MMA and me; day 87

I only had time for one class yesterday, so I made sure to work a little harder than normal. Boxing was tough, as we worked a new combo, and it started off a little awkward, but grew more comfortable as the class progressed. It started off with a block of a body three, then went to a rear uppercut, hook, straight, lead uppercut, hook, straight, looking like this block body 3-6-3-2-5-3-2. We added onto that two counters;catch-2-3-2-roll-2-3-2. This felt really strange, since in the previous combo, we had worked those counters in the reverse order. To finish, we tacked on the slip sequence, jab slip-6-2-3-2-straight slip-body 3-3-2. All in all, this started to feel more fluid towards the end, but more because the ending was stuff we had worked before. The opening combo is still really foreign, looks like I'll need to get some practice in. We finished off with the wonderful flutter kicks, and over under kicks. Abs of steel, here I come.

MMA and me; day 86

I am quite sore today thanks to MMA, kickboxing, and jiu jitsu yesterday. It started in MMA class, which was a conditioning day. We started out with our standard ten minutes of jogging, sprinkled with push ups, sit ups, squat jumps, and lunge walks. We then did two rounds of sprawls, and two rounds of working our shots. Next was sprawls followed by shots, which at this point felt incredibly difficult. We moved on to wall sits, and by then my quads were on fire! We finished with flutter kicks, over under kicks, and plank positions. I was a sweaty mess by the end, and we had two more classes to go.

Kickboxing didn't tax me nearly as hard, which was nice, because I was feeling pretty beat already. We worked a lot of high 9s, and switch stance kicks. First, with our partner, we would throw a low 10, low inside 9, high 10, high 9, then they would throw the same. Next we just worked on throwing a switch high 9, then the next round threw two of them. We added a little trickery next, by throwing a switch stance, run up low 10. This is great for an opponent who thinks you're going to throw another switch 9, and you can get him to bring his hands up, then run up and dig a low 10 into his thigh. Then we got our boxing gloves on, and added punches. First, It was a switch stance right hook, which feels really weird since you're throwing a punch from the opposite stance you normally fight out of. Lastly, we put it all together with a new starting point, a rear leg push kick. The end combo looked like this, rear leg teep-high 9-switch 3. It felt very foreign, but started to get slightly smoother by the end. We finished up with flutter kicks, over under kicks, leg lifts, and planks. One more class to go.


Jiu jitsu was one of my favorites, SHARK TANK! There were ten of us, which included our coach, and by the end, everyone had been tapped at least once, and I was again a sweaty mess. A great day of classes, and though I was exhausted, I felt great.

UFC 127

So this Saturdays offering from the UFC is not the strongest in recent memory, but we have a number one contender match for the welterweight division, and a few other fights with potential title implications. It may not be compelling on paper, but come Sunday morning, we may be whistling a different tune.

Kyle "KO" Noke vs. Chris Camozzi
middleweight

The evening will kick off with a couple of TUF alumni looking to make an impact and maintain gainful employment with the UFC. Noke is a very tough competitor with a well rounded game, and is Autralian to boot. He will definitely be feeding off the crowd and looking to show the fellow Aussies a good fight. Camozzi actually never made it into the house on TUF, due to an injury he suffered in the elimination fight. He is a very solid fighter, and has a decidely larger frame than Noke, and that could come into play in later rounds.

This fight is fairly even, but it could come down to something as simple as who wants it more. Camozzi is a very strong, and technically sound fighter, who will try to use his reach to dictate the stand up. Noke is a bit more seasoned, and is durable as heck. He's going to need to get inside Camozzi's range, and either work shots to the body, or get the fight to the ground, and work his ground game, which has a bit more polish on it than Camozzi's does. I think Camozzi will be able to withstand anything Noke throws at him, and wears "KO" down in the later round to score an upset victory in Noke's homeland with a tough split decision.

Camozzi via Split Decision

Chris "Lights Out" Lytle vs. Brian "Bad Boy" Ebersole
welterweight

With Ebersole stepping in for an injured Carlos Condit on just a couple weeks notice, this has all the hallmarks of a fight that should be relatively easy for Lytle. Digging a little deeper shows that this might not be the case. Ebersole has over 60 career fights, so experience isn't likely to play a factor. They both have comparable reaches and physically are very close to each other, so size wont be an issue. This really could be a fantastic fight, with one fighter making his UFC debut, and the other looking to get closer to making the case that he is more than a gatekeeper and maybe should be getting some title buzz.

Lytle has never been stopped, not counting two fights where the doctor called a stop due to a cut, and is just a machine in the Octagon. Having won four fights in a row, and won convincingly, Lytle was looking to make a case for title consideration in the fight with Condit, but now is fighting someone who he his expected to beat. Ebersole is very well rounded, and isn't shy about bringing the fight to his opponent, but in Lytle, that may not be the best idea. Ebersole has never been stopped with a KO or TKO, but has suffered over half of his defeats in the form of submission, which is a very strong part of Lytle's game. I see Ebersole trying to trade leather with Lytle, which is never that great of an idea, and when that doesn't work, trying to get the fight to the ground, where Lytle really shines, and manages to secure a second round submission with a sneaky armbar. Expect Lytle to be humble in victory, and as likeable as ever.

Lytle via submission (armbar) Rd. 2


George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver
lightweight

Sotiropoulos is just a couple quality wins away from getting a shot at the lightweight belt, but before he can think about that, he has to worry about the German tank in front of him in the form of Siver, with his extremely solid striking, punctuated by his ridiculous spinning back kick that nearly everyone is aware of. Outside of the striking, Siver is a very competent grappler, but it's unlikely that he'll want to take the fight to the mat, as Sotiropoulos is simply phenomenal on the ground as he proved by submitting Joe Lauzon in a fantastic fight. This could be a very interesting scrap, and should help clarify the title picture contenders for the lightweight division.

Siver is a much shorter fighter, but he is incredibly thick, and very strong. While his striking isn't quite at the top of the divison, it is very effective, and much more technical than Sotiropoulos. He has shown great ability to seize submission opportunities when they present themselves, but Sotiropoulos isn't likely to give him more than a sniff at one, so his best bet is to keep the Aussie standing, and either try to knock him out or out point him. Sotiropoulos has a big reach advantage, but his striking has never been the strong part of his game. Siver has only been knocked out once in his career, but over half of his losses have come in the form of submissions, something Sotiropoulos is very familiar with. An uncanny ability to find sweeps and arm locks, and to get the fight to the mat, regardless of what his opponent does, Sotiropoulos will get a chance to finish this fight in the late first round, or early second round, and will likely lock up an choke of some sort, despite some exciting stand up offense from the German.

Sotiropoulos via submission (rear naked choke) Rd. 2

Michael "The Count" Bisping vs. Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera
middleweight

The war of words leading up to this fight has been substantial, and we likely could see a potential victim....er contender for the 185 pound belt. Until that happens, we have a very exciting fights, with the silky smooth technician in Bisping, and the more aggressive heavy handed brawler in Rivera. Both men are tall and lanky fighters, with more than a little inclination to keep the fight standing. Neither possesses much in the way of a ground game that should concern the other fighter should the fight make it to the mat, but they also have a desire to put the other man out with strikes, and my guess is we'll see two veteran strikers slug it out until someone gets dropped, or the final horn sounds.

Bisping is tough to pin down, and difficult to hit cleanly, unless your name is Dan Henderson, but even then, Bisping was doing a good job of avoiding the punches until Henderson landed a nuclear overhand right that Mongo would have been proud of. While Rivera packs a punch, he doesn't go head hunting like that, and is much more patient, and sets up his shots before he goes in for the kill. In Bisping, Rivera has an opponent that will not just stick his chin out and beg to be hit. "El Conquistador will have to be patient, and perhaps prepare for a three round war. Bisping has shown in the past that he has no problem sticking to a gameplan and working his stand up in order to out point his opponent, especially if going toe to toe isn't in his best interest. It will likely be a close fight, with Bisping picking his shots, and Rivera getting increasingly frustrated, until the final horn sounds, and Bisping picks up a dominant, if not entertaining decision victory.

Bisping via Unanimous Decision.

BJ "The Prodigy" Penn vs. Jon Fitch
welterweight number one contender match

After a stunning dispatching of Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Penn looks to get another shot at 170 pound gold by handing Fitch only his second loss in his stint in the UFC. That in and of itself is a tall order, because Fitch hasn't been stopped in over eight years, and not even pound for pound great Georges St. Pierre could finish him. Fitch is a blue collar kind of a fighter. He doesn't possess otherworldly athletic talent, but he works so hard at getting better, and has the heart of a champion. Penn, is good at what he does because he is one of the most physically gifted fighters of all time, and has no shortage of desire to win, most of the time. Penn will occasionally get bored, and lack motivation. When this happens, as was apparent against Frankie Edgar, Penn is lackluster, and doesn't have the fire that made him only the second fighter in UFC history to win championship gold in two different weight classes. Against Hughes, he had that desire to win back, and easily dispatched the former champ in 21 seconds. This fight all comes down to which version of Penn we get. If we get the hungry, dedicated Penn, Fitch is in trouble. If we get the Penn that lost his last two fights at 155, the Hawaiian is in for a long night of getting mangled by the UFC's meat grinder.

Fitch is a tall rangy welterweight, and fairly large for 170 pounds. He has a stifling top game, that is all about wearing opponents down, and using his fantastic gas tank to just outlast everyone. His last eight fights have gone to decision, and he's only lost one of them.He was in a bit of trouble late in the third round against Mike Pierce, and Penn may look to capitalize on that bit of info. If BJ can get in Fitch's face early, and really land some solid shots, he may be able to get a stoppage win. Going for a choke, or submission may be a bad idea, because Fitch has been in some very tight spots, but managed to get out of them, and then turn the tide. Penn's bjj prowess is well known, as his ability to avoid big shots on the feet and land devastating strikes of his own. He will need to have his take down defense and cardio running at top capacity, because Fitch will not want to stand and trade with Penn, and is a take down machine. This is going to be a really interesting fight, and with the next title shot on the line, it makes the W at the end that much more desirable.

If Fitch can get through the vaunted Penn take down defense early enough, he will more than likely ride out a stifling, dominant decision. If Penn has that fire he showed against Hughes, and can thwart the numerous Fitch take downs, he could easily stop this fight early. I expect Fitch to trade a little with Penn, before he starts trying to get the fight to the mat. Even if he does, Penn, is savvy enough to escape back to his feet, and keep the fight where he wants it to. The thing is, it's not the first take down he has to worry about, but the next four or five. The fact that it's a three round fight may actually help Penn, because he has the ability to stifle Fitch, even if he does get taken down, and score solid points on the feet, or even threaten with submissions from his back. I think it's an exciting fight, back and forth all the way to the horn, with Fitch pulling out a gutsy split decision, and getting another shot at the 170 pound strap.

Fitch via Split Decision

MMA and me; day 85

Boxing and wrestling. Two of the cornerstones of a solid mixed martial arts fighter. You need to be able to have a solid stand up game or you're going to get punched in the face repeatedly, and your opponent will not have much to fear on his end. You also need to be able to dictate where the fight takes place, be it on the feet if you have confidence in your striking, or on the mat for ground and pound or submissions if you feel that is where your strength lays. In any event, these are the things we worked yesterday, and it felt great.

Boxing was another revision day, but it was going over such an intricate combo, that I was glad for the chance to refine it even further. It starts by throwing a straight, and then blocking two hooks to the body, then responding with an uppercut, two hooks in succession, and then the familiar straight-hook-straight combo. It ends up breaking down like this 2-body block-body block-6-3-3-2-3-2. We next add a roll counter, and a catch counter, lengthening the combo with this sequence; roll-2-3-2-catch-2-3-2. It's important that you keep your chin tucked behind your shoulder while catching the 2, while still keeping your eyes forward and on your opponent. We finish the combo by adding a slip sequence. First, you slip a jab, and throw uppercut-straight-hook-straight, then slip a straight and throw a body hook-hook-straight, looking like this; jab slip-6-2-3-2-straight slip-body 3-3-2. It's long, and it takes some time to get comfortable with, but the more I practice, the more it becomes automatic, and I love it!

Wrestling was working on the take downs from defending the Thai clinch, and the low single. First, from the clinch, was the duck under, which pretty much sets up all of these take downs. From there, you can get a body lock, and get a bear hug, where you use shoulder pressure and your knuckles on their spine to buckle their knees and drive them straight down to their back. Next, from the duck under, you step around to their back, and block their heel as you trip them over your leg and land in side control. Last from this series, was the hip toss. Same as before, you duck under, and like the bear hug, you grab a body lock, but instead of squeezing, take your right leg (in this example anyways) and bring it across the legs around behind them. From there, use your hip and shoulder to toss them over onto their back, ending in side control.

Next was the low single leg take down. You shoot in for a take down very low to the ground, and drive your shoulder into their shin as you reach around with your arms and pull. The key to this is not dropping down to both knees, because if you do and they pull their foot away, you won't be able to make an attempt on their other leg, or hop back up to your feet with any real quickness. The next version was the whip around. As you dive for the low single, you post with your inside hand, and whip your outside leg around behind them and hop to your feet, bringing their leg up with you. From here you can either get a tree top take down, where you lift their leg up so high that they topple over, or you can hit a leg sweep by switching your grip on the leg, and blocking their leg that is still standing as your trip them to the floor. We worked on balance next, and had our opponent grab one of our legs and drag us around the floor as we attempted to keep our balance. Each partner went twice, and my thighs were quite sore by the end. We finished with Iron Man, and I was just done after that. Of course, my coach wanted to get a little rolling in, so I grappled for a while, and then I was REALLY done.

MMA and me; day 84

Back in the gym after the weekend always feels good, and my crankiness has subsided. Kicking, punching, and wrestling for three hours can really wear you out, but it's damn good for the soul.

In MMA, we worked on sweeps from the bottom. First from side control, you pummel in for a top side under hook, shrimp onto your hip on the opposite side from the under hook and post up on your elbow. From there, just drive straight into your opponent, and you will end up in side control on the top. For the next sweep, pummel in for an under hook around their mid section, and then turn your hips hard away from the side you have under hooked, and you'll pop right out into a seatbelt grip on their back. Pretty slick!

We worked on a couple of half guard sweeps next. If your opponent attempts to raise up to throw a big punch, you quickly reach up to grab an under hook on the same side of their body that you have the half guard on, and from here we worked two different options. First, keep your head in tight to their stomach, and post up on your other hand as you slowly work your hips out to the side. Eventually, you'll get far enough out that you can swing your hips over and take their back. The second option, is if they throw an over hook on you when you post up. Dive your hand that you were posting up on under their far side leg, and roll backwards, bringing them across yourself, and kicking your leg out of their guard on the way, to end up in side control. I liked both of these a lot.

In kickboxing, we worked on a lot of knees and combos with knees. First, just throwing a simple straight knee to the mid section. As you lunge the knee forward, lean back and bring your hands across your body to your hip. Simple. Next, we added a jab-jab then the knee. I had a hard time with bringing my hands up and telegraphing the knee, so I need to work on that. Lastly, we added a jab-straight-hook before the knee. I had a much easier time keeping my hands down and not totally telegraphing the knee with this one. I think because after throwing the hook, my hands were already over to the side, making the movement shorter and quicker. A fun class for sure, and it was nice to do punch/knee combos. We finished with leg raises, partner ab drills, and planks. I better have a damn six pack by summer time with all the core exercising we do!

Jiu jitsu was a day for working on defending submissions. First, defending the rear naked choke. The first thing you do is tuck your chin, and turn your head towards the choke. Next, work on isolating the top arm (not the one under your chin) and pinning in under your arm as you roll to that side. From there, use both hands to pull the other arm out from under your chin and bring it to the other side of your head. Lastly, reach down with your top side arm, and grab their top side foot on the outside edge. From there just drive your elbow into their shin, and turn into them, ending up in either half guard or side control. The other option for the RNC, is if they do manage to sink the choke in, you need to keep calm, and do your best to tuck your chin while pushing up on the arm around your neck. Next, try and separate their legs, and slip your hips off to the side of their body that the arm under your neck is on. To finish the escape, turn hard into them and now you're on top!

We worked defending a guillotine next, and it's pretty simple. If your opponent sinks the choke in and jumps guard, you need to post up on your feet, and drive your shoulder into their chest as you hand fight to prevent them from sinking the choke. Do your best to separate their hands, and once you do, push down on the arm under your chin, until you pop your head out and you end up in their guard.

Lastly, we defended the D'Arce choke. You want to get your arms up around their legs so you can push them over onto their back, and swing your hips out to the side, taking the pressure off your neck, and putting you in side control. It's tough because the pressure from the choke may make it feel like you can't do it, but you can. Just like any submission defense, the key is to remain calm, and start working through your options.

MMA and me; day 83

Tired and cranky from sparring (but we'll get into that tomorrow) so for boxing, all I am going to say is go check out what we did for boxing on day 81. We worked the same combos, and they were awesome, I'm just too tired to write it all out right now.

Wrestling was about working leg rides into a leg whip, electric chair, or grape vine. First, for the leg ride, from back mount, slip a leg on either side, around to the groin and over their calf until it's on the mat. Lean over their back and get your hip flush to theirs as your elbows are on the far side. Next, lean back a bit, and then whip your free leg, parallel to the mat, across their back, and use the momentum to drive them over and onto their back, as you cover their neck and try for a choke. From the leg ride, lean over, and grab around their far side leg, and rock back until you're on your back, and then extend your leg that is intertwined with theirs, as you pull back the leg you have in your arms. This is called the electric chair, and it hurts quite a bit, trust me. Lastly, the grapevine. From the leg ride, as you lean across their body, reach your arm nearest their head under their far side arm, and get their arm behind your head. Rock back, extending your leg, and then cinching up a gable grip around their neck. From here, you can try for a neck crank, or ground and pound, or work to escape to side control or another similar advantageous position.

Okay, I'm beat, good night, see you in the morning.

MMA and me; day 82

So three long hours in the gym yesterday really kicked my hiney. First, in MMA, we worked on armbar drills, rotating across the small of the back, and getting armbars on each side. The key is to swing your leg to the side you're spinning to as close to the mat and as far out as possible so you can make the rotation as easy as possible. Once you get all the way over to the side, bring the other leg across their face, get your boot on, pinch your knees around the arm, and arch your hips.

Next we worked on avoiding a big punch while you have your opponent in your guard, and transitioning into an armbar. As they throw a big punch, slip it to the outside, and throw up the same arm (they throw a right, you grab with your right) across their triceps and grab hold. Then get up on your hip of the same side you're grabbing their arm with, push their face away with your other hand, while throwing your topside leg over their head. From here, it's a simple armbar, then it was time for kickboxing.

Kick boxing was a lot of working punch and kick combos with no pads, and no set combos. We started just throwing whatever we wanted, not too hard, and on defense, recognizing what was being thrown, and defending properly. We then worked on a few combos that ended in leg kicks, and just eating the kicks in the thigh. First was a 1-2-3-10, where you really don't have to step out too far for the 10 because your body is coiled in that direction from throwing the 3. Next was a rear leg teep, to a run up 10. The hardest part about this is keeping your weight back when you throw the teep, and then switching your legs to throw the 10 properly. Lastly we worked on getting your opponent off guard, by ending a combo differently. First you throw a 1-2-switch high 9. After too many of those, your opponent will start to bring up his hands, and then you toss a 1-2-switch run up low 10, and chop into his lead leg. Ouch! We finished with leg raises, flutter kicks, and plank positions. Then it was time for grappling.

Normally, I'd go into great detail about what we did in grappling, but I'm feeling a bit tired and lazy, and it's really easy to explain without putting in any work. If you read this blog regularly, go back and read the grappling class breakdown for day 79, it was exactly the same. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I got to go with a different partner, and it really helped me appreciate how different people respond to different moves. That being said, I'm tired, and I'm doing this all over tomorrow. The blog I mean...... and SPARRING!

MMA and me; day 81

So after a few days off due to work and family time, I was back at the gym last night, and it felt great. Boxing was another long combo, but it was a bit different than the past few. This one had a lot of body movement, and evasion. We started with a 2-left body block-right body block-6-3-3-2-3-2. It took a while to get used to it because we've been throwing a lot of 6-2 combo starters, so it felt weird to go from the uppercut to the double hook.We next added a roll-2-3-2-catch-2-3-2. This felt more fluid, especially coming off the straight-hook-straight we ended the previous set with. To finish, we added a slip right-6-2-3-2-slip left-body 3-3-2, bringing the total of punches thrown to 20, with a total of six defensive techniques. It started to feel more fluid by the end, but it felt really awkward for a while, especially throwing the uppercut-straight combo at the end after starting with the uppercut-hook. We ended with more core work in the form of flutter kicks, over unders, and planks. It feels good to be working out again, and as of last week I had my first sparring session. I didn't blog about it because I wasn't sure if I'd go back, but after Friday, I'm going as much as I can!

Wrestling was all ducking under a thai clinch into a body lock, and than take downs from there. First was a duck under to stepping around the back, and either getting a gut wrench, leg sweep, or heel block. We also worked defending this position, by raising your legs off the mat when your opponent takes your back and body locks you. From there, you can't have your legs swept out, and if they try to dump you down, you just put your feet back down to the mat. Next was a duck under to a body lock from the front, and then step around their legs to a hip throw. We also briefly touched on a throw from the clinch offense where you hook their leg, and trip them, and a sweep from a whizzer where you kick their leg out from under them, while driving your off arm across their chest. We finished with a duck under to bear hug, where you roll your knuckles into the lower back, while pressing with your shoulder and sucking your arms in, to buckle their knees and drop them straight to their back. All in all, a fun class, that really makes you work!

MMA and me; day 80

Boxing and wrestling. Two of the cornerstones of any mixed martial artist, and that's what we worked yesterday. In boxing, we continued to work long combos of punches and evasions. It all started with block a body shot-6-2-3-2-roll-2-3-2. We then added a pull, where you shift your weight back to get out of the range of a jab, and added another 2-3-2. Then we slipped a jab to throw another 6-2-3-2, then slipped a straight to the other side to finish with a body 3-3-2. This wasn't as long as some of the other combinations we worked on the previous week, but there was a lot of head and body movement added in, that made this combo feel a little odd at first, but also very fluid.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays now, we are focusing on wrestling, and last night was all about defending take downs, and initiating them from the clinch. The sprawl is the main defense against a take down shot, and it's pretty simple. As someone shoots in on your legs, you kick your feet back, and press down on their head with your hands, landing on their back with your chest. You want to drop your hips as far back and down as possible, and then get a cross face with one of your arms. A cross face is simply what it sounds like; get your forearm across their nose to push it in the direction you want it to go. In this position you use the cross face to enable yourself to take their back. After that drill, we switched to escaping the muy thai clinch into a body lock. Using what is called a duck under, again, just like it sounds, you push up on the elbows of the clincher, and drop your level to slip under their arms into either a side clinch or back clinch. From these positions you can either hip in and sweep their legs out from under them, or block a heel, and drag them down to the mat. Next we worked slipping to a front body lock, or bear hug, and then squeezing and rolling your knuckles at the same time to buckle their knees and drive them to the mat. Good times. We finished with a drill called Iron Man, which is two guys wrestling for a take down, and the winner stays in until he gets taken down. Pretty simple, and with a fairly small class, it's tough to get really tired. All in all, a fun day!

MMA and me; day 79

I'm baaaaack! I took a week off after my grappling tournament to spend time with my amazing wife, and yesterday was my first day back in the gym. It felt great to get that sweat flowing again, and to see all the guys in there. Just really fantastic. The first class was kickboxing, and we worked a lot of front kicks, or teeps, and combinations involving them. First we just went back and forth with lead leg teeps with our partner, and then rear leg teeps with our partner. Next we worked a combo that went from a lead leg teep, to a 1-2, and we did that one for a couple rounds. The key to that was not over extending yourself, keeping your balance, and making sure the kick is a push, not a strike. Lastly, we worked a lead leg teep-1-2-high 9. This one felt a little funky, until I had my step over for the high 9 corrected. I was stepping too far forward, and not across enough. I was starting to get the hang of it by the end of class though. We ended with partner ab drills, which I have a hard time describing, but they are tough for 30 seconds, and we did them for three minutes.

Grappling was all about chokes and I really liked this class. It was all from the snap down to a seatbelt grip. First was the guillotine, where you take your hand that is under their chin and make a fist, then push it into the side of their neck with your other hand, constricting around their throat and cutting off both arteries.

Next was a choke if they defend the guillotine, called the D'Arce. First, instead of reaching under their chin, you reach under their chest and either grab their far arm and pull it under, or push it under with your opposite hand. From there, you grab the bicep of your opposite arm, and place the hand of that arm over their back. Lastly, you walk your hips towards them, and drive them over to their side opposite the side you are grabbing your own arm, and then arch your back and drive your hips towards them until they tap.

The next choke we learned, was a Peruvian Necktie. From the D'arce, if you just cant get your arm under because they're fighting it, thread your other arm to the far side of their neck, and put your other arm across the back of their neck, grasping both hands and pinching your elbows together. From there, step your leg on the side of their head, over their head, and lean back while throwing your other leg over their body to prevent them from rolling through. Lastly, extend your leg over the back of their neck, while pulling their head towards you until they tap.

The last choke we learned was an inverted arm triangle, and is a branch off of the Peruvian Necktie. From the arm over the back of their neck grip, called a vise grip, pull your hands in tight to your chest, while keeping your chest pressure against their shoulder. This will flip them onto their back, but if you keep your chest on them, you will keep their arm trapped against their head. From here, adjust your arm under their neck so the crook of your elbow is right against the side of their neck, and your hand is flat on the mat. From here, all you need to do is get a monkey grip, and very slowly shrug your shoulders until they tap.

UFC 126 preview

So it's going up a bit late, and it's once again a short version, but here are my picks for tonight's pretty good looking card for UFC 126.

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos
bantamweight

Former 135 pound champ Torres looks to rack up back to back wins for the first time in almost two years against the very game, but slightly overmatched Banuelos. Torres has nearly twice the career fights of Banuelos, and possesses a massive reach advantage. Expect Torres to stalk Banuelos from the opening of the fight, cutting off the cage and using his reach to pick the shorter fighter apart. Banuelos is tough, but is unlikely to mount anything that will really threaten Torres, who will most likely pull out a late submission, or a one sided decision win. My money is on the latter.

Torres via Unanimous Decision

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo "Ta Danado" Rocha
welterweight

Originally set to fight Jon Fitch, Ellenberger now finds himself with a different opponent in Rocha. Much like Fitch, Ellenberger uses a stifling wrestling game to wear his opponents out, but has a very solid striking base to back it up. Rocha is a bjj student, but hasn't faced a whole lot of top notch opponent, and like many Brazilian fighters, his wrestling defense is suspect. Ellenberger will push this fight's pace and keep heavy pressure on "Ta Danado". As long as he doesn't give Rocha a chance to catch him with a sub, Ellenberger should win a fairly lopsided decision, if he doesn't get a stoppage late in the second or early in the third.

Ellenberger via Unanimous Decision

Ryan "Darth" Bader vs Jon "Bones" Jones
light heavyweight

A match up between two highly touted prospects, one undefeated, and one basically the same. This should be a very tough fight for both men. Jones is a massive light heavyweight, and may not be long for this division, but until he decides to make that leap into the heavyweight division, he'll continue to apply his stunning array of skills to the 205 pounders in his way. Bader is a top notch wrestler with nasty power in his fists. He'll need to stay light on his feet though, because Jones has been tearing through tough wrestlers as of late, in his dismantling of Vladimir Matuyshenko, and DQ loss to Matt Hamil. Bader will need to watch his distance, as Jones will enjoy a massive reach advantage, but Bader has shown a stout chin, and Jones isn't a very technical striker, preferring the more exotic spinning back elbows, hook kicks, and spinning back kicks to the more traditional striking fare employed by most fighters. If Bader can get this fight to the ground, he has a chance, but only because we have yet to see what Jones is like off his back. With Greg Jackson in his corner, you can bet his ground game is no joke. I think Jones will survive an early scare, and weather the storm early, on his way to a late second round TKO as Bader's cardio runs out on him. If not for the main event, this would be my pick for fight of the night.

Jones via TKO, Rd. 2

Forrest Griffin vs. Rich "Ace" Franklin
light heavyweight

Griffin returns to the Octagon for the first time in over a year, and Franklin looks to continue his run after moving up to the 205 pound class. Both men are tough, well rounded fighters, and this should prove to be an exciting bout, with the winner getting a bit closer to title contention. Franklin is the more technical striker of the two, and perhaps the more skilled grappler as well. Griffin is much larger, and is not afraid to wade in there and slug it out with anyone. His striking, while not as clean as Franklin's, is still very crisp, and he has cardio to back up all his skills in spades. With both men being so evenly matched, I honestly think it comes down to size and strength. Griffin has the ability to dictate the pacing of the fight, and will likely be able to stay out of harms way for the majority of the fight. Expect him to use jabs and leg kicks to score early, and despite a late surge by Franklin, Griffin will pull out a close split decision.

Griffin via Split Decision

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Champion: Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort

Could Silva's run as middleweight champ and pound for pound king possibly come to an end tonight? It could, but don't bank on it. Belfort is perhaps the toughest challenge he's faced to date, and coming off his last fight where he pulled a submission victory out of what was certainly going to be a decision loss to Chael Sonnen, he may be looking to prove that he is not quite done yet. Belfort hasn't fought since he knocked out Rich Franklin in the first round over a year ago. He was scheduled to face Silva, but then a shoulder injury knocked him out, and Sonnen replaced him. Belfort is three years younger than Silva, and could be the most dangerous striker he's faced. Silva has the reach by a bit, and is much more of a threat should this fight go to the mat, which I highly doubt it will. Belfort will come out cautiously, and there will be a bit of a feeling out process for the first minute or two before they start to exchange. Belfort will want to make this more of a brawl, while Silva will be trying to stay on the outside and pick Belfort apart with his precision striking. If this fight makes it into the championship rounds I'll be shocked. I see Silva putting Belfort down early in the third round, after surviving an early onslaught. This should be a heck of a fight, and is my pick for Fight of the Night.

Silva via TKO, Rd. 3