Issue 189

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 UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes present essential wrestling techniques for MMA.

Skill: Hughes’ Peek-Out Double From The Mat

1: Matt (grey shirt) is stopped on his hands and knees and Kenny has a body lock above both of Matt’s arms.

2: Matt pops up to his hands and toes while circling to his left.

3: Matt continues to circle to his left with Kenny following.

4: Matt continues circling to his left to build up momentum. Matt is using the circular movement as a set up to get Kenny to follow him.

5: Matt takes one more step to his left and immediately drops his level to his left knee while throwing his right arm up and back into Kenny’s armpit. The sudden level change and throwing of the arm while Kenny is still circling will help close the gap and force Kenny out of position.

6: Matt continues throwing his arm back hard while reaching for the single-leg and stepping up with his right leg. Kenny is completely out of position from the motion and series of movements.

7: Matt turns the corner and keeps Kenny’s leg trapped between his legs so Kenny will not be able to step-over, switch, shoot away or roll to recover guard amongst others.

8: Matt moves up towards Kenny’s chest while controlling the hips, securing the takedown and looking to transition to his next move. Note that Matt has his palm on the inside of Kenny’s thigh for control (not on his waist) preventing a wrist lock, kimura or roll.