Issue 098

February 2013

Master the skills that won ‘Cigano’ the UFC heavyweight title

GROUND GAME 

It’s rare to see JDS initiate a ground battle, his fights normally going to the ground by way of a knockdown. When he chases his dazed opponents to the mat, Dos Santos is careful to correctly position himself so as not to get embroiled in his opponent’s guard and to be able to get his punches off without becoming entangled in a protracted grappling exchange. '

UFC on Fox 1, Cain Velasquez

JDS knocked Velasquez down with a big overhand right just a minute into their 2011 contest. Rather than follow up by diving into the guard, Dos Santos threw Cain’s legs aside, allowing him to punch away without inhibition and get the stoppage.

UFC 131, Shane Carwin

Dos Santos heavily punished Carwin with hooks and uppercuts with Carwin in the turtle position in Vancouver in June 2011. By not taking tight grips, but simply riding the position with hip pressure, Dos Santos was able to punch away, and Carwin was unable to secure a grip to give a reference for escaping the position. 

CLINCHING

Dos Santos understands that tying up with overhooks and underhooks in the clinch inhibits his ability to use his best weapons (his strikes) and opens the door to the takedown for his opponent. 

UFC 103, Mirko ‘Cro Cop’

In 2009, Dos Santos fought ‘Cro Cop’ with a combination of a collar tie and wrist control. This allowed him to get his right knee off without the possibility of it being grabbed. 

PUNCHING COMBINATIONS

Despite being Brazilian, boxing, not jiu-jitsu, is at the heart of ‘Cigano’s fighting style. The punching combinations Junior uses are classic, simple sequences drilled to perfection and delivered with incredible power. Here is a step-by-step rundown of the combos that have been decisive in Junior Dos Santos dispatching some of his biggest foes. 

UFC 108, Gilbert Yvel

Dos Santos saw kickboxer Yvel’s right cross coming and ‘slipped’ it, boxing parlance for moving the head off line, dipping behind the shoulder for defence. Slipping the cross, as Junior did in January 2010 at UFC 108 in Las Vegas, leaves your body rotated to the left, which sets you up perfectly to counter with the left hook. 

UFC LIVE , Gabriel Gonzaga

JDS countered Gonzaga’s left body kick with a left hook, back in 2010. The left hook is the classic response to the left kick in Muay Thai, as circling away from the kick takes the sting out, whilst setting up the punch to attack an unbalanced kicker. 

UFC 95, Stefan Struve

In London in 2009, Cigano smashed Stefan Struve by swarming him with combinations. Dos Santos uses speed pads to build his hand speed and fluidity. Have your coach signal which punch to throw by tapping the opposite pad on your elbow. Speed up the sequences as you become accustomed to the combinations.