MMA Combinations: A dynamic fighting sport that incorporates aspects of different martial arts is called mixed martial arts. Even while many fighters strive for a spectacular one-punch knockout, using many strikes is frequently far more efficient. Even fighters with superhuman knockout powers might gain from improving their combo usage. A fighter’s striking game becomes more complex and less one-dimensional when they employ combos. With pleasure, we present six of the most potent MMA combinations you should know.
These Are The Top 6 MMA Combinations You Must Learn
Check out the MMA combinations that you must learn:
1) Double Jab – Power Strike
A tried-and-true boxing classic combo, the double jab to power strike is effective in mixed martial arts. A double jab may be used to build up almost any power strike, for both the lead and rear sides. One combination that is often used is the double jab to overhand. The double jab prepares the third punch. This suggests that you shouldn’t concentrate on delivering two potent jabs simultaneously. Instead, as you prepare to deliver your overhand punch, use the double jabs to divert and weaken your opponent’s defence.
The double jab may also be used by fighters who are ambidextrous or southpaw to take advantage of an open stance’s angles. When facing a southpaw, both orthodox fighters and southpaws can take the outside angle with the double jab, creating space for their rear-side blows.
An alternative to this combo is to use a lengthy guard or other types of hand control in place of the jabs. Anything from a pin, post, or hand trap from the lead side can be used for this. For instance, by putting your lead forearm over both of your opponent’s hands at close range, you may pin both of their arms. As a result, you may have the chance to take out your opponent’s guard and land a rear power attack.
You can post or employ a lengthy guard at mid- to long-range to slow down your opponent’s movement and prepare your rear power strike. This particular combo was employed by Conor “Notorious” McGregor to defeat Jose Aldo.
In a more recent bout, Sean O’Malley won the UFC Bantamweight Championship Belt with a hand trap and right cross combo.
You might also be interested in reading this: List of 10 Best Women’s Knockouts in MMA History
2) Head Shot – Body Shot – Feint High
One popular technique for hitting your opponent in the head with a powerful blow is to feint high, go to your body, and then move back to your head. Your opponent will lift their guard as you feint to the head, briefly exposing their body. In reaction to your body shot, your opponent is probably going to lower their guard and move closer to you, which will provide you the opportunity to strike them in the chin. There are several methods to complete this sequence; we’ll go over a couple of them below.
This move is frequently used by former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker to set up his lethal lead hook. Lineker will fake a jab to narrow the gap, follow it up with a right cross to the body, and then launch himself into a lead hook that is aiming for his opponent’s chin. By aiming his right cross at his opponent’s rear elbow, Lineker clears the road for his left hook by knocking the opponent’s rear arm aside.
With the above sequence, you may set up and land the question mark, also known as the Brazilian kick, on your opponent. First, feint a jab, then use either leg to deliver a front kick. With the ball of your foot, strike your opponent’s stomach while you aim your front kick at their torso. When you kick, this will make your opponent’s guard drop lower, creating a space for your Brazilian kick. Use your big toe to kick rather than the ball of your foot if your opponent does not lower their defences in reaction to your front kick. Target the bladder or solar plexus of your opponent because these are vulnerable points that are simple to harm.
The Brazilian kick is a hybrid of the front and roundhouse kicks executed at head level. Lifting your knee and chambering for a front kick initiates the Brazilian kick. You pivot your heel forward on your standing leg and rechamber your kicking leg horizontally instead of snapping your front kick. As you release the kick, whip your foot in an arc in the direction of your opponent’s head. In order to avoid your opponent’s shoulder and guard, your foot should fall at a downward angle.
3) Liver Shot Combinations
In combat sports, the liver shot is considered the most potent blow. A single clean liver shot may terminate a fight in a moment, or at the very least severely sap your opponent’s strength and fighting spirit. This is because of the link between your legs and the vagus nerve, which passes through your liver. At the very least, a well-placed liver hit can drastically impair your opponent’s footwork, making them a sitting duck. Below, we’ll talk about a few distinct MMA combinations that specifically target the liver.
Feigning the right hand is one approach to deliver the liver shot. By doing this, you’ll open an opening for your liver shot and make your opponent drop their guard. You may boost the efficiency of this tactic by landing a few of right crosses beforehand. Your opponent will get used to blocking or shelling up as soon as they notice your right cross coming, even if it is blocked.
Bas Rutten, a legend in mixed martial arts, has another combo to nail the liver shot. Bas often used an acrobatic left hook to set himself up for a left-body kick.
Throwing the left hook raises your opponent’s defences and diverts their attention from your right foot, which advances in tandem with the hook. As soon as your right foot touches down, launch yourself into a left body kick that goes straight for your opponent’s liver.
When directed towards the liver, a low kick-to-back kick combo can be quite damaging. Your opponents will block one side of their body when they identify your kicks with the original low kick. The backkick takes advantage of this and frequently makes your opponent pause, unsure of which side to defend. If you can execute the backkick well, it’s nearly a surefire way to end the fight.
A further powerful technique for landing a liver shot is hand pinning and controlling. Since hand pinning and hand trapping are types of control, their main goal is to influence placement as opposed to doing harm.
To set up your liver shot, for instance, you may weave and step to your left, but your opponent would usually move out of the way or follow your movement and hit their blows. To fix that, use your right forearm to pin your arms to your head, forming a frame. This will impede their mobility and stop them from striking you.
Utilising your lead arm to manipulate your opponent’s guard is another method of using hand controls to execute a liver shot. Your opponent may increase their guard when you deliver a slapping hook to the head. Reload your lead side as soon as you make contact with your opponent’s guard, then deliver a forceful liver blow beneath their now-raised guard.
4) Leg kicks to punches
One of the most potent and efficient blows in mixed martial arts is the leg kick. Leg kicks, however, can sometimes be challenging to execute while facing a live opponent. You may keep your opponent off-guard and distracted with your boxing combos, allowing you to strike a forceful leg kick before they can counter. This is best suited for individuals who possess a particularly strong leg kick, as it is essentially Dutch-style kickboxing.
A traditional combo for kickboxers of any type is the jab-cross-lead hook-rear leg kick. You may induce your opponent to drop their guard with a jab and cross. The weight of your opponent is shifted to their lead side by your lead hook.
The jab-cross-lead leg kick combo is another way that boxing is used to build up leg kicks. In addition to taking up your opponent’s guard, the jab-cross lines you up for the lead leg kick. Once your cross has touched down, quickly turn to the inside of your opponent’s lead leg with a kick. This region may swiftly wear out your opponent since it is frequently significantly less conditioned than the exterior of the leg.
5) Attacks from the Same Side
In every combat sport, combinations often switch sides in order to maximise striking flow and capitalise on rotational power. But this also makes it rather simple to figure out what your opponent is going to punch next in a combo. The anticipation that your next strike would come from the opposite side of your previous one is exploited while using same-side assaults.
Attacks carried out consecutively by the same side are known as same-side attacks. An illustration of this would be tossing your opponent’s head with a lead hook and then following it up with a liver punch with your lead hand. Your opponent anticipated that you would strike out of your backhand after blocking your initial lead hook.
The cross-to-rear high kick is a typical same-side strike that has been successful in resulting in knockouts. This was how Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman to win the UFC welterweight title belt. Southpaw Edwards feinted with a left cross, then promptly followed with a left high kick that landed flush.
In their second match, Dustin Poirier was knocked out by Justin Gaethje with precisely this combo. Given that both Edwards and Gaethje faced opponents in the opposing stance, this demonstrated the potency of this combination in an open stance battle.
6) Cross-Jab
An essential move in boxing, the jab-cross works well in MMA combinations. You have to establish your jab against your opponent before you can regularly land your jab-cross combo. To do this, test the responses and defences of your opponent to your jab. For your jab to be successful, it doesn’t even need to land flush. You may still elicit emotions while maintaining a safety distance by jabbing at your opponent’s guard. Move laterally or backward after jabbing to restart the exchange. By doing this, you’ll train your opponent to anticipate movement following your jab. After you jab, they will ultimately follow you; this is the ideal moment to throw your cross and see your opponent approaching.
There are so many things you can do once you’ve landed your cross. You can counter with a lead spear elbow and a rear-slashing elbow if your opponent is shocked and immobilised. The lead spear elbow will cause your opponent to shell up and divide their guard along the middle, creating a gap on the side where your rear-slashing elbow may enter.
You can counter with a longer-range strike, such a teep, roundhouse kick, or gazelle hook, to keep your opponent on the defensive if they retreat out to evade your jab-cross combo.
The jab-rear overhand is a useful variant of the jab-cross. The overhand is a potent attack that can be used to both setup and prevent grappling exchanges in the cage, which makes it a mainstay in mixed martial arts. Recently, Josh Emmet defeated Bryce Mitchell with an overhand throw in the opening frame.
In summary
The MMA combinations and ideas listed above will help you improve your striking and land more strikes in sparring, regardless of your unique fighting style. Tell us which of these MMA combinations are most effective for you!
