UFC 197 Judo Chop – Mighty Muay Thai: Demetrious Johnson’s Clinch

When Demetrious Johnson stepped into the cage at UFC 197, he did so as one of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport of MMA. Preceding a tepid (if dominant) performance by Jon Jones, the only other man in that discussion, he may have cemented himself as the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet.

Johnson and Jones share a number of similarities. Both are out-fighters of a type, who prefer to fight either at long range, or in close. All the way in, or all the way out. And as potent as both are in open space, it is clinch where they excel. Both even prefer similar positions and grips in that phase. Rather than looking for double underhooks and chaining takedown attempts, these two athletes keep their options open, fighting for wrist control, securing the inside position, and strafing the opponent with strikes while he struggles to keep up.

Demetrious Johnson’s clinch has more of a Muay Thai flavor to it, however. Where Jones likes to smash his opponent against the fence, pinning him with head control while he fishes for wrists, Johnson spins around his adversary with his trademark speed, using momentum and leverage to create the openings that strength alone cannot. Such was definitely the case against Henry Cejudo who, despite a lack of elite experience, most expected to test the champion in some of his preferred ranges. Cejudo himself admitted his own belief in this after the fight, saying, “I really did believe I was going to dominate in the clinch.”

Those who watched the fight know that this belief didn’t carry him very far.

It took Johnson three clinch exchanges to figure Cejudo out, after which he plied the aggression and methodical pressure that has become his calling card in recent fights. From his entries, to his creation of openings, to his devastating shot placement, “Mighty Mouse” picked Cejudo apart piece by piece, turning in one of his most impressive and dominant performances to date.

Here’s how it started.

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1. Circling the perimeter of the cage, Johnson looks for an opening.

2. Breaking rhythm, he lunges in with a lead right . . .

3. . . . dipping down to avoid Cejudo’s counter, and initiating the clinch.

4. Johnson pops up into an arm-triangle position, but Cejudo spins and frees his arm.

5. Johnson spins with him, pulling Cejudo to the right and driving up with his left underhook to expose Cejudo’s liver.

6. Johnson promptly capitalizes on the opening with a well-placed knee.

Johnson’s game is full of subtle tricks like this. Even when he has an underhook, he is unlikely to immediately look for a takedown. Instead, he uses that underhook to lever the arm of Henry Cejudo away from his body, exposing his ribs for the knee that ultimately leads to the finish. Johnson enhances his control with momentum. Cejudo actually spins first to escape the standing arm-triangle which Johnson threatens upon entering the clinch, but Johnson quickly adapts and uses that spin to his advantage, swinging Cejudo around and off-balancing him even as he …

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