The Role of Sprawling in MMA: How to Counter Takedowns

Knowing how to wrestle in MMA is key in the modern era of the sport; if you are able to dictate where the fight goes, you are already at an advantage. However, defensive or counter wrestling is also very important, especially if you're a striker because you want to keep the fighting standing. 

In this article, we will explain some of the techniques fighters use to counter takedowns in MMA. 

Different Techniques to Stuff Takedowns 

Firstly, sprawling is one of the first techniques you learn in an MMA gym when it comes to defensive wrestling. A sprawl is when you read that your opponent is shooting in for a double or single-leg takedown, so then you kick your legs backwards and shift your hips downwards, to drop all of your weight on your opponent. Putting this heavy pressure on your opponent makes them fall to the mat. 

Once you have successfully performed the sprawl, you have several options available to you. If you don't want to engage in grappling at all, the sprawl position allows for an easy get-up. But, if you are well-versed in grappling then you may want to try things like a D'arce choke or Anaconda choke from the sprawl position. Additionally, you can transition from sprawl position to the back position and potentially sink in your hooks and attack a rear naked choke opportunity. Or, you can transition to the back and unleash ground-and-pound strikes. 

Another effective technique you can use to defend takedowns is to use underhooks. An underhook is when a fighter puts their arm under the armpit of their opponent so they can push their opponent upwards in order to stop them from reaching down for a single-leg or double-leg. If you are able to get an underhook with both arms then that's even better because you can drag your opponent's back to the cage and potentially level change for a single-leg takedown. Plus, with double underhooks, you could set up a leg sweep takedown. 

A similar technique to the underhook is an overhook, mainly called the whizzer. The whizzer goes over your opponent's arm to avoid a takedown. To add, you can use the whizzer, along with good head positioning in the clinch, to reverse a position and then you end up in the dominant position. The good thing about the whizzer technique is that you can easily trip your opponent along the cage wall if you reverse the clinch position, and the majority of the time you will land on top of your opponent in a perfect position to land strikes or attack submissions.

You can also counter takedowns by the use of strikes. A teep kick, or a front kick, although dangerous to throw because it offers a window for your opponent to grab your leg, it is effective if disguised well because it allows you to keep your opponent at bay, and if you have success with this strike, your opponent will be wary of level changing and shooting for a takedown just in case they walk straight into the kick.

Well-timed knee strikes are extremely effective to use against wrestlers that want to shoot down at your hips. In this situation, your opponent has put his head in harm's way and he has zero defence, and it only takes a glancing blow from a knee strike to do damage, let alone taking it one full-on in the face. There have been several instances in MMA where it's a wrestler vs a striker so the striker focuses on landing knees up the middle to warn off a wrestler's takedown attempts. One of the most outrageous knockouts in the UFC came when Jorge Masvidal landed a flying knee on Ben Askren less than five seconds into the fight as Askren shot down for a takedown. 

The Best Takedown Defence in MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta//Getty Images

Takedown defence is an art in itself, and very few fighters have managed to master this. But, here are the best fighters in MMA when it comes to takedown defence and counter wrestling.

3. Jose Aldo

In his prime, Jose Aldo had one of the best takedown defences the sport had seen. Because of his excellent Muay Thai skills, he wanted the fight to remain standing so he could chop at his opponent's legs with his brutal leg kicks. Because he would outclass his opponents on the feet, they all knew in order to beat Aldo they had to get him to the ground, however, this was almost impossible.

2. Georges St-Pierre 

Georges St-Pierre was a master of all aspects of MMA, especially when it came to stuffing his opponent's takedowns. Throughout his career, GSP fought several elite wrestlers, but they were unable to have much success against the Canadian due to his takedown defence. Instead, the welterweight king would often flip the script and out-wrestle the elite wrestlers.