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One Tip To Get Better At Taking The Back
A closer look at the back attacks from UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2
William
January 16th, 2024
First Things First
The first UFC card of the year is over and done. UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 ended up being more entertaining than I expected and there were some interesting back attacks that deserve a closer look. Let’s get into it.
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What's In Today's Letter?
One Tip To Get Better At Taking The Back
In my opinion, back mount is the best position in MMA. Not only do you have tons of options for finishing the fight, but your opponent essentially has none. That extreme asymmetry is invaluable in MMA
You can read my full back mount study here, but today we’re going to look at one tip that will improve your back mount attacks immediately. This is particularly relevant after this weekend’s card because several fighters attacked back mount, only one secured it, and they were the one that stuck by this idea.
Generally, it’s easier to secure back mount if you try to put the near side hook in before the far side hook. Let’s look at how this played out at Ankalaev vs. Walker 2.
The Back Attacks Of Ankalaev vs. Walker 2
The Bad
Early in the night we were treated to another exciting match-up in the always entertaining bantamweight division. Farid Basharat took on Taylor Lapilus. This is actually Lapilus’s second stint in the UFC while Basharat has been tagged as a possible future contender. Overall, the fight was a good action packed event that pit Lapilus’s striking against Basharat’s wrestling.
At the beginning of the fight Lapilus was denying all of Basharat’s wrestling. As the fight wore on, Lapilus slowed down, but Basharat still could not secure back mount.
Farid Basharat vs Taylor Lapilus  | Basharat has completed a shot and Lapilus is looking to stand. Basharat has his near knee in, but when he runs to the back the hook disengages and space is created. Lapilus grabs Basharat’s head to hold him in place so he can get to his knees and stand back up. |
A simpler option might have been keeping the knee engaged and sagging back towards that side to complete the back take. We’ll get to that later.
The final fight on the prelims was Matthew Semelsberger vs Preston Parsons. Parsons ended up setting a personal career record for takedowns in a fight and had a few solid submission attempts. Semelsberger was game the whole way through, never settling for Parsons’s positional advantages.
Matthew Semelsberger vs Preston Parsons  | Parsons is on top of Semelsberger’s turtle. Parsons spins to the back and tries to throw his leg around and in for a back mount hook. Semelsberger stands and Preston falls off so he’s forced to reshoot. |
The veteran in the co-main event showed us how to truly cement back takes.
The Good
Jim Miller is a fucking legend. The man has been fighting in the UFC successfully for 15 and a half years. Miller’s UFC career literally started before UFC rival Bellator began operating and he is still going.
Those 15 and a half years have given him several records, notably the most fights and wins in the UFC. Miller also owns the second most finishes and submission wins in the company’s history. The dude can fight his ass off, no two ways about it.
As Miller’s record suggests, he’s primarily a grappler. He re-emphasized those grappling chops in his fight with Gabriel Benítez.
Jim Miller vs Gabriel Benítez Throw By Pass → Back Take  | Miller punches into throw by pass. Benitez rolls away to turtle and Miller locks up a seat belt. Miller sticks his near knee in, far hook over the hip, and pulls Benitez back to lock a figure 4 and complete the back take. |
Here is the sequence in a bit more detail.
Benitez ended up holding on for the duration of this round. The next one was less forgiving.
The Legend’s Finish
Jim Miller vs Gabriel Benítez  | Benítez is trying to wrestle up. Miller floats over his hips, allowing Benítez to turtle. Miller puts both of his hooks in and Benítez rolls face up. Miller face cranks Benítez for the submission victory. |
After this win Miller requested a spot on UFC 300 and asked to fight either Matt Brown or Paul Felder. Both of those match-ups would be great veteran additions to the hopefully historic card. More than anything, it’s astounding to see a 40 year old man use craft, grit, and straight forward techniques to grind out more wins.
This weekend we have the first pay-per-view of 2024. We’ll be covering one of my favorite new prospects to watch. See you then!
Citations, Further Viewing, And Other Shit From My Corner Of the Internet
Along the way to becoming the winningest fighter in UFC history, Jim Miller won fights on the UFC 100 and 200 cards. Now he is on a quest to fight at UFC 300. He also has a petition to get his name announced as “JIM FUCKING MILLER” on the UFC 300 fight card.
Show your support and sign the petition here 👇
A bit more on near vs far side back mount entires. Below John Danaher explains why he prefers near side back hook entries for taking the back.
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