UFC legend reveals blueprint for victory against Khamzat Chimaev: "Shackle your ankles in that Dagestani leg irons"
UFC middleweight boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev is a tough safe to crack. So far in his UFC tenure, no one's been able to solve the multi-layered puzzle of Chimaev's dominant wrestling assault in the octagon
However, one man might have the answer, as he is a wrestling god of his own: former UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion Randy 'The Natural' Couture. Appearing on a podcast with prominent MMA coach Tim Welch, Couture tried deciphering the puzzle of Chimaev's unstoppable grappling.
To 'The Natural' it starts by simulating the Chechen wolf's grappling tendencies, particularly his penchant for taking people's backs, over and over again in the gym. From there, you can start formulating a path of defense.
Appearing on Red Hawk Recap, Couture said:
"You have to put yourself in those situations. Have guys relentlessly pursuing you to put you on the ground. Shackle your ankles in that Dagestani leg irons and tie you up and smother you and force you turn to quarter position. I mean, we've seen that style time and time again. You're gonna have to put yourself in a bunch of those situations in a good 10 or 12-week camp and be ready to have counters and answers and out-wrestle in those circumstances."
Check out Randy Couture's comments below below (40:23):
Randy Couture compares fighting Khamzat Chimaev to fighting Tito Ortiz, names the perfect wrestling styles for MMA
Randy Couture pointed out that many men concede the quarter mount position and give up their backs to Khamzat Chimaev. To figure out how to thwart his takedowns and transitions, one has to have the mindset of not easily conceding a position just because the attacker has almost taken it.
Couture said (40:58):
"So many guys concede and give up that back position. Give those positions up. It's no different [than] preparing to fight a guy like Tito [Ortiz]. 96% of TIto's fights are won by securing that takedown and floating over a guy and landing those elbows and smothering him. It's not rocket science. It's the same thing. Same style."
When asked which style of wrestling is best for MMA, 'The Natural' named two distinct ones, saying:
"Greco and Folkstyle are the two styles that translate directly to MMA. Greco because of the up-right posture, the clinch fighting, the solid barrier, and now I can touch legs. And trip and things that are forbidden in Greco [that] become allowed in the cage. And then the control positions in collegiate wrestling. Putting those legs in. Leg riding. Riding over somebody. Floating over somebody. All those things translate directly to MMA scenarios and situations."