Issue 141

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 was Team Nogueira’s wrestling guru on The Ultimate Fighter. He and top ten MMA bantamweight Pedro Munhoz showcase the best wrestling techniques for MMA - here how to execute the perfect Sprawl from crack down.

Skill: Sprawl from crack down

1: Pedro is going to time Kenny’s jab and shoot a single-leg takedown with his head on the inside.

2: Kenny is going to immediately lower his level, use the hand closest to Pedro’s head to stuff his head down, grab the shallow whizzer with the opposite hand and start to sprawl.

3: Pedro beats Kenny to his sprawl by being tight on the leg and in good position with his body and head. Pedro pulls Kenny’s leg and uses his head to push Kenny’s upper body and crack Kenny down to his hip. Kenny is going to land on his hip and post his outside hand to keep his chest up and his back from going to the mat.

4: Same position as step three from a different angle.

5: Kenny immediately starts fighting Pedro’s head down.

6: Kenny tucks and traps Pedro’s head under his knee as he reaches his arm deep into Pedro’s waist and keeps his chest tight to Pedro’s back.

7: Kenny keeps the deep waist-tight and uses his legs to elevate himself and Pedro while driving Pedro on an angle over his leg to his hip. At the same time, Kenny begins to straighten his bottom leg back getting ready to sprawl.

8: Kenny sprawls hard and frees his legs.

9: Kenny immediately transitions to Pedro’s back to secure the takedown and dominant position.