Issue 079
September 2011
The UFC lightweight division’s number-one contender isn’t called ‘The Bully’ for nothing. Here are Maynard’s meanest and roughest techniques that have pushed him to the front of the 155lb queue
BEATING THE SCRAMBLE
COVERING THE DOUBLE WITH A STEP-OVER
In the lighter divisions particularly, all of today’s UFC-level athletes have great scrambling skills. It is important to remember that the takedown is not complete until the target man has his shoulders on the mat. Covering the takedown is something that wrestlers like Maynard understand very well.
In the Gym
Start sparring from a double-leg lift, with one fighter offering no resistance. The moment the action touches the mat the thrown fighter starts to scramble, looking to escape the hips and stuff the head. The fighter executing the double must grip tight and cover the takedown to a pin, or reset if the bottom man escapes to his feet.
In Action
Check out round three of Maynard vs Huerta. Maynard controls Huerta against the fence, keeping him down, and when Huerta turtles to attempt to escape, Maynard maintained the leg ride, continuing to foil Huerta’s normally superb scrambling skills.
USING DIRTY BOXING TO GET THE SNAP-DOWN
FRONT HEADLOCK TO LEG TAKEDOWN
As you would expect from an elite member of the Xtreme Couture team, Maynard is an expert in dirty boxing, and has superbly adapted wrestling for MMA. The leg tackle from the headlock is a perfect example, allowing you to set up a shot on the legs without having to confront knees and punches, while the headlock leaves your opponent anchored in position, unable to move away.
In the Gym
Work on the snap down by wrestling aggressively, snapping on the head and shoulders, before combining the technique with dirty boxing. With your head in the pocket you can either pick the head on the inside single, or if they step the near-leg back you’re looking at an easy ankle pick on the far leg – a classic wrestling technique utilized by Maynard during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter.
In Action
In the electrifying first round of Edgar-Maynard 2 at UFC 125, The Bully rocked Edgar several times, and repeatedly clubbed him down into headlocks.
POWER RIGHT CROSS
Maynard is trained by Xtreme Couture boxing coach Gil Martinez. After dropping Edgar in the first round of their rematch at UFC 125, the Bully started to load up and head hunt. Between rounds two and three, Martinez wisely urged him to return to his tactics of touching with the left to establish range, then let the big shot go.
In the Gym
A heavy maize bag gives good resistance to work slightly different angles with the right hand. Touch the bag with the left hand to establish the range and angle before throwing powerful crosses and overhands.
In Action
Maynard counter punched Huerta throughout round two of their UFC Fight Night 19 bout. Backing up, stopping his advances with the open left palm and smashing him to the body and head with the right.
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