Issue 177

April 2019

Work your way out of one of MMA’s most dangerous positions to swing the fight in your favor

Greg Jackson

The most in-demand coach in MMA demonstrates the best techniques for the cage, with help from UFC flyweight John Dodson

1.John has taken the mount position on Greg, who can only defend himself with his hands.

2.Greg uses his thigh to bump John forward onto his hands – breaking his posture.

3.Greg locks his hands around John’s upper back and tucks his head into John’s chest.

4.In an attempt to regain his posture, John starts to crossface Greg, by using his forearm to push down on his face.

5.Greg stops John by trapping his forearm between his hand and head. Greg also uses his right foot to cover John’s left foot, leaving John with no base on his left side.

6.With John’s arm and foot trapped, Greg bumps his hips up to knock John off balance, then rolls to his right side.

7.Greg finishes rolling into top position in John’s guard. From here, he can throw strikes or look to pass into a more dominant position.

TOP TIPS

AMATEUR 

Avoid extending your arms when mounted because they’ll be vulnerable to armbars.

SEMI-PRO

You can reverse any ground position once you’ve isolated one side of your opponent’s body.

PROFESSIONAL 

When in top position, you can break your opponent’s grip by using your chest to bump his head against the canvas.

GREG SAYS

“In MMA you’re not allowed to hit to the back of the head, so I keep my head tight to his chest so he can’t get a clear shot in.”