got my first MMA fight lined up, need a game plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvMe5H-2Xfg

So guys, I have my first MMA fight lined up, I'm fighting the guy in the white/black sprawl shorts in this vid. I want to see if you guys can give me some tips on how I should attack this guy. So far from what I can tell, this guy loves to clinch a lot. And my clinch isn't the greatest. So I'm thinking I might pull guard if the guy gets me in a clinch. Striking wise, I outclass this guy cause I've been doing kickboxing for 7 years and I have mad combos. But, everybody stands a punchers chance. So what do you think guys?

strike!

dont pull guard unless your supremely confident in your grappling

fuck it stand up and bang!

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Originally Posted by Cookie

strike!

dont pull guard unless your supremely confident in your grappling

fuck it stand up and bang!

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You think so? I'm confident I can put this guy to sleep. But what should I do if I get clinched, my clinch defense and offense isn't anything special.

Where and when is the fight?

Best advice. . . Don't get hit

If you are worried about his clinch, then start drilling clinch escapes....
But, if you are confident in your ground game, then start drilling clinch take downs.

Looks like this guy likes to throw a lot of knees from the clinch... Just grab one and
take him down.

Run around and scream like a little girl and when everyone is confused, kick him in the balls. He'll get his five minutes to regroup and you'll get a warning. When they start the fight again start screaming again and acting like before, but this time, rush him and take him down and beat his ass before he realizes that he got played.

What do your trainers say ?

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Originally Posted by JeffRace727

You think so? I'm confident I can put this guy to sleep. But what should I do if I get clinched, my clinch defense and offense isn't anything special.

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How is your wrastlin'? I'm a ground and pound guy muhself. If you've done kickboxing for 7 years, I'd rely on the striking. It looks like the guy in the green shorts did OK when he was on top, but as you've seen DON'T let this shit go to the judges!! stay away from his clinch and knock that ass OUT!

i saw theres no better way to train then by getting ready to beat him at his own game... work wrestling as much as you can. he looks like the sort of guy that is always moving forward so take advantage of that. work on your takedowns except make them technical, dont drop your posture because this guy knows how to utilize the front headlock pretty well. he doesnt look too dangerous on bottom so i say shoot a good takedown, get on top, try to mount. work on your guard passes to.
get good at the double underhook position and how to enter it from the clinch. he seems to be giving that opportunity away in his fight. in fact, the way the black shorts guy tried to finish is exactly what id recommend. i dunno how he lost. get to mount and as soon as he puts his arms up like that, go for the armbar. except you should be able to finish it.

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Originally Posted by lates85

How is your wrastlin'? I'm a ground and pound guy muhself. If you've done kickboxing for 7 years, I'd rely on the striking. It looks like the guy in the green shorts did OK when he was on top, but as you've seen DON'T let this shit go to the judges!! stay away from his clinch and knock that ass OUT!

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I did wrestling back in elementary school, haha. But my wrastlin' ain't so good. but I do have a state champion coach who teaches at my old high school and also runs a grappling club I was in. Maybe he'll work with me a little on it. The guy I'm facing is a white belt in Jiu Jitsu. Not very good, as you can tell by his arms being up in the air while he was mounted. I'd say I have this guy big time in striking and in Jiu Jitsu. But my Jiu Jitsu is best off my back.

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Originally Posted by Freddy Chavez

What do your trainers say ?

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I'm not training with anybody at the moment, cause the last guy I worked with is a fucking moron.
The guy I would be training with is coaching the opponent of my team mate lmao, so I'm not working with him haha.
I'll probably work my wrestling with my high school wrestling coach who is legit as shit, he also does Sambo, and Army Combatives.

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Originally Posted by Jack LaBarge

Where and when is the fight?

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It is in Bennington VT on January 22 I believe, I'm not 100 on the date though.

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Originally Posted by JeffRace727

I'm not training with anybody at the moment, cause the last guy I worked with is a fucking moron.
The guy I would be training with is coaching the opponent of my team mate lmao, so I'm not working with him haha.
I'll probably work my wrestling with my high school wrestling coach who is legit as shit, he also does Sambo, and Army Combatives.

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nice, i couldnt think of a better alternative. if im ever unconfident about something in my game, i always drill the shit out of it until i am confident about it. confidence wins you battles after all.

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Originally Posted by FiErCe_oNi

i saw theres no better way to train then by getting ready to beat him at his own game... work wrestling as much as you can.

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No disrespect but this is about the worst advice humanly possible. This guys been wrestling his whole life so spend the next 6 weeks trying to get good enough to beat him at that? Yikes...
I say stay out of the pocket circle away behind the jab when he tries to close the gap, if he really tries to step in with punches light up his front leg. When he starts to get flustered by the strikes throw a fake jab and shoot underneath, get on top and try to be technical. Make sure you know where your posts are as he'll prolly be trying to buck and roll you. get your mount and finish with strikes.

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Originally Posted by Roofliss

No disrespect but this is about the worst advice humanly possible. This guys been wrestling his whole life so spend the next 6 weeks trying to get good enough to beat him at that? Yikes...
I say stay out of the pocket circle away behind the jab when he tries to close the gap, if he really tries to step in with punches light up his front leg. When he starts to get flustered by the strikes throw a fake jab and shoot underneath, get on top and try to be technical. Make sure you know where your posts are as he'll prolly be trying to buck and roll you. get your mount and finish with strikes.

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I don't think he has been wrestling his whole life. I'm pretty sure he hasn't wrestled at all. As far as I know his grappling credentials are equal to 0, but thanks for the advice man.

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Originally Posted by Roofliss

No disrespect but this is about the worst advice humanly possible. This guys been wrestling his whole life so spend the next 6 weeks trying to get good enough to beat him at that? Yikes...

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sorry, i wasnt aware that his opponent has been wrestling his whole life..

take down round one just focus on holding him down rounds 2 and 3 circle away from him and light him up because i notice he just runs into the clinch with his hands down when he's tired.

or pull guard and sweep if you can?

I'm thinking my rubber guard game will work really well against this guy, his jits is terrible.
And his striking isn't in very good shape

well you know what any pro would say when it comes to grappling, going for takedowns and getting on top is your first objective. pulling guard is a backup objective if the takedowns arent working as well as you hoped.

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Originally Posted by FiErCe_oNi

well you know what any pro would say when it comes to grappling, going for takedowns and getting on top is your first objective. pulling guard is a backup objective if the takedowns arent working as well as you hoped.

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unless you're Aoki. lol

haha he already has submissions locked in before anyone even hits the ground

Where did you do your 7 years of kickboxing? Was it all in a good kickboxing gym?

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Originally Posted by stlnl

Where did you do your 7 years of kickboxing? Was it all in a good kickboxing gym?

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Trained in Shito-Ryu Karate for a long time...it wasn't McDojo karate at all. It was kickboxing thru and thru, just with Kata's on the side. I stopped doing it years ago, but I never stopped training in kickboxing. I've been sparring with other fighters a lot over the years and I have quit a few knockouts in sparring lol. I have really good combos and leg kicks. :]

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Originally Posted by JeffRace727

Trained in Shito-Ryu Karate for a long time...it wasn't McDojo karate at all. It was kickboxing thru and thru, just with Kata's on the side. I stopped doing it years ago, but I never stopped training in kickboxing. I've been sparring with other fighters a lot over the years and I have quit a few knockouts in sparring lol. I have really good combos and leg kicks. :]

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you could probably tare the guy your fighting apart standing then.

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Originally Posted by sly

you could probably tare the guy your fighting apart standing then.

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that is what I'm thinking. I might also recruit a retired pro boxer who lives in my town to train me a little, he once fought Roy Jones JR. back in the day, but he got his jaw broken by him haha

So. No real training for an extended time recently in a dedicated kickboxing gym? In that case I would lead with a strong 1-2, and clinch the guy when he goes to punch back. Try to trip him, and when it goes to the ground top or bottom work him over.

A game plan for a first fight is pretty worthless IMO. What IS important is you spend as much training time as possible in the worst positions you can think of that can happen in the fight, and fighting out of them. Then, if you get stuck in a bad spot on fight day, reflexes take over, and all is well. Alot of nerves in a first fight, regardless of skills. Keep it simple IMO, and work as much as possible on things that can go badly and work out of those positions.

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Originally Posted by stlnl

So. No real training for an extended time recently in a dedicated kickboxing gym? In that case I would lead with a strong 1-2, and clinch the guy when he goes to punch back. Try to trip him, and when it goes to the ground top or bottom work him over.

A game plan for a first fight is pretty worthless IMO. What IS important is you spend as much training time as possible in the worst positions you can think of that can happen in the fight, and fighting out of them. Then, if you get stuck in a bad spot on fight day, reflexes take over, and all is well. Alot of nerves in a first fight, regardless of skills. Keep it simple IMO, and work as much as possible on things that can go badly and work out of those positions.

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Right. That is probably the thing I have worked on the least. When it comes to bad positions, ex mount, rear mount. I don't have like ANY strike defense cause I haven't worked any "ground and pound" shit yet, its always been either stand up, or jiu jitsu. I've JUST signed up for this fight so I haven't been really training for MMA..but I have two months and that should be sufficient, since I'm facing a guy I see to be inferior just about everywhere except the clinch maybe.

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Originally Posted by JeffRace727

Right. That is probably the thing I have worked on the least. When it comes to bad positions, ex mount, rear mount. I don't have like ANY strike defense cause I haven't worked any "ground and pound" shit yet, its always been either stand up, or jiu jitsu. I've JUST signed up for this fight so I haven't been really training for MMA..but I have two months and that should be sufficient, since I'm facing a guy I see to be inferior just about everywhere except the clinch maybe.

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Well, is this your first fight? BEcause at the moment, you are theoretically the better striker, but fact is, if you have not done it at a competitive level (Boxing/kickboxing/MMA comp) you really dont know what you will do on game day. Its not his first fight, and I have seen guys make improvments of leaps and bounds from one fight to the next, esp from the first fight. SO if you have a solid ground game, that is, by far what I would focus on the most, using it, and making the fight take that course (solid 1-2 often can force a guy to clinch with you, and prevents many exchanges).

i say seriously work on your wrestling his jiu jitsu does really suck get him past the 1st round and if hes tired hell basically run in for the clinch once that happens take him down and work on passing his guard if hes anything like he is now hell go back to habit when hes tired so hell just strike from bottom just blow it off and pass his gaurd just dont take his jj that lightly remember if he has even half a brain hell be working on that and if they know about your jj hell be working on getting up......so basically work the hell out of your wrestling his clinch doesnt look like you gotta be that worried about it either im sure youll be fine and will rep 10th planet well good luck bro

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Originally Posted by Luis Acherbo

i say seriously work on your wrestling his jiu jitsu does really suck get him past the 1st round and if hes tired hell basically run in for the clinch once that happens take him down and work on passing his guard if hes anything like he is now hell go back to habit when hes tired so hell just strike from bottom just blow it off and pass his gaurd just dont take his jj that lightly remember if he has even half a brain hell be working on that and if they know about your jj hell be working on getting up......so basically work the hell out of your wrestling his clinch doesnt look like you gotta be that worried about it either im sure youll be fine and will rep 10th planet well good luck bro

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Oh yeah, bro. I'll be covered in 10th Planet gear for that fight. But thanks bro, and everyone else. I got some good advice. Time to put in the sweat.

I got a great gameplan for you and some nice tips for you, and I love helping people out.

He definitely seems to be a physical guy, he loves the clinch, and he likes to use his strength to muscle people around. He loves to grab onto the fence and keep you there and deliver some knees as well. So watch out for that. His cardio doesn't seem too great, and his striking is probably no where near yours.

So here is what you should do:
Work on your cardio and make sure you're in tip-top shape for this fight. Work on your wrestling for sure. I would try to mix it up and keep him guessing, and keep him off balance. Unbalancing an opponent is the best way to defeat them. Work on your wrestling and mix in takedowns, and pick him apart on the feet. Use body kicks, leg kicks, knees, and whatever you possibly can. A fight you should study is the second Frankie Edgar-BJ Penn fight. Frankie kept BJ guessing and off balance and won.

Have an answer for anything and everything he gives you. For his clinch, there are a variety of things you can do.

-Work on your clinch defense, and try to reverse the position if he gets it on you.
-Again, work on your wrestling and you can attempt a takedown.
-Knees and uppercuts!
-Pulling guard.
*Only pull guard if you feel comfortable off your back and make sure you stay active! Many MMA fighters have very dull guards, so make sure you stay active and STILL keep him off-balance. Threaten him with submissions, and stay active off your back delivering elbows.

Make him fight your fight, and when he tries to make you fight his, beat him at it! Have an answer for everything he can possibly give you. Keep him off-balance and keep him guessing and the fight should be yours.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Andys562

I got a great gameplan for you and some nice tips for you, and I love helping people out.

He definitely seems to be a physical guy, he loves the clinch, and he likes to use his strength to muscle people around. He loves to grab onto the fence and keep you there and deliver some knees as well. So watch out for that. His cardio doesn't seem too great, and his striking is probably no where near yours.

So here is what you should do:
Work on your cardio and make sure you're in tip-top shape for this fight. Work on your wrestling for sure. I would try to mix it up and keep him guessing, and keep him off balance. Unbalancing an opponent is the best way to defeat them. Work on your wrestling and mix in takedowns, and pick him apart on the feet. Use body kicks, leg kicks, knees, and whatever you possibly can. A fight you should study is the second Frankie Edgar-BJ Penn fight. Frankie kept BJ guessing and off balance and won.

Have an answer for anything and everything he gives you. For his clinch, there are a variety of things you can do.

-Work on your clinch defense, and try to reverse the position if he gets it on you.
-Again, work on your wrestling and you can attempt a takedown.
-Knees and uppercuts!
-Pulling guard.
*Only pull guard if you feel comfortable off your back and make sure you stay active! Many MMA fighters have very dull guards, so make sure you stay active and STILL keep him off-balance. Threaten him with submissions, and stay active off your back delivering elbows.

Make him fight your fight, and when he tries to make you fight his, beat him at it! Have an answer for everything he can possibly give you. Keep him off-balance and keep him guessing and the fight should be yours.

Good luck!

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Thanks bro, that is a good break down of what I need to do!

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Originally Posted by JeffRace727

Thanks bro, that is a good break down of what I need to do!

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No problem man.

When is your fight? And at weight will this fight be at?

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Originally Posted by Andys562

No problem man.

When is your fight? And at weight will this fight be at?

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January 22 or 23 I'm not too sure. But I will be at 155 for this fight.

From what i saw in just that fight.. id say uppercuts and angles are going to be your best friend. Watch how he goes for the clinch EVERY time. He puts both hands straight out in front of him and looks down at the mat. (sometimes he'll throw a quick jab first), but hes always got that zombie walk while looking down. So knowing that, id say work from the outside. pick him apart.. but practice cage awareness/angles. He's going to be coming straight at you and he'll be doing it with his head down.. which means he cant see you very well. Which means you need to make sure you arent running straight backwards/forwards, play the angles and stay out of his zombie walk. either side step and throw some body kicks (those would land PERFECT on a guy like that since his arms are straight out.), or you could work the uppercuts well. With him looking straight down and neither of his hands blocking his head, you should get some great opportunities for those. But just remember to keep moving around when you do it. (knees wouldnt be a bad choice either when he looks down like that) As long as you dont stand straight in front of him you shouldnt get caught in the clinch. I'd say staying on the outside with pretty much any decent striking game and this kids screwed. I didnt really see any display of striking outside of the clinch on his part. Worst case scenario if things arent going how you like it, take it to the ground and beat him there. And if youre going to pull guard you might as well try for a takedown or sweep while youre going down, if it works gnp or work him from the top, and if he ends up on top, that was where you were wanting to go anyway so youre still good. :P

Thanks. That is basically my game plan, to stay on the outside and work all different types of strikes. Especially leg kicks, I probably have the hardest leg kick in my school. I once TKO'd my sparring partner with 3 kicks to the leg, in a row. I like to stay on my toes when I fight, so I'll be able to use my speed and get my jab out there easy, not to mention I'll have a reach advantage. When he reaches in for clinch, I'll just angle out and whip with a kick or maybe a hook depending on how close he gets. I want to keep the fight standing now, so I probably won't pull guard. But if all else fails, I'll be looking for a sub hardcore.

Punch and kick him in the face until he quits or goes to sleep.