, remain almost exclusively on the feet, while the expected explosive striking match between Michael “Venom” Page and Paul “Semtex” Daley played out as a slow-paced grapple fest.

Few anticipate the upcoming bout at UFC 246 between known strikers Conor McGregor and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone to feature an extensive display of jiu-jitsu, yet as we’ve seen that the least-expected area of engagement can often end up being the dictating factor in the fight, the jiu-jitsu skills of both men warrant exploration.

Cowboy

With 17 wins and a lone loss by submission, compared to one victory and four losses by way of submission for McGregor, the records of both combatants indicate that if the fight does go to the floor, it will be an advantage for Cowboy.

Cowboy’s submission victories tend to arise from one of two scenarios. The first path to a Cowboy submission victory typically occurs after he has knocked his opponent down (Cowboy is competent with takedowns, but knockdowns are more common as he prefers to strike).

From a dominant top position, a flurry of strikes is used to set up guard passes and mounts, ultimately leading Cowboy to his opponent’s back where the strangle is ripe for the taking. Here we see Cowboy knock Edson Barboza to the mat, quickly execute a seamless go-behind, and take the back. A lightning-fast application of the RNC forces Barboza to tap.

The other path to a submission victory — and the one we’re more likely to see against McGregor — arises when Cowboy is on his back. As a dangerous striker, opponents have sought to take Cowboy down since the onset of his career. Understanding that this would be common throughout his career, Cowboy put great effort into developing a dangerous guard game to counter over-zealous opponents. In his most recent submission victories, and perhaps arguably his most impressive, we see Cowboy pivot into an armbar on Mike Perry. Notice how Cowboy pivots immediately when Perry steps his leg into range.

Another favorite submission of Cowboy’s is the classic triangle choke. Here we see Cowboy attack with the triangle choke as soon as his opponent Evan Dunham establishes top position.

Cowboy’s urgency to attack off his back is a large component of why he has found success with the guard at a high level, while others have had their games frustrated and eventually give up on the position. Known as the “one minute guard,” the theory of aggressively attacking with sweeps and submissions for one minute, then attempting to get back up if the attacks were unsuccessful fits well into the modern MMA ruleset, as long periods of time on the bottom are harshly punished on the judges’ scorecards.

Whether he is on top seeking the rear-naked choke, or on the bottom attacking with rapid-fire submissions, Donald Cerrone is nothing but problematic for his opponent; while his striking may not rise to the level of McGregor’s, from what we’ve seen inside the Octagon, Cowboy’s jiu-jitsu game could be a threat to the Irishman.

Conor McGregor

With all four of his losses coming by way of submission, grappling has long been the chink in the armor of the “Notorious” Conor McGregor. The two that occurred during his time in the UFC have cemented the notion that submission grappling is the path to beating McGregor; in the minds of spectators and competitors alike.

While it is far from his strong suit, this narrative is a bit overplayed: the rear-naked choke loss to Nate Diaz came after McGregor had been rocked on his feet and shot in for a shoddy takedown, and if being out-grappled by the lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (McGregor’s most recent loss) is to be taken as evidence of lacking grappling skills, then large swaths of the UFC lightweight division will have to have their jiu-jitsu skills questioned as well.

Despite the one-sidedness of the Khabib bout, McGregor did achieve tactical victories that indicate his grappling is better than what we’ve seen displayed inside the cage.

Here we see Khabib explode into a shot, getting deep on McGregor’s hips. McGregor counters by pushing down on Khabib’s head, halting the Daegestani’s forward pressure. Realizing the initial shot has failed, Khabib comes up to his feet with a right-hand underhook, which will allow him to re-engage on another takedown attempt. McGregor stops any potential auxiliary attacks by establishing dominant head positioning, placing his forehead in the crook of Khabib’s neck: this severely hinders another takedown attempt, allowing McGregor to disengage.

And here we see McGregor stifle Khabib’s attack against the cage, an impressive feat that few of the Dagestani’s opponents have been able to replicate. The core of McGregor’s defense is the two-on-one grip he establishes on Khabib’s left arm. First, he pummels for inside position and establishes wrist control with both of his hands. Then, he grabs Khabib’s left elbow with his left hand, while maintaining control of the wrist with his right. 

This grip prevents Khabib from locking his hands, either around McGregor’s waist for a throw or around his leg for a lower-body attack: deprived of the ability to lock his hands, Khabib’s takedowns are stifled. Conor lands a stern knee that forces Khabib to back off.

While these tactics were ultimately unsuccessful in sparing McGregor from defeat, they hint that McGregor’s grappling pedigree is higher than we’ve seen; some of the fleeting glances we’ve seen have been promising, such as the X-guard sweep he pulled off against Nate Diaz,

dope mount guard pass chain he used to set up the finish of Dennis Siver.

Advantage: Cowboy

While the narrative that Conor McGregor is woefully lacking adequate jiu-jitsu skills is a grave exaggeration, based on what has been displayed by each man during live competition in the Octagon, it is fair to say Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will hold a slight edge in the grappling realm.

There are many indications that McGregor’s jiu-jitsu is far superior to what has been displayed: not only are the techniques we’ve seen indicative of a high skill level, but his lineage and training partners are substantially credentialled: his head coach, John Kavanagh, is the first Irishman to receive a BJJ blackbelt, and his training partner Dillon Dannis is a highly-accredited jiu-jitsu practitioner who came up under the legendary Marcelo Garcia.

Yet, while such indications are important to acknowledge, they are not a substitute for displays of martial skill in live competition, which Donald Cerrone has in droves. With 17 wins (and only one loss) by submission, “Cowboy” has repeatedly proved that his relentless style of jiu-jitsu is well suited for modern MMA.

The most likely scenario in which we see a grappling engagement play out during the main event of UFC 246 is following a knockdown on behalf of the superior-striking of McGregor, Cerrone immediately gets to work off of his back with formidable submission attacks. In such a case, McGregor should proceed with extreme caution, as Cowboy possesses some of the most underrated jiu-jitsu in the UFC.

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Galvanizing fans and aficionados alike, the Suloev Stretch’s night in the limelight led to a renewed interest in the submission. As with other techniques in our series, just because a move is rare does not mean its sole practicality is for the highlight reel: the Suloev Stretch is a superb submission that provides a solution to a particular problem that frequently arises, all without risking the loss of a dominant position.

A Time and a Place

Like the other techniques in our series, the Suloev Stretch is not just an extravagant finishing move but offers a much-needed utility. Let’s say a fighter has established back control; one common escape attempt their opponent might use is to “quad-pod” up on their hands and feet in an attempt to shake their unwanted passenger off of them. By angling their spine at a downward angle and shaking fervently, the entrapped often fighter will be able to shake their unwanted passenger off and escape the position.

While many “early-stage” actions can be taken to prevent the opponent from quad-podding — such as flattening them out with the hooks — if the quad-pod is established swift action will have to be taken to avoid being shaken off and ending up on the bottom.

The most obvious option, relentlessly pursuing the rear-naked choke, is a prominent option, but has its drawbacks as the RNC requires the attacker to dedicate their hands to the strangle, they are unable to keep them on the mat to stop the shake-off. This means that if the choke isn’t successful, the position is likely to be lost.

The second option, the judo-style armbar (juji-gatame) popularized by Ronda Rousey, provides a powerful finish; but again, at the cost of risking the position. If a fighter has put in a sufficient number of repetitions in the gym, the armbar is a high-percentage move, as the opponent’s arm is extended to the mat and ripe for the taking.

Yet even with all of Rousey’s success, this armbar setup has failed to see widespread use as, as it requires a high degree of movement. In grappling, every movement an attacker makes leads to the chance that something will go awry and the opponent will escape, so it isn’t surprising that this armbar isn’t utilized more frequently.

While both of these submissions require risking position, the Suloev Stretch does not. As it doesn’t require the attacker to move off of the back like the armbar, and the grip on the leg acts as an actor on the victim (which halts the shake off attempt) the Suloev Stretch is a low-risk, yet powerful counter to the quad-pod.

Even if the submission isn’t successful, the Stretch will break and opponent down to a hip where the attacker can pursue a more traditional finish, as we see Aljamain Sterling do against Renan Barao here:

That’s a Suloev Stretch

As the Suloev Stretch is a counter to the quad-pod escape, for it to be used the bottom fighter must have placed their feet on the mat so their leg is extended. Once this situation arises, there are two methods for attacking with the Stretch.
The first method is to go “around” the opponent, as the submission’s eponym Amar Suloev did for its MMA debut. Notice how Suloev goes around his opponent’s body, using his right arm to overhook the right leg. He then posts on his left hand and spins to his back for the finish.

The other method, which has seen more use due to it being increasingly secure over Mr. Suloev’s method, is to go “under” the opponent, grabbing a leg with the opposite arm. Here Aljamain Sterling sets up the submission by reaching his right arm under his opponent to grab the left leg. He then doubles up his grip with his left hand before driving his hips in to finish the Suloev Stretch.

As mentioned, just minutes after Sterling’s finish, Magomed Shapirov used an identical setup of his right arm going “under” his opponent to secure the left leg. His opponent survived the debilitating pain a tad longer than Sterling’s, as he was able to roll to his back in an unsuccessful escape attempt before yielding.

INSANE! Zabit matches @FunkMaster_UFC's 'Suloev Stretch' and gets his own sub. Nasty. #UFC228 pic.twitter.com/VfDoNPgkxf

— Ahmar Khan (@AhmarSKhan) September 9, 2018

While commonly classified as a “kneebar,” as we can see from Zabit’s application the Suloev Stretch targets the victim’s hamstring before breaking the bones of the knee. While this might sound like the submission is less damaging, it generates more than sufficient force to tear the hamstring and break the leg; either scenario would render the victim incapable of effectively continuing combat.

As we have seen from exploring the Suloev Stretch, just because a maneuver is rare does not mean it is impractical. There are other counters to a quad-pod, but few offer a fighter the same level of positional security, or the potential to have their name added to such an exclusive list as the Suloev Stretch.

The post The Suloev Stretch: Breaking down the notorious submission hold appeared first on The Body Lock.

The victories accrued against unchallenging competition leaves an unnecessary asterisk on the record of a fighter who easily could have cemented himself as an all-time great if he had been properly tested. It is too late for Askren, but not for Bellator’s stand out fighter Michael “Venom” Page, who we see being subjected to this same error in real-time. 

As his original opponent Derek Anderson had to pull out of the bout due to injury, Michael “Venom” Page will now be fighting Giovanni Melillo this Saturday at Bellator: London. Melillo, who will be making his Bellator debut, has won just one of his last three fights and has not faced competition that is in any way comparable to MVP. Melillo deserves immense praise for having the fortitude to face the Page on a week’s notice, but there is little evidence that he will serve as anything but cannon-fodder for his more credential adversary.

Bellator’s decision to sign a new fighter to their roster to fight Page, rather than negotiate agreeable terms with an already employed one perfectly showcases how they are more interested in feeding MVP low-tier competition for him to generate another highlight-reel knockout than in building his prestige through the crucible of tough competition. While he should be facing lower-level competitors following his KO loss to Douglas Lima, reverting him back to fighting the unknown opponents he faced for far too long in his career is a grave disservice to all involved. 

In his subsequent bout after losing to Lima, Page steamrolled Richard Kiely, who had just four professional fights at the time, with a first-round flying knee knockout. To go from fighting the esteemed Douglas Lima to such a green opponent shows the primary concern of Bellator management was protecting MVP’s marketing value as a flashy phenomenon, rather than challenge him with worthy competition, they actively elected to provide him an opponent he could finish near-effortlessly. 

While fans are frustrated that they are being deprived of seeing MVP go toe-to-toe with the more-skilled fighters on Bellator’s roster, the true casualty of this is Page himself. Not only is he charismatic and entertaining, but Page is also a highly-skilled fighter who, if properly tested, has the potential to reach the upper rankings of the sport’s participants.

But if Bellator continues to provide him with trivial opponents solely for the purpose of generating highlight knockouts for their Twitter account, MVP’s career will suffer the same fate as Askren’s, as it bears the scarlet letter of being looked back on as a varsity-level athlete running circles around the practice team.

The post Michael “Venom” Page is at risk of squandering his career appeared first on The Body Lock.

To remedy this misconception, in this series we will be exploring some of the more elaborate striking and grappling techniques in order to showcase their effectiveness in a combative situation.

Our first technique, the front snap kick, has produced some of the sport’s most iconic knockouts, yet is still besmirched as too ornate to be employed effectively by the average fighter. As we will see, this is a misconception that is depriving many athletes of a powerful weapon.

Chambered Kicks

Skepticism of the front snap kick is largely because it is a “chambered kick,” which means the kick is thrown with a bent knee and the shin is snapped into the opponent. As the majority of MMA striking is derived from Muay Thai, which largely employs straight-leg kicks where the leg is swung into the opponent like a baseball bat, fighters have long viewed chambered kicks as suboptimal.

While straight-leg kicks are a superior technique for the majority of round kicks as they generate more force, there are instances where the bent-leg mechanic of the chambered kicks is superior concerning both speed and force. The front snap kick is one of these occasions.

Targets

While snapping kicks to the “hard targets” of the body (such as the shoulder or shin) are ill-advised, the “soft targets” of the gut and chin are ripe for the front snap kick. Not only do powerful body strikes deplete an opponent’s cardio, but when thrown to the gut, the kick can double an opponent over, leaving them open to a follow-up uppercut or knee.

UFC welterweight Uriah Hall practices such a sequence below; notice how his leg is brought up with a bend in the knee, then snapped out into the target.

When aiming for the head, the toes should be curled back so the ball of the foot is the point of impact. If it lands on the underside of the jawbone, it is more than sufficient to render the victim unconscious.

No knockout illustrates the front snap kick’s potential better than the one that removed it from obscurity: when Anderson Silva landed a perfect front snap kick on Vitor Belfort in February of 2011, the kick’s potential as a legitimate weapon immediately gained credence.

A mere two months later, karate specialist Lyoto Machida used a jumping variation of the front snap kick to knock out the former light heavyweight champion Randy Couture. In just a matter of months, the front snap kick had led to two spectacular knockouts at the pinnacle of mixed martial arts competition, making it near impossible to doubt its capability.

Years later, Machida would use a standard front snap kick to knock Vitor Belfort out cold; those who doubt the front snap kick’s effectiveness should inquire with Mr. Belfort’s neurologist.

A Wrestler’s Kryptonite

Not only is the front snap kick a great weapon to damage an opponent, but it offers several auxiliary effects as well. Auxiliary effects — the “secondary” problems a technique creates for an opponent alongside the primary effect of damage — are what separate the extraordinary techniques from the average ones. For example, the jab’s primary effect is its ability to damage, while its auxiliary effect is that it forces the opponent to move their head, rendering them susceptible to a follow-up attack.

The front snap kick’s auxiliary uses are extremely effective against wrestlers: a fitting complement, as wrestlers have proved to be problematic for strikers (especially those hailing from a traditional martial arts background) since the early days of the UFC.

As the front snap kick lands just under the chin, the hunched-over stance frequently utilized by wrestlers in MMA, where the head is low and in front of the hips, makes the wrestler extremely vulnerable to the strike. By repeatedly throwing front snap kicks, a striker can force a wrestler to stand upright or risk being knocked out; an upright stance will greatly increase the distance between a wrestler and his opponent’s legs, allowing the striker more time to sprawl and defend the takedown.

Not only does the front snap kick force a wrestler to alter their stance, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of their takedowns, but it is also a lateral strike: this means that in the process of the kick, the leg is always between the fighters, while with a round kick the leg travels outside before making impact.

Lateral strikes severely hinder takedown attempts, as any double or single leg shot will place the fighter directly in the path of the kick: a significant risk. For more on how lateral strikes are an effective deterrent against takedowns, take a look at our breakdown of Valentina Shevchenko.

The Question Mark Kick

Just as the jab opens an opponent up for crosses and hooks, the front snap kick forces the opponent’s defenses to shift, rendering them vulnerable to further attacks. Fearful they may join Mr. Couture and Mr. Belfort on the highlight reel of front snap kick knockouts, many fighters will move their hands from the high up position near their temples to the front of their chin. While this will allow kicks up the middle to be easily parried, their temples are now exposed to the question mark kick; a strike as lethal as it is elaborate.

Aptly named, the question mark kick is thrown in the shape of a “?.” The knee is brought straight up the middle before the hip is rolled over, causing the foot to travel up to the opponent’s head in a circular motion.

Because they are both chambered kicks, the beginning of the front snap kick and the question mark kick appear identical to the opponent: as the bent knee is raised, a fighter will bring their hands to the front of their face in an attempt to block what they assume is a front snap kick coming up the middle. But, when the kicker rolls their hip over and lands the question mark kick from an angle, the hands in front of the face are out of position are unable to defend adequately.

Notice how as Lyoto Machida starts to bring his chambered knee up (which is the start of both the front snap kick and the question mark kick) Tito Ortiz brings his right hand in front of his face to defend what he perceives as a front kick. Machida’s question mark kick lands clean.

A Minute to Learn, Not that Long to Master

Whether it is thrown with an intent to damage or to force an open to alter their defenses, the front snap kick can be a simple, highly effective tool in the arsenal of any fighter: despite its association with Karate and Tae Kwon Do, one doesn’t need years of experience in the acrobatic maneuvers of traditional martial arts to implement the front snap kick effectively.

Just this past weekend at UFC Moscow, Magomed Ankalaev, a Russian fighter with a background in Greco-Roman Wrestling, used the front snap kick to score a knockout victory over Dalcha Lungiambula. 

https://gfycat.com/wateryenormousatlanticridleyturtle

Hailing from a geographical and technical background that has historically emphasized the techniques of wrestling while discounting the techniques of traditional martial arts, Magomed Ankalaev’s beautiful front snap kick knockout perfectly illustrates that every fighter can, and should be using the kick frequently.

Up next in our series, we will be examining one of the most esoteric submissions in MMA, the Sulolev Stretch.

The post The Front Snap Kick: Understanding its effectiveness in MMA appeared first on The Body Lock.

One of the podcast’s more fascinating discussions was provided by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman: during his appearance on the show, Usman made it known that his father, Muhammed Usman, was serving a 15-year sentence in a federal penitentiary for crimes Kamaru believes his father didn’t commit.

Kamaru Usman’s anecdote left the MMA fan base intrigued and perplexed; how was the fact that the father of the UFC welterweight champion was serving such a lengthy sentence just coming to light? What was the chain of events that led to Mr. Usman’s incarceration? What did he do that got him a 15-year sentence? And, perhaps the most contentious question of all, does Muhammed Usman deserve to be in prison?

Some of these questions can be objectively answered; the last cannot. With an understanding of the chain of events that led to the incarceration, an explanation of the particularly nuanced legal statutes that affected the sentencing, and a consideration of the larger societal questions at play, we leave you to make your own judgment about the ethicality of Muhammed Usman’s imprisonment.

An Attempt at the American Dream

Muhammed Usman immigrated to the United States from his home country of Nigeria in 1989. After gaining citizenship in 1996, Usman followed in the footsteps of the entrepreneurial immigrants that came before him, embarking down the well-walked path towards The American Dream. Usman founded a pair of ambulance companies — Royal Ambulance (established in 2003) and First Choice EMS (established in 2005) — that were so successful he was awarded the Republican National Committee’s “Who’s Who Businessman of the Year.”

Although he had worked as a pharmacist in Nigeria, Usman had no prior experience in the American ambulatory or healthcare industries; Usman’s defenders point to the lack of experience as evidence of an entrepreneurial spirit, while his critics (and prosecutors) simultaneously argue it shows he was looking for any way to run a scam.

Lacking the expertise to operate the businesses and the 60+ EMTs they employed, Usman placed “an unusually high degree of trust and authority” in a trio of employees: Josie Horn, David McNac (Horn’s brother), and Shaun Outen, all served as high-level managers for Royal Ambulance and First Choice EMS for periods of time during 2004 to 2007.

By all accounts, Usman was “laissez-faire” with the trio, allowing them the discretion to run the ambulatory services while he pursued other time-consuming interests, such as a car export business, a healthcare facility for handicapped children, and frequent, lengthy visits back to Nigeria.

The Run Sheets

At the core of the case against Mr. Usman, sits the issue of the fraudulent run sheets. As Usman’s ambulance companies didn’t operate as traditional emergency transports but rather transferred non-emergency dialysis patients to and from their weekly infusions, they were required to log “run sheets” for every trip.

A “run sheet” is a document filled out by an EMT that records the specifics of an ambulance ride for the purpose of billing later on: who was the patient, where they were picked up and dropped off, time of the trip, etc. The run sheets are then submitted to a contracted medical billing company, whose experts review the details of the trip and send a bill to Medicare (government-funded health insurance for those over 65) and Medicaid (government-funded health insurance for low-income individuals) on behalf of Royal Ambulance and First Choice EMS.

It was these medical billing companies that first expressed concern that the run sheets were ripe with false information: many run sheets evidenced “multiple loading,” a fraudulent practice where two patients ride in the same ambulance, but two run sheets are fabricated to show that there were two separate trips.

Others showed evidence of improper documentation, such as stating patients needed to be loaded into the ambulance when they actually climbed in autonomously, and claiming the patients needed a stretcher when they actually just sat in a chair.

Medicare will only pay for a non-emergency ambulance ride for a patient if other types of transport would place the patient at risk, so by lying about the patient’s medical condition on the run sheet, bad actors at First Choice EMS and Royal Ambulance were attempting to defraud the government.

Once Usman learned that the medical billing companies had raised concern about the blatant attempts of fraud on the run sheets, Usman and Outen had a row that led to Outen leaving the companies.

According to David McNac’s testimony, after Outen left the “multiple-loading” ceased. Whether Outen’s departure was a result of Usman being an honest businessman who found out his partner was engaging in criminal activity, or a co-conspirator angry at his accomplice for getting caught is highly contentious and open for interpretation.

The prosecution asserted that with Usman’s direction and approval, Outen and McNac instructed and showed their EMTs how to produce the fraudulent run sheets, and according to the 12 members of the jury who voted to convict, there was sufficient evidence to prove this point.

In total, Medicare and Medicaid were fraudulently billed for over $3.5 million, resulting in First Choice EMS and Royal Ambulance receiving over $1.3 million in unwarranted payments from the government programs.

The Mass-Marketing

While the duplicitous run sheets were being used to defraud the government, Royal Ambulance and First Choice EMS were undertaking mass-marketing efforts to expand their client base and accrue more patients who would comply with the companies’ “unorthodox” practices. While it is obviously not illegal for a company to market to potential customers, the prosecution highlighted the marketing efforts as evidence of Usman’s participation in the conspiracy, which had severely increased the length of Usman’s sentence.

These marketing efforts included standard, ethical practices — such as disseminating pens and flyers with the companies’ labels — and practices that were certainly not: catered lunches and gifts in the form of “perfumes, colognes, and gift cards” were commonplace, and certainly lend credence to the idea that the shot-callers of Royal Ambulance and First Choice EMS were looking for patients and dialysis center employees to “play along” with their illegal billing activities. Murray Thomas, a patient that was enlisted by the ambulatory companies to market to other patients, testified that in 2004 and 2005, “90% of the patients acquired by Royal Ambulance had been acquired by these ‘mass-marketing efforts.’ ”

The prosecution’s emphasis on his involvement in the mass-marketing practices impacted Muhammed Usman in more ways than one: not only did it assist in convincing the jury that Usman was a willing participant of the dishonest and illegal practices of his companies, but due to the convoluted system of sentencing guidelines, it severely lengthened his sentence.

The Sentencing

One aspect of Kamaru Usman’s recounting of his father’s case that caused great consternation among The Joe Rogan Experience’s audience was the length of Muhammed Usman’s incarceration: one expects a 15-year sentence for particularly heinous crimes such as sex-crimes and violent assaults, so to learn such a stern penalty was handed down for a crime involving ambulance companies alarmed many listeners.

While David McNac and Outen plead guilty (both received less than five years in prison), Usman elected to go to trial. By declining the plea agreement, Usman was facing charges for healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, aiding and abetting, and money laundering. Once he was found guilty on all counts, Usman’s sentence was determined by the application of sentencing guidelines, a framework that dictates the length of a convict’s sentence based on the “levels” that their crime warrants.

While guidelines are advisory in nature (judges aren’t required to pass sentences that fall within them), they are implemented frequently; as we saw in Usman’s case, their use can lead to bizarrely-long periods of incarceration.

One particular event in the sentencing process had dire consequences for Mr. Usman: the court elected to base Mr. Usman’s penalty on the amount Medicare and Medicaid had been billed for ($3,644,464.90), as opposed to the amount that the companies actually received from the government (less than $1.3 million): this seemingly trivial decision (which Usman unsuccessfully appealed) greatly increased the length of the sentence, as the court added 18 levels on top of Usman’s base level of nine due to the higher “loss amount.”

On top of the 18-level increase, the court tacked on two levels for the “mass-marketing” scheme, four levels for Usman’s “role as a leader and organizer” in the conspiracy, two levels for obstruction of justice, and then a mere two-level reprieve, resulting in a sentencing level of 33.

Under the sentencing guidelines, a level of 33 corresponded to a sentence of 168 to 210 months; Mr. Usman was sentenced to 180 months incarceration in a federal penitentiary, and forced to pay restitution on $1,317,179.30 — the amount the ambulatory companies received from Medicare and Medicaid, not the $3,644,464.90 that had been used as the basis for his sentencing.

Conclusion

Sports and politics are notoriously contentious, so a story such as Muhammed Usman’s where the two collide has generated bellicose debate: some see Muhammed Usman as a criminal conspirator, rightfully punished with an appropriate implementation of justice; others see a victim of a dysfunctional justice system that wrongfully imprisoned the American Dream incarnate after he was scapegoated by his native-born partners for a crime he had no hand in committing.

Regardless of which perspective one takes, Mr. Usman’s saga is undeniably being contemplated through the cultural lens of the time in which his son exposed it: while sentenced back in 2012, Mr. Usman’s story encapsulates a spectrum of societal quandaries that America struggles to answer today: encompassed by the issues of race, immigration, questions of over-prosecution in the justice system, government-funded health insurance (and therefore its potential for abuse), the case of Muhammed Usman serves as a Rorschach Test for one’s political beliefs; a fitting test given who Muhammed Usman’s son will be fighting next.

In a development fit for the final act of a Hollywood blockbuster, it was recently announced Kamaru Usman will be defending his welterweight UFC belt against Colby Covington at UFC 245. Covington — a relentlessly vocal champion of President Donald Trump — has modified the President’s strategy of using bigotted rhetoric to galvanize his political supporters fit his own objective: by infusing the “heel” persona of a 1980’s professional wrestler with the modern political rhetoric detested by many, Covington has positioned himself as the “UFC’s ultimate villain,” energizing supporters and detractors alike and drawing attention to his bouts.

Regardless of Covington’s motives for his antics, his behavior is indisputably atrocious: racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and misogynism aren’t bugs for Covington, they’re features. Most notoriously, after telling a Brazilian crowd: “Brazil you’re a dump. All you filthy animals suck,” Covington took to Instagram to explain he’s not a racist, but a “realist:” a common trope racists use to justify racism.

While Colby Covington has successfully increased his relevancy by manifesting the MAGA-movement into a cage fighter, Kamaru Usman seeks to be its, and Covington’s, antithesis. Vowing to “put the wrath of every immigrant” (including his father), on Colby Covington, UFC 245 will be an appropriate culmination to the story of Muhammed Usman and his family; the “final-battle” of a narrative almost too perfect for the silver screen.

Fueled by what he believes is an unjust imprisonment of his father, Kamaru Usman will undoubtedly be dedicating his existence to the objective of vanquishing the opponent he sees as the incarnate of the societal problems that led to his father’s incarceration. We will see if it will be enough when Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington make the walk at UFC 245. Unable to order pay-per-view from a cell, Muhammed Usman will have to wait a bit longer than the rest of us to learn the conclusion to this remarkable saga.

The post The Nigerian-American Nightmare: The remarkable story of Kamaru Usman’s father appeared first on The Body Lock.

Two of these aforementioned fully developed fighters, Justin Gaethje, and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, will be stepping into the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 158 this Saturday. As each man is the proprietor of a multi-faceted, fully-developed array of martial arts techniques, the problems they will be creating for each other will be more intricate than the standard “striker vs. grappler.”

Three particular aspects of the bout— which man cuts the cage, who can establish their preferred pace and range, and the possibility of the bout transitioning into the grappling realm — are likely to be the realms in which both Cowboy and Gaethje have the opportunity to introduce quandaries to one another; whoever is able to find resolutions to these questions first will likely have their hand raised at the end of the night.

Cage Cutting

Cage cutting — the act of controlling the position of the fight inside the Octagon through footwork (usually with the intention of placing an opponent against the fence) — is important in every bout, but as a principal weapon in Justin Gaethje’s arsenal, it will be of imperative importance when Cowboy and Gaethje share the Octagon.

Justin Gaethje always seeks to trap his opponents up against the fence through the implementation of proper footwork: here we see Gaethje keep James Vick trapped inside the warning track (the black line on the canvas mirroring the cage wall) by repeatedly moving in front of him to block his escape attempts.

It may appear simplistic, but it takes immense amounts of discipline and skill to trap an opponent in this position; if Gaethje were to commit to an attack before the proper time, Vick would easily be able to circle out and escape. By remaining patient, Gaethje is able to restrain Vick (and other opponents) against the cage, which greatly hampers their offensive capabilities. To avoid being caught in this position, a preemptive defense of circling away from the fence and back to the center of the cage before Gaethje can seal his trap (as we see Cowboy utilize against Tony Ferguson below) is crucial. Yet, Justin Gaethje has developed a high level of cage cutting skill: circling back to the center will be vastly easier said than done.

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If Gaethje can place Cerrone against the fence for extended periods, it will greatly play to his favor, as it will force the high-pace/close-range engagements that have been historically problematic for Cowboy.

Pace and Range

It is well known that any fighter looking to throw Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone off of his game should deprive him of the two resources his style of striking requires: space and time. Cowboy is an exceptionally technical kickboxer: if given the proper time and space, he can implement breathtaking combinations on unconsenting opponents as if they were Thai pads held by a trainer. A few years ago Cowboy made it known that he had stopped sparring in favor of a more “technical” training approach of focusing on cleaning up his combinations; his most impressive knockouts are evidence of this high degree of skill.

However, notice that in the clip above (and the one later on) that Cowboy’s knockouts tend to arise when his opponent is sitting at the proper range and looking to trade (identical to the range that a trainer would sit to hold pads). If an opponent gets in Cowboy’s face with constant pressure and forces the fight into the range of “mutually assured destruction” — where both fighters are so close that they can strike each other at will — Cowboy is deprived of the necessary time and space to employ his timing and rhythm-based game. The fight is now a close-quarters slugfest, which greatly favors fighters who have been sparring hard in the gym. Tony Ferguson was able to force this range against Cowboy to great effect: it has long been a staple of “El Cucuy’s” game.

As Justin Gaethje has historically been a fighter who seeks to step into the range of “mutually assured destruction” and “bite down on the mouthpiece” in preparation for a slugfest, this could prove immensely problematic for Cowboy. Here we see him react to exuberant pressure from Tony Ferguson by charging forward wildly, an ill-advised tactic.

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 That’s not to say that the problem of Gaethje’s pressure can’t be solved: if Cowboy can drag the fight into the later rounds, then the limitations of cardio might cause Gaethje to ease his foot off the gas pedal, giving Cowboy the time and space necessary to provide us with another highlight-reel KO.

Grappling

While the constant pressure and disrespect of personal space are likely to be assets for Justin Gaetje, the intrinsic in-close nature of this range tends to leads to grappling exchanges. Here we see Cowboy take advantage of the “mutually assured destruction” range set by Tony Ferguson, clinching his opponent and taking him down.

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If the bout does traverse into the realm of grappling, that would be substantially advantageous for Cowboy, regardless of whether he is on top, or the bottom. With 17 victories by way of submission, Cowboy’s grappling is underappreciated only due to it being overshadowed by his striking prowess. A significant portion of these submissions have been off of his back: he has shown a fondness for the triangle choke throughout his career, but easily his most notable submission victory was his recent armbar submission of Mike Perry. In an immaculate display of skill, notice how Cowboy underhook’s Perry’s leg as soon as he steps it forward, swinging himself into a perfect armbar.

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If he finds himself on top of his opponent — an occurrence usually preceded by Cowboy’s preferred takedown: a trip from the clinch — Cowboy will implement a traditional BJJ gameplan of working his way to a dominant position in order to achieve the means of submission; typically a rear-naked choke from the back, or a triangle from top control like he used against Alexi Oliveira.

Conclusion

Typically when the UFC matchmakers treat us fans to a card as spectacular as UFC 242, we then have to eat our vegetables with a handful of underwhelming cards before we can savor a main event of big names — but not this week. Thankfully, UFC management decided to keep the hype generated from Khabib vs. Poirier rolling by giving us a compelling bout between two fan-favorite names in a matchup that creates the perfect symbiosis of what makes MMA so entertaining: high-level problem solving manifested into sheer excitement and violence. If either Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone or Justin Gaethje is fighting, that bout is certain to be a barn burner; locking them in the Octagon together is as close to a guarantee as we can get that this fight will be a remarkable spectacle.

The post UFC Vancouver Breakdown: The 3 facets of “Cowboy” vs. Gaethje appeared first on The Body Lock.

Get a special ESPN+ deal here to watch Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier and the rest of the PPV main card this Saturday, September 7.

With a perfect record of 27-0, a victory over Conor McGregor, and the proprietor of perhaps the most dreaded fighting style in mixed martial arts, it is no wonder why Khabib Nurmagomedov is hailed as an unstoppable force. While this image is justified, it is important to recognize that it is deserved due to the techniques and tactics that “The Eagle” employs; he wins fights because he utilizes a set of skills and techniques that have been refined through the trials and tribulations of his ancestors and countrymen. The perfection of hand to hand combat has been the focus of Dagestani life for generations, which has left Khabib Nurmagomedov with the techniques he uses to thrive in the Octagon. While it is easy to fall into the trap of viewing the fighter from a war-torn area of the planet as just being “tougher” than other fighters, this would be a disservice to Khabib, his culture, and the specific skillset the champion has accrued.

Specifically, what Khabib Nurmagomedov does better than the rest of the UFC roster is relentlessly top control and damage his opponents from the top position. While many in the UFC can take their opponents down almost at will, where Khabib Nurmagomedov is unparalleled is in his ability to keep his opponent down while he damages them with strikes. He does not lay and pray: once an opponent is down he is incredibly active in blasting them with strikes. This is what has caught his competition off guard. They are used to fighters either laying on top of them and holding them down or attempting to strike, which gives them the space necessary to move and escape. But by utilizing a specific set of riding and pinning techniques, Khabib can both harm and control his opponents.

Before he faces off against the always-dangerous Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, let’s take a look into how Khabib Nurmagomedov can simultaneously pin and damage his opponents in a manner in which no other UFC competitor seems able to replicate.

Leg Mount

Immediately after getting his opponent down to the mat, Khabib will look to establish what is known as the leg mount. In this position, Khabib drags his opponent’s legs between his own, then locks them in place by securing a triangle. By driving his hips downward, he forces their legs straight, depriving them of the ability to place their feet on the floor in order to stand.

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From here, Khabib has immense control over his opponent; unable to get their feet under them to stand, Khabib’s prey is hapless as he ravages them with strikes, or climbs his way up their body to a more dominant position.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the only fighter to utilize the leg mount: past and present competitors alike — most notably the legendary Bj Penn — have made extensive use of this maneuver. However, Khabib’s version of the leg mount is without a doubt the most formidable to ever been employed in the Octagon; this is for two reasons: first, Khabib will ensure that his opponent’s legs are crossed inside of his triangle. By intertwining their legs, it is substantially more difficult for Khabib’s opponent to escape. In the preceding clip, we see Khabib cross Conor McGregor’s legs just by using his own legs, while here we see him use his hand to reach down and ensure the legs are woven together before he locks them in the triangle.

The second reason Khabib’s leg mount is the most effective, and notorious, in all of MMA is that he uses it as a base to striker or methodically climb his opponent’s body; as the excess control of crossing the legs means he can keep his opponent in place and strike, he doesn’t have to immediately rush to the mount of back control, which often gives the victim the chance to escape.

Here we see Khabib wrap up McGregor in the leg mount, then slowly climb his way up to mount, never providing the space necessary for Conor McGregor to get an underhook or escape his hips. This would eventually lead to Khabib’s submission victory over the Irishman.

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Now compare that with how Eddie Alvarez attempts to rush directly from the leg mount into mount against Khabib’s upcoming opponent Dustin Poirier. By hoisting his hips into the air, Eddie Alvarez gives Poirier space, and time, to get an underhook, post his hand on the mat, and stand up.

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Khabib doesn’t make such mistakes, which greatly increases the effectiveness, and formidability of his leg mount, and therefore his entire game of top control.

The Dagestani Handcuff

Easily the most notorious tactic in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toolkit, the Dagestani handcuff is perhaps the most significant contributor to Khabib’s feared reputation as a mauler.

If Khabib’s opponent places their wrist or elbow on the mat (often in an attempt to stand), Khabib will immediately reach around their back and grab their wrist. As a major aspect of the Dagestani handcuff is this around-the-back wrist grip, the position is often maligned as just being a wrestling technique known as “barring the arm.”

The reasons why Khabib’s tactic is both different and superior to barring the arm are slight, but consequential. Notice how Khabib uses the handcuff against the almost hapless Michael Johnson: as soon as Johnson places his elbow on the mat in an attempt to get up, Khabib secures the around-the-back wrist grip. Then, he sucks his arm back, driving Johnson’s body over the apparatus of intertwined limbs. He then moves his left leg in between Johnson’s legs, which prevents Johnson from turning away, while the wrist grip prevents Johnson from turning in.

The combination of leg and hand control gives Khabib complete dictation over when the fight will advance to a different position. With his opponent unable to move and only having one hand to defend, Khabib employs the ultimate objective of the Dagestani handcuff: the deliverance of vicious ground and pound to his nearly defenseless opponent.

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These two actions — driving his opponent’s body on top of their trapped arm and placing his leg back inside his opponents half guard — are what differentiates both the Dagestani handcuff from “barring the arm,” and Khabib Nurmagomdov from the rest of the UFC roster. Johnson’s arm isn’t just “trapped behind his back:” his arm is “trapped behind his back, his body is on top of his arm, and Khabib Nurmagomedov is on top of him, punching him in the face.” 

As it provides the capability to decimate an opponent through ground and pound, Khabib Nurmagomedove will pursue the Dagestani handcuff the way most fighters pursue traditionally dominant positions like the mount or the back. Here we see Khabib lock up the position as soon as Johnson’s wrist becomes available; Khabib could have looked to secure the back, but as he prefers the handcuff, that is his principal choice.

And just as with a dominant position like the back or mount, if the opponent is in the midst of an escape, Khabib will cease his attack and resecure the position before resuming his assault. Here we see Johnson start to get his bodyweight off of his wrist and start to free his arm. Khabib immediately stops his ground and pound to ensure the escape attempt is unsuccessful. Notice how he doubles up his wrist grip in order to drive Johnson back over his trapped arm.

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Khabib views the Dagestani handcuff for exactly what it is: a dominant position that is just as good, and in some cases is even superior to, the mount or back. While the submission opportunities aren’t as numerous, the Dagestani handcuff allows Nurmagomedov to completely deprive his opponent of the ability to effectively defend against strikes by removing one arm from the equation.

Coupled with the sheer violence directed at their skull, the position renders the victim at the will of Nurmagomedov. It allows him to decide if and when he wants to advance to another position, while completely removing the possibility of the opponent escaping back to their feet. By viewing its conjunction of control and allowance of damage, it is obvious that the Dagestani handcuff is without a doubt one of the most notable reasons for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s success in the cage.

Turtle Rundown

Although a rare, sometimes Khabib’s opponents will be able to work their way up off the mat and begin to stand. Never deviating from his unforgiving style of wrestling, Nurmagomedov will employ a series of riding techniques to keep his opponent down. One of the most prominent of these rides is the turtle rundown. If his opponent is about to get up off the mat (a rare occurrence), Khabib will secure his arms around their waist and quite literally run them forward, forcing them to place their hands on the mat to avoid face planting. 

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Once their arms are on the mat, Khabib drives his weight up over his opponent’s shoulders. Known as “weighting the arm,” the combined weight of Khabib and his opponent ensures that the arm can’t be taken off the mat, or the victim will fall face forward.

Here we see the turtle rundown employed against Al Iaquinta. Notice how Khabib is keeping his chest directly above Iaquinta’s shoulders: this places the weight of both fighters directly into Iaquinta’s hands, preventing Iaquinta from completing his attempt to stand. And just like the rest of Khabib’s preferred techniques, as the mechanism of control comes from Khabib’s body placement (his chest over his opponent’s shoulders), this means he has a free hand to strike.

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The turtle rundown is an immensely effective tactic: it not only keeps an opponent from getting up off the mat, but penalizes them for even trying: forced to carry the weight of both fighters, Khabib’s opponents are sapped of their stamina as the Dagestani rides them face-first into the cage and mat, dishing out strikes whenever he fancies.

The Diamond Could Be Rough

Through the use of these three techniques (as well as many more that are too numerous to cover here), Khabib Nurmagomedov has been able to accrue an almost unbelievably perfect record of 27-0 that includes victories over some of the most notable names in the UFC.

Coming off of an impressive victory over the featherweight champion Max Holloway, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier will be looking to put an end to that. While he has yet to reach the level of prestige that Khabib has, Poirier has been making consistent, substantial improvements with each fight. With very good defensive footwork and a unique style of boxing that is likely to prove problematic for Khabib, Poirier is far from an inevitable victim of Khabib Nurmagomedov: he is a formidable threat who could absolutely remain on his feet, out-strike the champion, and unify both the lightweight belts under his name. However, one aspect of his game that should be foregone against Khabib is his tendency to jump for guillotines, which Khabib and his team are happy to accept as it gives “The Eagle” top position. 

Being one of the most anticipated bouts of 2019, UFC 242’s main event of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier will likely fulfill Dana White’s wildest dreams of generating worldwide hype for the UFC’s entrance into the Middle Eastern market. While we may not yet know if the infamous riding techniques of Khabib Nurmamogmedov will be sufficient for the lightweight champion to best Dustin Poirier and unify the two lightweight belts, it is safe to say that the main event of UFC 242 will be an outstanding fight that will be frequently recalled from the anals of mixed martial arts history.

The post UFC 242 Breakdown: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 3 favorite techniques appeared first on The Body Lock.

One of the most valuable of these “intangible skills” is a high fight IQ, which provides the ability to effectively adapt to an opponent during the bout. While some athletes are unable, or unwilling, to stray from their favored techniques over the course of a career, others fall on the other end of the spectrum: their Fight IQ is so high that they are able to recognize during a fight that their strategy and tactics are being effectively neutralized, then make the necessary adjustments all while in the midst of combat. Such a skill is extremely rare and nearly impossible to develop, which is why it is sparse even among the top rankings of the UFC.

One such possessor of this “intangible skill” is the UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade. As evidenced by the vicious slam knockout of Rose Namajunas that ceded Jessica Andrade the title, Andrade showed that she was able to recognize when she was being thoroughly beaten (Namajunas dominated the first round), and make the necessary adjustments to find a way to win. By breaking down Andrade’s knockout of Namajunas (which will likely be remembered as one of the most violent in the sport’s history), we can see how Andrade adapted on-the-fly, creating, and then seizing the potential for victory. This ability to discern when tactical changes are needed, and then implement them during the bout should be of great concern to Andrade’s upcoming opponent Weili Zhang; she is going to need to be able to think and adapt just as quickly as Andrade — a difficult feat — if she wants to deprive the current champion of a claim to any successful title defenses.

Slams: A Proper Application of Force

While often maligned as nontechnical and wild, just like some other techniques in MMA, slams are actually highly intricate: what determines if a slam is successful in knocking out its victim or not isn’t the amount of force that is generated, but rather whether the victim’s head is what hits the mat.

So, while we often see high amplitude, dynamic slams in the UFC, if the intended victim is able to fall properly and keep their head from hitting the mat (as Rose was able to do during Andrade’s first two slam attempts) they will likely remain conscious and continue to pursue whatever submission they were working towards. Only when Andrade made a modification that allowed her to dictate the angle Rose’s fall, therefore slamming her on her head, was the technique successful.

The Failed Attempts

Knowing that Jessica Andrade is a formidable wrestler, Rose Namajunas prepared to counter the wrestling with a technique known as the Kimura Trap. Whenever Andrade pushed her up against the fence, Rose would reach over Andrade’s back and secure the two-on-one wrist grip known as the Kimura. Once the Kimura grip is secured, not only is it significantly harder for Rose to be taken down, but if she is, Rose can transition to submission attempts (such as the armbar we saw), or look to take the back.

We see the benefit of the Kimura grip manifest in this clip of the first slam attempt: Jessica Andrade is attempting a single leg takedown; this means that when Rose secures the Kimura grip, Rose’s body is locked in place over the back of Andrade’s neck, effectively placing her behind the Brazilian.

This does two things: it greatly corrupts Andrade’s posture, which makes it much more laborious (yet still possible) for Andrade to lift Rose, and it means that Andrade will have limited control over the angle in which Rose will fall. Because Rose was behind Andrade on the first two attempts, Andrade couldn’t slam Rose on her head, thereby allowing Rose to fall properly and avoid damage, as we see here:

After the slam, Rose’s Kimura grip prevents Jessica Andrade from holding her down, allowing the then-champion to immediately return to her feet

On the second attempt, Andrade is able to use her sheer power to overcome the corruption in her spine (which is a result of Rose’s body positioning across the back of her neck) and lift Namajunas up into the air. Because the Kimura grip locked Rose behind Andrade, Rose has substantially more control over the engagement than it might initially appear.

While up in the air, Rose unlocks her legs from Andrade’s arms and immediately swings herself around the Brazilian, using the Kimura grip to pull herself into an armbar. Namajunas got the better of this exchange because Andrade had attacked with a single leg takedown: her head was inside Rose’s body, so when Andrade lifts her opponent, Namajunas is behind her depriving Andrade of the ability to control Rose’s decent to the mat. This allows Rose to fall safely onto her shoulders and avoid taking damage. Andrade then goes on to successfully escape the armbar.

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The Successful Slam

After the first round, it was apparent to all (including Jessica Andrade and her corner), that not only had Rose won the first round, but Andrade was in serious trouble. Andrade had been thoroughly out-struck, almost submitted, and ended the round on her back with Namajunas in top control; serious alterations would be needed if the challenger wanted a chance to claim the belt. By inspecting the finer points of the notoriously violent slam that earned Jessica Andrade the UFC Strawweight Championship, we can see that such consequential adjustments were made by Andrade; her victory was a result of martial science, not sheer brute strength as it might appear.

The sequence starts with Andrade pushing Rose up against the fence where the then-champ locks up another Kimura. By taking a close look, we can see Andrade hand fight with Rose, temporarily breaking the Kimura grip. Although Rose reestablishes the grip, by hand fighting, Jessica Andrade gives herself both the time, and space, to switch from a single leg takedown to a high crotch takedown by moving her head outside of Rose’s body.

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This was an expert tactical decision that yielded substantial dividends for Jessica Andrade. Because the high crotch places Jessica Andrade’s head outside of Rose’s body, when Andrade lifts Rose into the air, Rose is now in front of Andrade, giving Andrade the control needed to ensure Rose lands on her head.

Notice how much more control Jessica Andrade has over Namajunas in this clip of the finish as opposed to the previous attempts. As she is behind her opponent, Jessica Andrade is able to hoist Namajunas up into the air and slam her straight down, ensuring Namajunas’s head is the first thing to hit the mat. Rose Namajunas is deprived of her consciousness, and Jessica Andrade is the new UFC strawweight champion.

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An Extraordinarily High Fight IQ

Jessica Andrade’s knockout of Rose Namajunas should not be viewed as a victory of brawn over brain, but rather that the combination of the two creates a terrifyingly skillful fighter. While the first round of their bout showcased that Rose’s striking and Jiu-Jitsu skill was significantly above Andrade’s, that does not mean that Rose is a better fighter. In order to win in mixed martial arts, you don’t need to be better than your opponent: you only need to be better at one aspect of fighting for one moment to secure the finish.

What is so impressive about the manner in which Jessica Andrade claimed the strawweight belt was that she was being thoroughly beaten. Rose Namajunas had trained extensively to counter Jessica Andrade’s superior wrestling by employing the Kimura Trap; it was a thoroughly thought out strategy that paid abundant dividends until Jessica Andrade made a mid-fight adjustment to render Rose’s counter obsolete.

By recognizing that moving from a single leg takedown to a high crotch takedown would allow her the necessary control to slam Rose effectively, Jessica Andrade showed that despite her technique was largely inferior to Rose’s, her fight IQ — which is arguably more valuable than superior technique — was superior. While striking and grappling technique can be learned and improved through hours and repetitions in the gym, fight IQ is notoriously difficult to improve. As Jessica Andrade is obviously in possession of an extraordinarily high fight IQ, Weili Zhang, and the rest of the strawweight division will have their work cut out for them if they want to usurp the title from the Brazilian champion.

The post How Jessica Andrade’s high fight IQ led to the violent Rose Namajunas slam KO appeared first on The Body Lock.

While Cormier’s Olympic wrestling pedigree certainly provided a route for him to win through a takedown to top control strategy, doubts about the change in weight classes and Miocic’s striking prowess — specifically his long reach, formidable jab, and superb defensive footwork — led many to believe that Cormier’s chance of achieving “champ-champ” status were slim, and contingent upon getting the larger Miocic down to the mat.

Needless to say, when Daniel Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic in the first round, bewilderment ripped through the MMA  populace like a shockwave.

While the initial response of many was to consider Cormier’s method of victory as a fluke, a closer inspection of the bout shows that the knockout was actually the result of an expertly designed and flawlessly executed gameplan. Prior to Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic’s rematch at UFC 241, let’s take a look at the specific tactics Cormier used to take the UFC Heavyweight Championship title from the formidable Miocic, as these same tactics just might be replicated at UFC 241. Cormier vs. Miocic is part of the main card that streams live on ESPN+.

And your enemies closer

Immediately following Marc Goddard’s commencement of the bout, it was apparent that Daniel Cormier would be looking to close distance and clinch with Stipe Miocic. This was an expert tactical decision, as it moved the bout into close quarters where Daniel Cormier’s attributes would be bolstered, and Stipe Miocic’s would be hampered.

As the tale of the tape highlighted a whopping reach discrepancy of 80-inch to 72.5-inch in favor of Miocic, it doesn’t take a hand-to-hand combat aficionado to deduce that Cormier would not want to allow his opponent to sit at range and pick him apart with his longer reach.

And as Cormier is a former Olympic wrestler, it was no surprise that he was looking to get in close and clinch with the taller, larger man, as that created the potential to pursue a takedown. While the mismatch in wrestling skill is an obvious justification for Cormier’s desire to close distance, we didn’t see the wrestling skillset utilized in this bout; instead, we saw the light heavyweight champion utilize another close-range tactic that amplified his physical attributes: his strategy of dirty boxing.

While the term “dirty boxing” has been appropriated by all sorts of grifters looking to sell “street-ready self-defense systems,” our usage of the phrase is more in-line with its original meaning: the art of boxing from an incredibly close range, usually from the clinch.

This was considered cheap and unfair in the earlier days of boxing, hence the epithet “dirty.” While perfectly legal in MMA, Daniel Cormier’s implementation of dirty boxing allowed him to simultaneously bolster the effectiveness of his striking while drastically reducing that of his opponent.

While the combination of Miocic’s reach advantage and superb defensive footwork led many to give the striking advantage to Stipe, where his advantage actually lay was when the fighters were striking at an extended range.

If the fight was at an extended distance, Miocic could work from behind his jab and mitigate Cormier’s wrestling, racking up damage and staying on his feet. But, when Cormier was able to close the distance, Miocic’s once-advantageous length became a detriment. While long limbs make straight strikes such as jabs, crosses, and kicks incredibly effective, the length becomes a disadvantage when the two fighters are in close.

Without the required space for a jab or cross to be effective, the advantage shifts to the shorter, stalkier fighter (in this case Cormier), who can use the close-range weapons of uppercuts and hooks while the taller, lankier fighter (Miocic) is hamstrung by their once-beneficial long limbs.

Think of it this way, if you had to fight someone in a phone booth, would you rather have a baseball bat (which requires ample space in order to be an effective weapon) or a knife (which requires almost no space in order to be used to a deadly effect). We’ll look at just how this in-close dynamic allowed Daniel Cormier to not only beat Stipe Miocic but to knock him out in the first round — a method of victory that shocked many in the MMA fandom, your writer included.

Getting close

One element of the bout that puzzled fans was the manner in which Daniel Cormier chose to go about closing the distance with Miocic. Rather than taking the orthodox approach of forcing his opponent to cover up with strikes before subsequently crashing into him, Cormier elected for more passive methods.

The first tactic Cormier used to clinch with Miocic was to intice Miocic to close the distance by placing himself against the fence and creating the opportunity for Miocic to take the underhook, which Miocic happily did; once Miocic had established the clinch, Cormier would go about gaining dominant clinch positioning by recovering the underhook.

Here we see Daniel Cormier allow himself to be pushed straight back onto the fence, an occurrence that is almost always a faux pas, but is actually a genius tactical decision from Cormier. Once Miocic has initiated the clinch, Cormier regains dominant positioning by framing on Miocic’s head with his left hand as he circles his hips out.

This creates enough space for Cormier to pummel his left arm inside for the underhook, which he immediately turns into the double underhooks body lock, the most coveted of all the upper body clinch positions. This position gives Cormier immense control over Stipe, allowing him to theoretically initiate takedowns (a tactic we didn’t see utilized) or back away slightly and land strikes from in close (a tactic we did see).

When the fight was in the center of the Octagon and away from the fence, Cormier chose to take a slightly more risky approach. By reaching both his arms out towards Miocic, Cormier was able to lure his opponent in by using his head the way a hunter employs a decoy. With his arms extended, Cormier was purposefully exposing his skull to Miocic’s punches; yet when Miocic took the bait and threw strikes, Cormier would evade with head movement as he reached up in an attempt to clinch.

Here we see Cormier present his head as a target: Miocic takes the bait and engages, but Cormier evades Miocic’s second volley with an impressive display of head movement. As Cormier secures a sole underhook, Miocic counters by framing on Cormier’s face. Feeling that he is unable to secure a dominant clinch and pursue a takedown attempt, Cormier decides to switch to his dirty boxing strategy: a swift hook and a right straight snap Miocic’s head back.

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Fighting dirty

What mystified many about the result of Cormier vs. Miocic wasn’t that Daniel Cormier won — that was always a perfectly plausible outcome — but that he won via knockout.

As previously stated, once Cormier was able to trick Miocic into closing the distance on his behalf, if he wasn’t able to get an effective clinch and work for a takedown, Cormier would immediately start striking from the close-quarters range, where his stalky build was an asset and Miocic’s lankiness was a detriment.

Here we see Cormier attempt but fail to establish a clinch, so he immediately throws an uppercut, catching Miocic while his head is ducked low.

And a similar occurrence here: Cormier allows himself to be pushed to the fence and attempts to clinch but is deterred; he lands a stern uppercut, which prompts Miocic to force Cormier back to the cage. Cormier yields Miocic the underhook, which he will immediately look to reclaim.

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In the seconds preceding the knockout, we see the effectiveness of Cormier’s dirty boxing strategy really start to shine.

By getting the fight into an extremely close range, Daniel Cormier is able to strike with Miocic in a way that many predicted would be untenable; as an in-close distance means that the then-heavyweight champion is no longer the sole fighter with the ability to reach his opponent, Cormier is able to evade and reciprocate Miocic’s strikes as if the two had identical reaches.

In a perfect summation of Daniel Cormier’s entire strategy for this bout, this clip of the finish shows us all of Cormier’s tactics rolled into one seamless exchange.

First, he lures Stipe Miocic in by extending his arms out and up high; Miocic responds first by striking, then by taking the easily obtainable underhook, as any well-trained combatant would do. This was exactly what Cormier wanted, and he immediately regains the underhook. Unable to secure Miocic fully with his other hand, he elects to return to his dirty boxing attack.

The powerful right hook of a Daniel Cormier unrestrained by the 205-pound weight limit is completely unseen by Stipe Miocic: as it crashes into his skull, the UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is immediately removed from the realm of consciousness. A brief moment of ground and pound is all Marc Goddard needs to see; he steps in to save Miocic, thereby rendering Daniel Cormier the simultaneous holder of the UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championship belts.

Conclusion

As perhaps the most underappreciated fighter in the upper echelons of the UFC, any analysis that has Daniel Cormier’s knockout victory over Stipe Miocic as a “fluke” should be considered counterfactual.

While there is no doubt that Javier Mendes and the rest of American Kickboxing Academy’s coaching staff were instrumental in helping devise the close-quarters gameplan that led to Stipe Miocic’s demise, all credit should be attributed to Daniel Cormier, who stepped into the Octagon and manifested it into reality.

The importance of breaking down the first bout between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic is not just to explain the result of a past contest, but because it is highly likely that we see a lot of the same strategies, tactics, and techniques that we saw in the principal fight re-emerge in the second.

Perhaps Daniel Cormier will be able to utilize his wrestling more this time around, or perhaps he will stay with the dirty boxing strategy that won him the UFC Heavyweight Championship; either way, if Stipe Miocic has been abiding by the same mistake as many in the MMA ecosystem that Cormier’s victory, or the violent method in which it was obtained, was just a matter of random happenstance, then it is likely he will run headfirst into the harsh consequences of reality as Daniel Cormier implements another expertly-crafted plan of attack and retains the heavyweight title.

The post UFC 241 Breakdown: Daniel Cormier, Stipe Miocic, and the cleanest dirty boxing you’ll ever see appeared first on The Body Lock.