Issue 037
May 2008
By Peter Irving
One of the most intense fighters in the UFC Diego Sanchez went on a tear in 2005, taking out both Kenny Florian and Brian Gassaway with strikes from mount. His particular way of setting up attacks is demonstrated below.
1: Peter is in mount and his opponent is covering up.
2 + 3: With the bottom man’s arms up high, Peter throws hooks around the blocking arms.
4: Peter grips both of his opponent’s wrists and slides his hips higher up the body, straddling the chest. This makes it very difficult for the bottom man to escape.
5: Close up of grip
6: Using the double wrist grip, Peter can ‘steer’ his opponent’s arms, taking away his defences.
7: Using a push-pull movement, Peter brings one of his opponent’s arms away from the head…
8: …and turns his elbow into the face.
9: Peter recovers the strike…
10 + 11: …and uses the same steering motion on the opposite side to throw another elbow.
12: Another option is to pin both arms…
13: …and throw a short vertical elbow through the middle of the covering arms.
14: Close up of vertical elbow.
15: Combine the use of turning and vertical elbows together with the steering motion and the referee will be stopping the fight in no time.