FIRST THINGS FIRST
Welcome to Open Note Grappling.
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.
We got a surprisingly fun UFC card this week. The main card only had finishes and there was a distinct technical trend flaring up. If you want to learn how wrestling defense turns into striking, and vice-versa, read this.
Before we get started I want to shout out this week’s sponsor Particle for Men!
Click this link or the image below if you want to fix your dark spots, bags under your eyes, and irritation from shaving.
Now Men Can Fight Eye Bags From Home
Worried about eyebags, dark spots and wrinkles? Particle Face Cream is the #1 selling solution for men to tackle these issues. Boasting over 1,000,000 satisfied customers, Particle is easy, effective and worth adding to your routine. Get 20% off now with the code BH20!
Now let’s get into it.
What's In Today's Letter?
FOUL FUELED FIGHT OF THE NIGHT:
How Tofiq Musayev Took Over Against Ignacio Bahamondes
Every hardcore fan knew Tofiq Musayev and Ignacio Bahamondes was the fight to watch before the event started.
Musayev is an Azerbajani banger. He moved from Rizin to the UFC after amassing a 22-5 record with 18 TKOs. Musayev was already 35 when he signed with the UFC so we knew he wouldn’t be much longer. And thus far he’s making the most of his last years as a professional.
Ignacio is probably most well known for the first round finish he uncorked at UFC Noche. He followed that up by triangling Jalin Turner into a short lived retirement. He dropped his subsequent fight against Rafael Fiziev.
Both men don’t shy away from action but the first round was unusually tense and tentative. At the end of the round Musayev showed his equalizer. Wrestling.
They’re standing in an open stance match-up, meaning their rear sides have nothing in front of their strikes. Musayev throws a rear body kick that doesn’t land. Ignacio returns fire. His does. Musayev turns the kick into a head outside single and clubs Ignacio to the floor.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
When the second round started both men had their reads and the action heated up accordingly. Bahamondes made the most of the open stance match-up to drill Musayev.
Back in an open stance match-up. Ignacio lines up a straight left that face plants Musayev. Ignacio swarms and Musayev turtles to stand. Ignacio tries to lift Musayev but he grabs the fence! Ignacio circles to keep Musayev back. Musayev lands a rear body kick. Ignacio responds with his own and Musayev catches it to circle Ignacio to the floor.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
Musayev’s fence grab on the way up may have saved him. It helped him to steal the momentum back at least.
Ignacio has more than long, crisp striking. He has an active submission oriented ground game that gave him a triangle choke in his last win. He tried to repeat that here.
Musayev stands up to rip an elbow through Ignacio’s face. He stands again to strike. Ignacio scoops Musayev’s leg to angle off for an arm bar. Musayev postures up and leans back to safety.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
Ignacio started eating leather after this. He even ate a headbutt from Musayev that the referee ignored. Thanks to the headbutt, elbows, and selective ground and pound Ignacio was bleeding all over the floor. But for some reason he was committed to fighting from his guard instead of trying to stand.
Musayev stands to land another elbow. Ignacio scoops Musayev’s leg. Musayev starts hitting Ignacio so he responds by elbowing up from his back. Musayev stands and postures up to punch more. Ignacio tries to sit up for something like octopus guard from full guard. Musayev presses into him to flatten Ignacio out.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
In the third round Musayev went back to single legs to keep the momentum.
Musayev swings a left hook, right hook, and left hook to put Ignacio on the fence. Musayev shoots under Ignacio’s counter hook. He lifts a single leg and steps infront of Ignacio to trip him to the mat.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
Ignacio spent much of the third round on bottom again. But in the last minute of the fight he finally got his guard to work.
Ignacio has a left butterfly hook and a grapevine with his right leg. He over hooks Musayev’s left arm. Now Ignacio can hook sweep Musyaev through his over hook side. He hops up behind Musayev to try and take his back.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
Ultimately this sweep was too little too late. Musayev stole the fight with his tactics and tactical cheating in the second round. Both men took Fight of the Night honors and a bonus for their troubles.
Elsewhere during this fight card we were treated to some tricky counter clinch work.
THE BEST DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE A GOOD OFFENSE:
Elbows As Anti Wrestling
UFC Seattle was filled with interesting elbows. One hard elbow on the floor helped Tofiq Musayev take the fight back from Ignacio Bahamondes and he even tried them when they were standing.
Musayev has a left under hook. He’s fighting for a grip on his right side. Ignacio pushes Musayev so he elbows Ignacio with his right. They move off the fence and Musayev sneaks another right elbow in. They separate. Ignacio tries to chase with a right body kick as Musayev circles away.
Ignacio Bahamondes - Tofiq Musayev
These were a nice way to rack up some points but there was no major damage. The hardest hurting elbows on the feet often come as an extension of wrestling defense.
Yousri Belgaroui’s used crafty elbows to hurt Mansur Abdul-Malik in tight and stop the former Division 1 wrestler from running away with any clinch takedowns.
Belgaroui has a left collar tie and right wrist grip. Mansur tries a knee as they push into one another. Belgaroui sneaks a right elbow in and grabs another wrist grip. They separate. Belgaroui steps in with a left before following it up with a right straight and left knee. They separate. Belgaroui uncorks a right hook that drops Mansur.
Yousri Belgaroui - Mansur Abdul-Malik
Mansur only survived here because the round ended. Fortunately for us, we were treated to more cool elbow work in the third.
Mansur shoots on Belgaroui. Belgaroui stops it with his left elbow. Belgaroui pushes Mansur away before pulling his head into a knee. Belgaroui sneaks in a left elbow before they separate. Mansur tries to grab Belgaroui. Belgaroui arcs a right elbow down onto Mansur’s head.
Yousri Belgaroui - Mansur Abdul-Malik
Did you notice how that sequence started? Belgaroui stopped Mansur’s takedown attempt by putting an elbow in front of his chin when Mansur shot. Then he snuck a slicing elbow in tight as they stayed grappling for position in the clinch.
After about a minute Belgaroui went back to his elbows and knees to win the fight.
Belgaroui lands a left hook to Mansur’s gut. Mansur pushes away. Belgaroui finds the clinch, knees Mansur, and drives in a hard elbow. Mansur circles out to try to keep Belgaroui off of him. Belgaroui lands a right. Mansur retreats. Belgaroui hops into a left hook and pulls Mansur down into a fight ending knee.
Yousri Belgaroui - Mansur Abdul-Malik
The most impressive elbow of the night came from Lance Gibson.
Hooper hangs onto Gibson’s right arm to force wrestling. Gibson frames Hooper’s face away with his left elbow. Hooper pushes in as Gibson turns it into an elbow strike. Hooper falls. Gibson chases with kicks. Hooper tries to shoot to save himself. Gibson hangs onto Hooper’s head to knee him for the finish.
Lance Gibson - Chase Hooper
This is what I mean about turning defense into offense. Using frames, collar ties, and cross faces to control posture and prevent takedowns is fundamental grappling, and in MMA you have the opportunity to use those simple structures as weapons, not just barriers.
Gibson framed Hooper away with a forearm in his chin. This is basic defense. Hooper pushed back in to try to keep the wrestling exchange alive. That extra energy gave Gibson’s elbow the momentum required to turn that defense into fight ending offense.
And this next one doesn’t neatly fit into my elbows turning defense into offense theme but I just have to post this highlight reel elbow the PFL gave us.
Begosso steps in as he drops his right arm only to arc it back up as an elbow splitting Cartwright’s guard. Begosso pounces and punches Cartwright. Somehow Cartwright survived this and won a split decision.
Allan Begosso - Jack Cartwright
There really was something in the air this weekend with elbows.
HELP DESK UPDATES:
More Scouting Reports!
Last week I sent out an article about doing some scouting work for UFC fighter Charles Johnson. You can read about that here.
Since then I’ve been contracted to do another report for an upcoming fight.
If you’re interested in any scouting work, virtual coaching, etc.. respond to any newsletter article and we can get started right away.
LINKS, INSTRUCTIONALS, AND MORE MATCHES TO STUDY:
Brief Instructionals On Elbows
You can catch up on Tofiq Musayev’s career in Rizin here.
Here you can see Yousri Belgaroui’s kickboxing fight with his now coach Alex Pereira. Yeah, the same Alex Pereira that’s on the UFC White House card.
A lot of my clinch defense in jiujitsu comes from muay Thai neck wrestling in. If you want some new ideas on how to clinch, and even sneak some elbows in, watch these:
Here Liam Harrison explains how he likes to strike in the clinch
Petchboonchu gives an overview of how to dominate in the clinch here
THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS (you might have missed)
We have two excellent high level grappling cards this week!
WNO 32 is tonight and FloGrappling made a day in the life video about one of the competitors, Deandre Corbe, that you can watch here
UFC BJJ 7 is this Thursday as well
Craig Jones also recently announced CJI 2.5 (?) will be a tournament in July with a 10 million dollar cash prize for first place. Yeah you read that right. Say what you will about Craig but the man knows how to make a spectacle.
Ariel Helwani is claiming that a rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway is the frontrunner for this year’s International Fight Week
If you want to learn how jiujitsu actually works in MMA and professional grappling while supporting the newsletter click here to subscribe to the Help Desk. The Help Desk comes with:
A grappling technique library
Analysis of classic fights with high level grappling
Regularly updated articles on techniques, athletes, and principles of fighting
Do you want to build your body like the best grapplers? Click here to access East Austin Strength Training.
East Austin Strength Training is a live strength & conditioning protocol developed by Dr. Sean McEachern. Dr. Sean is responsible for building some of the best bodies in jiujitsu, like ADCC Silver Medalist, Jay Rod, CJI 2 winner, Chris Wojcik, and many more. His program will make you more athletic, reduce your risk of injury, and ensure you’re not overtraining so you can stay on the mats.
Don’t wait. Click on the link below so you can get get stronger with us today.
