UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10
Top 3 Takeaways from FPI 10
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 is in the books. What I learned from the matches was that mechanics and “META” really don’t change much if you’re paying attention. What works persists even if we find new ways of expressing it.
TL;DR:
Jiu Jitsu “math” doesn’t add up like ball-sport playoffs.
Knee compression locks are an excellent secondary to heelhooks.
Uchi Mata is still a great way to counter-wrestle.
Takeaway No. 1: Jiu Jitsu math doesn’t add up like ball-sport playoffs.
“Playoff picture” logic usually works like this:
Team A has beaten Team B,
Team B has beaten Team C,
Therefore Team A is better than Team C.
The same linear logic doesn’t work in grappling (or most combat sports). Anyone in the Top 10 in the world (of a given ruleset and a given weight class — both of which are inconsistent variables) could beat anyone else in the Top 10 on any given day.
This point goes to the ladies.
Brianna Ste-Marie and Elisabeth Clay have an ongoing saga with Clay winning in a decision in 2023, but losing by submission in 2024 and this weekend. Of note, Clay has submission wins over two of the hottest and dominant female grapplers of the modern age — Helena Crevar and Ffion Davies.
Ffion is 2-0 in her series versus Brianna. Helena, being just 18 years old, has a win over Brianna as well.
You can see how the speculation can go on and on in circles and it really does just depend on who shows up that particular day / weekend and what rules / tactics we’re operating under.
Takeaway No. 2: Compression locks are an excellent secondary to heelhooks.
“Calf slicers / crushers” – also known as “bear trap or ham sandwich” – have always been somewhat of a novelty ode to Catch Wrestling, though Felipe Pena used a similar strategy to somewhat effectively hold of Gordon Ryan at ADCC, but I digress…
The inverted inside heelhook from Andy Murasaki was about as textbook as it gets.
It warms my heart to see ankle locks getting a bit of a resurgence for the dilemma setup between heelhooks. Additionally though, the calf crushes are an excellent option when someone successfully clears their knee line to defend but you still have a sticky grip on their lower leg.
Helena’s finish wasn’t from an “inside” leg entanglement (like Andy’s), but the concept works the same. Maggie’s knee got turned, then she cleared it to defend against the heelhook, and Helena capitalized on the secondary option. In fact, Helena mentioned this exact process in the post-fight interview.
Takeaway No. 3: Uchi Mata is still a great way to counter-wrestle.
Victor Hugo’s win over Nicky Rod wasn’t surprising given that he was 3-0 in their series prior to FPI 10. What I was reminded of was that Harai Goshi (which Craig Jones popularized a few years ago) and Uchi Mata are two great judo throws to keep reachy wrestlers, or aggressive wrestle ups honest.
By keeping the hips cleared out / away the upper body connection and follow through are what make those two throws work. One (Uchi) is simply reaching across one leg versus the other (Harai) reaching across both legs – technically Uchi is considered a “leg” throw and Harai is considered a “hip” throw as well.
At any rate, the goal they achieve in this context remains the same. People get punished for sloppy aggressive, and particularly reachy, wrestling.
If you’re wondering, this is the exact same throw Michael Pixley infamously upset Nicholas Meregali with.