- Aug 30, 2001
- 13,483
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OK so here is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen in MMA. This is a prime example of optimum usage of Judo and Brazilian Jiu-JItsu in MMA. THe two sports (Judo, BJJ) are a bit different when adapted to an MMA fight and the guy below is one of the very best at combining the two. His name is Demian Maia. This entire sequence is all planned out from the beginning and it nearly brings a tear to my eye with how perfectly executed it is and how pretty it looks.
It starts with both fighters in the clinch (standing, hands wrapped up around each other's heads), Maia with his back towards the middle of the ring. Pay attention to Sonnen's (Maia's opponent) right arm. Maia has it trapped from the very beginning, even before this takedown. Once Maia secures Sonnen's right arm he already knows how this fight is going to (hopefully) end. He trips Sonnen into a nice body to body suplex, never letting go of that right arm. The takedown is perfect and Maia ends up in full mount, right where he wants to be.
Notice that he never once let go of Sonnen's right arm.
At the end of that gif you can see Maia start to lean a little bit forward over Sonnen's right shoulder. Under ANY other circumstance, this is a terrible idea because you're basically giving your opponent an easy sweep, meaning he can use your weight and momentum against you and roll you over and end up on top. However, this is exactly what Maia wants and expects Sonnen to do, so he leans over the shoulder on purpose, intentionally letting Sonnen sweep him. With Maia still holding Sonnen's right arm, in the middle of the sweep he throws his right leg over Sonnen's left shoulder and by the time the sweep is completed Maia already sunk in a NASTY triangle choke. Sonnen can't escape and has to tap out before he goes to sleep. Maia wins by the most beautiful triangle setup I've ever seen in an MMA fight.
It was all about that right arm, and the fact he had it trapped before he ever even took Sonnen down shows he was planning this entire setup out from the very beginning.
Maia has had 5 fights in the UFC and won them all by submission, 4 of which earned him "Submission of the night" bonuses. He's fast becoming a favorite of mine.
It starts with both fighters in the clinch (standing, hands wrapped up around each other's heads), Maia with his back towards the middle of the ring. Pay attention to Sonnen's (Maia's opponent) right arm. Maia has it trapped from the very beginning, even before this takedown. Once Maia secures Sonnen's right arm he already knows how this fight is going to (hopefully) end. He trips Sonnen into a nice body to body suplex, never letting go of that right arm. The takedown is perfect and Maia ends up in full mount, right where he wants to be.
Notice that he never once let go of Sonnen's right arm.
At the end of that gif you can see Maia start to lean a little bit forward over Sonnen's right shoulder. Under ANY other circumstance, this is a terrible idea because you're basically giving your opponent an easy sweep, meaning he can use your weight and momentum against you and roll you over and end up on top. However, this is exactly what Maia wants and expects Sonnen to do, so he leans over the shoulder on purpose, intentionally letting Sonnen sweep him. With Maia still holding Sonnen's right arm, in the middle of the sweep he throws his right leg over Sonnen's left shoulder and by the time the sweep is completed Maia already sunk in a NASTY triangle choke. Sonnen can't escape and has to tap out before he goes to sleep. Maia wins by the most beautiful triangle setup I've ever seen in an MMA fight.
It was all about that right arm, and the fact he had it trapped before he ever even took Sonnen down shows he was planning this entire setup out from the very beginning.
Maia has had 5 fights in the UFC and won them all by submission, 4 of which earned him "Submission of the night" bonuses. He's fast becoming a favorite of mine.
