Fedor – considered one of the best if not THE best MMA fighter in the world goes through a strength and conditioning workout at a playground. There is other equipment brought in – but the simplicity of the training is awesome. In the next video series Fedor and his training partners small rocks and kettlebells into the ground. In the last video Fedor and Aleksander Emelianenko are sparring.

View Fedor Emelianenko Strength and Conditioning Training here

Check out Fedor: The Fighting System of the World’s Undisputed King of MMA

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UFC Fighter – MMA and Street Fighting Techniques and Tactics

These are a compilation of techniques from top UFC Fighters such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Shonie Carter, Joe Lauzon and WEC Champion Razor Rob McCullough. These techniques are essential for MMA and can also be used effectively in a street combat situation. All techniqes shown are high percentage MMA and Street Fighting Techniques.

Chuck Liddell MMA Striking Techniques

Striking with Underhooks

Muay Thai Clinch for MMA

Kicking for Mixed Martial Arts

Chuck Liddell’s Tools of the Trade for Kicks

Chuck Liddell Ground and Pound Striking Drills

Chuck Liddell Defense from Strikes on the Bottom

Joe Lauzon Boxing For MMA Techniques

Boxing for MMA – Uppercut in MMA.

Striking for Takedowns

Striking from Top Guard Position

Tito Ortiz Ultimate Fighting Techniques

Striking from the Bottom Guard Position

Shonie Carter – MMA and Street Boxing Techniques

Defense and Drills from MMA Boxing

Rob McCullough – Muay Thai for MMA Striking Techniques

Devestating Muay Thai Elbows

Strikes with Punches and Elbows

Knees from the Muay Thai Clinch

This is a cool transition from when you are attacking with the Kimura from the Z-guard or knee-across half guard and then transition to an Omoplata. The technique is taught and demonstrated by UFC Veteran Junior Assuncao.

Emelianenko has been considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last six years by many major publications, including ESPN, the Orange County Register, The Fight Network, the Houston Chronicle, The Wrestling Observer, Sherdog, and Inside MMA. Emelianenko was also chosen as the greatest fighter of all time across all weight classes by the expert panel of the television show "Inside MMA".

He has won numerous tournaments and accolades in multiple sports, most notably the Pride 2004 Grand Prix and the World Combat Sambo Championship on four occasions, as well as medaling in the Russian national Judo championship.

He is known for his ability to dominate fights using his opponents’ strengths[citation needed], creating an "aura" of fear around him, that he can defeat anyone from any position. He has been called a "machine" and "not human" throughout his career

Continue Reading for the rest of the Fedor Documentary

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What is the Technical Standup?

Luigi Mondelli from Best Way Jiu-Jitsu / American Top Team calls the technique the “Technical Standup”. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard another term from it, but basically it’s the CORRECT way to standup out of bottom guard. It can be used when you’re in danger of being passed, or you get taken down and want to get back to your feet. Lately in Luigi’s MMA classes we have been working on the technical standup from guard and half guard.

This video kind-of demonstrates the principles without me trying to go into exact details of the standup itself.

Finish with Strikes

The great thing about the technical standup if you execute it quickly and properly is that you end up in an excellent striking position. When you force their face and head back, as well as using your shin and knee to brace against their thigh, you can quickly standup and reign down blows. If MMA, he’ll still be on his knees so you can’t knee him to the face, but you certainly can punch… but if you’re on the street, deliver some powerful knees to destroy his face.

Standup from Guard

The way we have been working it is from the hold down position. Basically this is a no-gi scissor guard (assuming leg leg across) with an overhook on his right arm and defending with wrist control on his left arm. You then push off his face with your left on, brace your shin on his thigh, and do the technical standup. I need to remind myself to shoot some video of this….

Half Guard as well

The standup works the same way from half guard, but you still have to have the knee across. I’ve heard this called the z-guard, cross-half guard, or whatever. Basically your knee is across their body to create some space in half guard. Sometimes they try to sit on your foot. The standup works regardless.

Not just for MMA

Another cool aspect of working the technical standup, especially for guys like myself who love takedowns and prefer to be on top, is that you can use this technique in no-gi grappling and at times in BJJ. When the person top person is controlling well and pressuring, it does make it more difficult with the gi, but easier then one would expect. You can also transition right to a front headlock attack and attempt to submit or take their back.

Great Street Fighting Technique

One of the best uses for the technical standup is escaping from the bottom on the street. If you are unable to quickly finish an attacker from the bottom, get up and quickly and attack with strikes and BIG knees. Just grab his head and introduce it to your knee…. Goodnight!

Last night at NEMMA we were doing a lot of wrestling drills – Single leg takedowns and low single takedowns mostly. Some of it great stuff, other stuff not really meant for MMA training, but still great technique.

Live Wrestling in a Cage

After the technique, we split up into groups of 3 – big guys in the cage!. I am about 230 right now and went with another good grappler who weighs about 260, and another wrestler who weighs about 225+. The drill was go live for 2 minutes straight, rest a minute.
At first I tried to just setup my takedowns as normal, not using the cage at all. I had good success. A couple double-legs and Kosoto Gake (body lock takedowns); then something clicked in my brain saying “You’re training for a MMA fight with a cage – use the fucking cage you dumbass”.

Using the cage added such a different feel and dynamic to the techniques. It was like grappling at Kobukai Ju-Jitsu against the wall. There is a little more give with the cage, but I was easily able to pressure my opponent against the cage and then attack his legs, go for underhooks, and body locks.

The most successful techniques I had against the cage were:

• Getting double-under hooks then taking the back
• Double-under hooks to a body lock takedown
• Over-under grip to Harai Goshi (nailed that two times)
• Pressuring against the cage to double leg

Defending and Attacking Against the Cage Wrestling

After the live wrestling in the cage drill we stuck with the same partners and worked on having one person with their backs against the cage, and the other pressuring them into the cage. The goal for the attacker was to get a thai clinch or double-under hooks. The goal of the defender was to get off the cage or reverse the situation.

This was another great MMA drill for fighting in the cage. And again, learning to use the wall at Kobukai Ju-Jitsu definitely helped.

Lessons Learned

• Wrestling and training in a cage is similar to training against a wall. There is more give to a cage, but the cage is less forgiving. The chain link fencing in a cage does a number on your hands and fingers without gloves.
• Using the cage to pressure your opponent, and not give them an “out” can make it easier to setup some great takedowns and throws.
• While attempting throws and takedowns, you need to be careful of punches and knees. Forgetting that your opponent can punch or knee you, will create problems in the long run.
• When against the cage, tie up and control their arms and / or hips. Don’t give them the power to swim out or reverse the situation.
• Watch out for you hands… I’ve got one swollen middle finger and bruises up and down my hands, forearms and elbows. Sleeping last night was bitch!
• Cage wrestling is fun!!!!!

My Diet and My Energy

It’s Monday, the day after the Superbowl, 2 days after George St. Pierre beat the crap out of BJ Penn… Wow that was an amazing fight. I was actually pretty good with my diet this weekend, despite many, many distractions. Overall in my diet, I’m aiming for about 2,700-3,000 calories a day. I know that may sound a less then what I should actually be eating if I’m training 6x a week. But I’m trying to cut another 25-30lbs to be in range of 205 the day before my fight. So far, I’ve had a great amount of energy… until now.

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Passing the guard in Jiu-Jitsu – whether it be with the gi, no-gi, or even MMA, can one of the toughest goals to acheive but it is also one of the most ESSENTIAL skills to have. Any jiu-jitsu fighter knows the being in someone else’s guard, especially some skilled at sweeps and submissions from guard, is a dangerous place. The goal of the person fighting in top guard needs to be PASSING. Along the way to passing the guard, you need to focus on defending a variety of different submission attempts and sweep attempts.

The biggest problem most people face or most beginners face is their posture in guard. Beginners have a tendency to lean to far forward, put their legs too close together, extend themselves, etc. When you are in top guard, you should have you knees touching the outside of their hips, you’re hands on their hips keeping them down, and you should be sitting on your heels (preferably with your the tops of your feet flat against the mat.) From this position is where you BEGIN to pass. But being in good posture allows you to defend better against submissions and sweeps.

If you are standing in guard, the way you attack is different. First you need to get control of your opponents legs and use your legs, especially your knee, to control their movement and position. Your forward knee should be pressuring into the back of your opponents knee. You want to create pressure and minimize their movement. From you begin to pass.

Guard Passing Videos

I’ve included about 20 guard passing videos to reference and use. Click on the link to continue to view them
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I have been working the focus mitts lately with Brian Olsen from NEMMA Fitness (www.nemmafitness.com). Brian is a former standout college wrestler and 9-1 in MMA. We was a WEC Heavyweight Champion contender and now has a new MMA gym in West Hartford, CT. It is a great facility and a great training environment.

One of Brian’s skills is boxing for MMA. We have been working as much as we can on boxing for MMA and using the focus mitts for training, along with lots of sparring. The focus mitts offer such a different dynamic compared to a heavybag or pads. Your trainer can move with you, set up combinations, and even return fire. Focus mitt training works on your hand speed, coordination, and distance. You learn what combinations work for you, and improve the speed of the those combinations

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