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Every Tuesday morning I send out a breakdown of the best combat sports action. In less than 10 minutes you'll learn how the top fighters win and anything else fighters, martial artists, and fight fans need to know.
Last week will be remembered as one of the worst weeks ever for the UFC. But we’re going to start with something positive. Like how Mateusz Szczecinski makes Brazilian jiu-jitsu magical again.
In the news section we’re going to talk about why this last week was one of the worst weeks in UFC history.
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Now let’s get into it.
What's In Today's Letter?
This weekend Polaris put on another “Squads” event. Polaris Squads is a unique format where teams of 8 grapplers across two separate weight divisions compete for a 90 minutes. The showcase is split into halves so athletes can adjust their strategies midway through the event.
It’s essentially a professional open mat with prizes and bragging rights on the line.
Polaris Squads creates a lot of weird match-ups you wouldn’t normally see and the same two athletes can square off multiple times in one night. This one was filled with big names like Jozef Chen, Oliver Taza, Lucas Kanard, and others. When all was said and done, Polaris’s 170 Pound Champion Mateusz Szceninski stole the show.
BREAKS AT BLINDING SPEED:
Mateusz Szczecinski’s Scary Submissions
Mateusz Szczecinski might be the scariest grappler competing. According to BJJ Heroes, he has over a 90% submission rate. That’s higher than Roger Gracie, Marcelo Garcia, Gordon Ryan, and I’m sure anyone else you can think of.
The guy just walks out there and rips people’s limbs off.
Instead of looking at his Squads matches chronologically, we’re going to jump around to analyze his best sequences. Let’s start with his second match from the event.
Both competitors sit but Mateusz ends up playing guard. Rashid is on one knee looking to pass. Mateusz claims a shotgun grip with his left hand a scoop grip with his right. Then he throws his leg up for the shotgun arm bar and it’s done in only 9 seconds.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Hejraat Rashid
This submission isn’t exactly new for Mateusz. He caught Garry Tonon with the same thing at the last ADCC World Championships.
In the match before Mateusz got his shotgun arm bar, we saw another familiar set up from him.
Mateusz has a cradle from full guard. He lets it go but keeps the scoop grip on Avtarhanov’s leg to enter K guard. Avtarhanov stands up to weight his legs. Now Mateusz can’t easily enter a leg lock. He puts in a butterfly hook behind Avtarhanov’s thigh. Avtarhanov tries to strip the feet before jumping back on a heel hook attempt. Mateusz goes with it to attack a belly down ankle lock.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Mohammed Avtarhanov
Belly down butterfly ashi is a powerful technique because it lets you extend through the leg you’re attacking while ripping the foot backwards. Yikes.
The belly down butterfly ashi ankle lock wasn’t the only leg lock Mateusz caught. He was able to submit another opponent with the newest leg submission sweeping the competitive scene.
Mateusz has two hands on Yips ankle. Yip is trying to pull it free. He elects to stand and Mateusz goes to reverse De la Riva before getting the false reap. They roll. Mateusz pulls Yip’s foot into his arm pit. Yip can’t strip Mateusz’s feet. Mateusz rotates Yip’s toes down with a shotgun grip for a Woj lock finish.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Tommy Yip
Unfortunately for Yip, this wasn’t the only submission Mateusz caught him with.
Mateusz is in mount. Yip is framing on his hips. Mateusz reaches under Yip’s elbow with his right arm before stepping over Yip’s head with his left leg. Mateusz sits to his back. Mateusz finishes the submission by stepping on Yip’s near hip with his right leg.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Tommy Yip
These submissions alone would make for a helluva highlight. But in between all of the finishes, Mateusz showed a new acrobatic element of his game.
THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO LEG LOCKS
Making The Most Of Your Leg Entanglements
Mateusz Szczecinski has been seen as a scary leg locker ever since he snapped William Tackett’s foot at the ADCC World Championships. Recently he’s proven he’s much than that by rounding out his guard play.
In a few of Mateusz’s matches this weekend, he showed crafty ways of climbing to his opponent’s back.
Mateusz scoots after Taza. Taza falls back to his hip. Mateusz goes to work getting under Taza’s hips. Notice how Mateusz seamlessly switches between ankle lock grips and holding Taza’s thigh? That keeps him connected to Taza and allows him to scoot under his hips. The rolling stalls when Mateusz loosely gets his legs around Taza.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Oliver Taza
It wasn’t enough to take top position. Mateusz used a strong crab hook to complete a back take on Taza.
Mateusz has a rear body lock and a crab hook with his right leg. He uses the hook to kick Taza’s legs away and mobilize his hips over Taza. Mateusz rolls all the way over to his to right hip but keeps the crab hook. Then Mateusz adjusts his grip, throws his left hook in, and pulls Taza back up into his lap.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Oliver Taza
That sequence was how Mateusz started his first match with Taza. An equally elegant and dominant way to set the pace.
In Mateusz’s second match with Taza he used K guard to get under Taza’s hips and get on his back side.
Mateusz has a loose reverse de la Riva. Taza is denying grips and trying to pass. Mateusz removes his reverse de la Riva hook and scoops Taza’s leg. Now he’s in k guard. Taza tries to run over Mateusz. Mateusz puts his shins behind Taza’s thighs and grabs his hips like he’s doing a baby bolo. Mateusz stands, Taza rolls away, and the ref has to restart them.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Oliver Taza
After rolling out of bounds, the referee reset the match in the center of the mat. The two separated almost immediately.
In Mateusz’s last match of the day he converted a loose leg entanglement into a dynamic crucifix entry.
They’re in double seated. Rashid stands. Mateusz throws his leg over to go to the backside. The two stall out sitting on their hips. Then Mateusz puts an X behind Rashid’s left leg and inverts to grab his hips. Mateusz rolls all the way over. Rashid scoots away before Mateusz puts his hooks in so he locks up a crucifix instead.
Mateusz Szczecinski - Hejraat Rashid
I love watching Mateusz’s matches because he turns the sport of grappling into a magical martial art again.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu first captured the hearts and minds of the martial arts world through MMA. We saw skinny Brazilian guys using weird entanglements to force their larger, scarier opponents to quit. It was confusing, mysterious, and enchanting.
A real magic martial art just like in the movies.
As the martial art has grown into a full fledged sport, much of that magic has disappeared. We have clear tactics and direct game plans that take people from start to the end of the match in a logical, likely to win path.
A lot of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s risk taking and ridiculous finishes has fallen away for simple strategies to win. You can’t say that about Mateusz’s game.
He breaks people’s body with blinding speed. You can’t blink or else you might miss what grip is allowing him to rearrange his opponents’ limbs!
Mateusz is a breath of fresh air in professional grappling. Watching him reminds me that there is still beautiful, creative, and unique art to be found in this fighting style that is spinning into a professional sport. I can’t wait to see what he innovates next.
LINKS, INSTRUCTIONALS, AND MORE MATCHES TO STUDY:
What Are We Talking About Today?
Watch this video if you want a quick and helpful video on the interplay between berimbolos & leg locks.
If you want to see another shotgun arm bar from Mateusz Szczecinski click here.
You can also watch Polaris 34’s Prelims for free here.
THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS (you might have missed)
Last week is going to end up being one of the worst weeks in UFC history.
During what was arguably the worst UFC card ever, we got a dominant rear naked choke from prospect Yadier Del Valle. His opponent, Isaac Dulgarian, looked lost. Underwhelming even.
I’d written about Del Valle before, so I wasn’t surprised to see him dominate anyone. Nothing could have prepared me for the aftermath of the fight though.
First came reports about suspicious betting activity. Then I read various casinos were giving cash credits to people that lost money on the fight. That never happens.
Finally I saw this Tweet 👇
I had to do some digging. After asking around I learned several things.
There was $16 million total moving on the fight. Unheard of for a prelim fight.
Feds also flagged David Onama’s and Danut Andrei Frunza’s fights on Saturday.
All in all feds have flagged 100 fights this year for abnormal betting activity.
Referee Jason Herzog’s fights will now be audited.
I have evidence of a UFC fighter offering another UFC fighter 20k cash if they “get injured or pull out” from their fight 3 weeks away.
Don’t ask for a name. I agreed not to release the names of the fighters involved.Then we got this Tweet 👇
Yikes. This Tweet has since been deleted.
Looks like the the UFC is facing their very own Tim Donaghy scandal.
You can read read a full breakdown of everything going on, or you can watch this video.
We’re not done with the bad news today. Before the fights even kicked off the UFC was already in hot water.
I’m sure you remember that the UFC settled an antitrust lawsuit earlier this year for $375 million. You may not know that’s not even the only antitrust lawsuit the company is involved in!
Right now the UFC is dealing with what is essentially the antitrust lawsuit they settled, but for fighters over a different time period; on or after July 2017. As part of that case, Dominance MMA was subpoenaed to hand over emails and texts with the UFC about negotiations involving fighters contracts, sponsorships, payments, etc..
Dominance MMA is probably the most high profile MMA Management company. They handle Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Henry Cejudo, and tons more.
Asking for Dominance’s communications with the UFC is most likely an attempt to show that Dominance’s team colluded with the UFC to influence or pressure fighters’ decisions.
What we get from these findings will likely show us how much of the MMA world operates. Coercion, monopoly and a whole lot more messiness.
You can read more about the UFC’s upcoming legal wars here. You better believe Dana White is already calling in favors with The President.
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