Issue 124

January 2015

Kenny Johnson is one of the most esteemed wrestling coaches in MMA. Noted for his work with BJ Penn, he’s also taught Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. He and UFC bantamweight Pedro Munhoz present the best wrestling techniques for MMA. Here, clinch to inside trip.

1. Kenny (right) starts in a solid clinch position – stopping Pedro’s underhook while having a deep controlling underhook.

2. Kenny uses his underhook to pull Pedro around his planted right leg (at the same time pushing with the other arm) creating an angle and forcing Pedro to stay off balance.  

3. As Pedro steps around Kenny’s planted leg, Kenny turns his right hip toward Pedro and shoots his right leg in and curls it around Pedro’s leg. As he shoots the leg he drives off his back leg, keeping forward pressure.  

4. Kenny slides down to the ankle and squares his hips up at the same time, pressuring forward and securing a solid, tight double-leg.

5. Kenny finishes the move by driving through Pedro with his chest and scooping Pedro’s foot with his leg. Don’t stop forward pressure when you’re on your knees.