Now, the reign of Tito Ortiz did alot of things to jiu-jitsu in MMA, and, realistically speaking, Tito has had a deep affect on jiu-jitsu because of his innovations in the groundnpound. While it’s easy to credit guys like Fedor, who appear much later, with smashing many of the conventions of the jiu-jitsu game, Tito was there first, and was the biggest enabler of this style of fighting.

The problem for alot of guys with great grappling skills was that their opponents could wait through a few rounds and win on the judges scorecards. While the layngay attack was often booed, it became a popular style for wrestlers who cared more about winning than about pulling out the big finish.

That said, there was a development within alot of submission grappling circles that revolutionized all of this, that helped guys beat their opponents without breaking down their posture and without their opponents forcing their head into their opponents chest.

While the game has not become quite as popular in MMA (because of the way that the broken down guard has become popular among heavyweights and the way the rubber guard has gained popularity among lightweights) the intermediary between the two has found its way into alot of ground games and enables both of these other fighting styles.

Basically, the opponent postures up and, instead of trying to break them down, you follow them up and proceed for a hip-sweep, kimura or guillotine. These finishes have alot of power purely in the basis that they either force the opponent to drop their shoulder, breaking their posture for you, or that they put you in a top position or a finishing position.

The intermediary, sitting up position has been challenged by those who don’t think that it works, because it doesn’t seem to stand on its own. That, though, is why it appeals to so many grapplers, and has worked so effectively as a way to set up the well controlled guard or the rubber guard.

The reason it hasn’t become as prevalent in MMA is because, realistically speaking, the quality of jiu-jitsu is lower amongst MMA fighters than amongst guys who strictly train BJJ. Still, we’ve seen BJ Penn and Shinya Aoki sit up and threaten with the kimura to set up their rubber guard games, we’ve seen Fabricio Werdum use it to finish fights against Aleks Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem. It’s a game that works for guys who have the patience to make it work, and while it is not the final evolution of the guard, it is certainly a development that we are starting to see among the upper echelong of jiu-jitsu guys in MMA.

This is part 3 in a four part series. Here are links to parts one and two.

It seems like common sense, doesn’t it? If you don’t get punched in the face, it’s going to be hard to get TKO’d. Still, it took fighters a long time to learn how to efficiently break down their opponents.

The common dictum in modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that an opponent without posture is not going to pass your guard, he’s not in a position to attack. He’s more or less forced into the defensive, because his arms are easy to control, his hips have no power and his head is buried in your chest, greatly limiting his ability to see what you’re doing.

Historically speaking, the strategy appears in part at UFC 4, but Royce Gracie didn’t really break down Kimo Leopoldo’s posture, he just spent alot of time trying.

The fact is, you can’t performa triangle choke on a postured opponent. You can’t pull a guillotine or a kimura off the bottom against an opponent who’s got his balance, so the fact that this development is really only used by BJJ blackbelts like Gabriel Gonzaga (see his fight with Carmello Marrero) and Fabricio Werdum during his Pride career. It’s a standard procedure in the Royler Gracie lineage of BJJ, and most purple belts can pull it off, but the advent of the can opener and other neck cranks out of the guard position has made the game extremely uncomfortable for anyone fighting a strong wrestler.

Still, expect to see the game more and more in the coming years, especially from the UFC lightweight and heavyweight divisions, where there are plenty of blackbelts comfortable fighting off of their backs.

This is the second in a four part series. Here’s the link to part one.

It is the staple of the grappling game and without it, a fighter on the bottom would be unable to defend himself. The game is constantly evolving, and the guard has done just as much to keep up as any other. This is part one of a four part segment I’ll be posting on the new innovations in the guard that make it difficult to stay on top.

The first is the most visible, and really the most rudimentary, but when it is used effectively, it works. We’ve seen its effectiveness in the games of the Nogueira brothers and many other top fighters in the upper weight classes. We see it primarily in the upper weight classes because it’s not a finesse game, it’s a strong man’s game.

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Previous generations of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players have experienced much easier days. With more and more stand up artists learning the basics of grappling, the balance of power has certainly been tipped in their favor. Take Chuck Liddell as an example. During his tenure as champion, he tore through every grappler he faced, compiling a seven fight win streak. Wrestlers have also been taking the submission game very seriously, taking time to learn the basics of BJJ and now themselves the ability to dodge all submissions with their usually superior strength and also giving them the chance to unleash far more brutal ground and pound.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artists must evolve with the sport or be left behind, so now do we have to wait for someone to invent a crazy new style of BJJ before we can have hope for our favorite ground players?

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Now that we are in Week 5 and my decision to continue with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training has been communicated, I have decided to mix up the layout of the White Collar Submission column. This column focuses on my development while training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while working and being a full-time husband and father.

Week 5 consisted of a Saturday class with a different instructor and an entirely different, albeit extremely useful, format.

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It has been almost a month of training and although I am far from being comfortable on the mat, I have certainly progressed to the point where I can stay out of trouble for a little while. This is next installment of White Collar Submission. I will walk you through what it is like to train Jiu-Jitsu as a typical white collar father of two.

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Welcome to the newest installment of White Collar Submission. This article is written through my point of view as a typical person who is attempting to learn how to fight in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

This article combines the second half of Week 2 and Week 3 into one large article. Keep reading to keep updated with my progress with learning the Jiu-Jitsu fighting style.

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Welcome to Week 2 of White Collar Submission. I will take you through MMA training from the viewpoint of a young white collar husband and father of two. After a rough first week of Jiu-Jitsu training, I wasn’t sure how my body would react to another night of grappling. Considering that I spend most of my working days sitting at a desk in the air conditioning, my body was in shock after attempting so much physical labor.

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Welcome to the first installment of White Collar Submission. This is where I will personally take the plunge to begin learning and training different MMA fighting styles. Once I feel comfortable with my abilities, I will then take my skills to the ring. Welcome to Mixed Martial Arts for the regular guy. Want to learn what it takes? Keep reading.

About Me: I’m in my mid-twenties and I am married with two young children. I stand 5′8″ and weigh 147. I have never been in a fight where more than two punches were thrown.

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