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Full mount is a wonderful position to have in both worlds of MMA and BJJ. The move in which I’m about to analyze can be utilized in both sports, but with more of a focus in MMA given the setup of the move.
So here we are; we took down our opponent and asserted our dominance and ended up in full mount. Establishing posture, the punches reign down with some force and our opponent is hurting. Out of the blue, he begins to defense himself. Reaching up to stop the punches, this is when we pounce!
Arm Lock: The Belcher Way
In hopes to prevent further damage, your opponent reaches upwards to stifle the attack. Grabbing hold of the exposed arm, we spin off to our hip, setting up a traditional armbar finish. An experienced grappler, your opponent locks his hands together as you begin to finish the hold.
After scooping their leg, and bringing our left leg over their face, the hold still can’t be completed. What we want to do from here is bend our right leg so it no longer traces their hip, but is bent upwards towards their face.
From here, we want to triangle the legs. With the tight clasp seemingly iron clad, their arm is growing increasingly fragile. Next, simply squeeze the legs for the finish. The crushing pressure will be too much for them to handle, which will force them to tap out.
If they are able to sneak out of the lock, and free their entrapped hand, the next step is simple: ARMBAR! It will be sitting there, ripe for the plucking.
Attacking the Joints
No matter which submission you end up going for, the focal point of attack is always the same: it’s the elbow. A fragile joint when fixated upon for such an attack, it’s a scary site for your opponent when they see the malicious attack in action.
Two common injuries could be dislocations or fractures. When someone dislocates their elbow, depending on the severity of the injury, it can take anywhere from eight to fourteen weeks to fully recover! And in 5-15% of the cases, the patient doesn’t fully recover their range of motion.
We have seen armbars gone too far on occasion—Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia & Big Nog—and it provides a gruesome site for the viewer. The arm is so fragile when extended away from the body, and even more so when your opponent is fixated on dismantling that specific limb.
This transition is a great tool to have in your arsenal as it provides you with two different submission setups, but also it’s from a very dominant position. The key to this move would to be keep everything nice and tight, and watch it work wonders.
-Dan Faggella
www.ScienceofSkill.com
Writer, Jiu Jitsu Magazine, OTM