Phil Davis - Collegiate & Folkstyle Wrestling In MMA

[@zedek_]

Good point, I hate how reductionist people are when they talk about wrestling; they merely talk about takedowns, and completely ignore the majority of the art.

[@boywonder4509]

Most people don't realize folkstyle originated from catch wrestling. It was developed as a less brutal version of catch, without the submissions and taught to youth.

[@graciederangementsyndrome3669]

@@boywonder4509 Not true. CACC originally never had submissions until the Japanese introduced them. Submissions were developed within worked matches and not for real fights.

[@boywonder4509]

@@graciederangementsyndrome3669 When did the Japanese introduce submissions into an art that had submission holds (also known as hooks) since it's inception?

[@MrLazenby007]

Gracie Derangement Syndrome please spare us your propaganda you zealot

[@oneguy7202]

@@graciederangementsyndrome3669 catch came from lanichester wrestling that have submission even ancient Greek style of wrestling (παλη) have submission.

[@adaptiveagile]

Phil’s a very intelligent fighter. Great commentary.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate !

[@GambleDub]

Holy shit, I slept on this vid for waaaaay too long. Simply amazing!

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate! Means a lot coming from you as I still reference your Williams Guard & Polish Throw resources.

[@patrickcoyne3211]

As a life long wrestler who started competing in MMA a few years back, ride and punch is my go to.

[@SonnyBrown]

Nice one Patrick! I wish I had started wrestling at a younger age.

[@Bingo-fh2cr]

Happy he helped our wrestling team improve so much! Love Phil Davis ❤️

[@SonnyBrown]

🙏🙏🙏

[@HaiFishing]

Phil Davis is the black Khabib Nurmagomedov. Wish he was still in the UFC, would love to see him try these techniques against Jon Jones.

[@Lamborghini1YT]

Khabib is the white phil

[@sebeng4711]

those takedowns were beeaauuttiiffuull. so smooth.

[@SonnyBrown]

He is top level !

[@kymrobinson7986]

Your videos are highly recommended to the kids I coach. Always quality and informative. You are the rad mate

[@SonnyBrown]

Cheers Kym ! Appreciate ethe support from an Aussie legend!

[@kymrobinson7986]

@@SonnyBrown Ha you are too kind.

[@kallepikku4991]

Great video. Your knowledge of Folkstyle wrestling and it's history is phenomenon. Please make more of these!

[@sixhundred3score6]

As a folkstyle wrestler as a kid, I found great joy in watching this.

[@SonnyBrown]

🙏🙏🙏

[@stressedoutbluebelt5397]

That Iowa Ride is something special.

[@SonnyBrown]

🙏🙏🙏

[@dawidgrzeskow987]

Great brother, will focus on use this grips in may way.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks Dawid !

[@BrendanDormanMMA]

Nice work brother. Conceptually and in execution, you're going hard in the wrestling paint. I dig it.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate! Took a while to put together so glad you enjoyed it! Its always hard to guess what people will like or not so I will just have to keep putting in work :)

[@KaliCarter]

This is a damn good video essay, brother. I appreciate your efforts.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks very much for the compliment Kali !

[@theodorewurz8424]

Catch as Catch Can is the most adaptable for Mixed Martial Arts, basically for the reasons stated in this video. It has all the holds, controls and pins of folkstyle but it is more brutal and includes nasty submissions, often from the same pinning positions of folkstyle. I have trained both, Catch just builds off of folkstyle. Erik Paulson call Catch "Bjj on steroids", but its really folkstyle on steroids.

[@theodorewurz8424]

@ I'll ignore that comment about JKD lol. Too much to get into and it opens a can of worms. Catch is a real system, and just like Bjj every coach will have their own take on it; but it does have principles, a philosophy and fundamentals (which are actually pretty much the folkstyle fundamentals).

[@theodorewurz8424]

@ And the reason you don't see many guy in MMA using it are because 1) not many learn it; 2) because MMA, typically, is being taught a Muay Thai, Freestyle takedowns, Bjj, and Boxing. There hasn't been enough exploration and innovation in the typical MMA program. I think this is slowly changing though. We'll be seeing some successful Catch Wrestling based fighters in MMA soon.

[@theodorewurz8424]

@ Curran Jacobs. There is a ton of work getting off your back in Catch, just like in Folkstyle. Because of the pin, guys don't work there, but they get good at getting off their backs and getting back up. Catch is like folkstyle in that respect. Watch Curran, Victor Henry and my friend Jesse James Kosakowski. They are all using Catch and doing very well in MMA. Curran will be making his pro debut soon, Jesse will be fighting again soon and Victor Henry is ranked number 1 nationally and should be in the UFC soon.

[@theodorewurz8424]

@ The only thing really holding Catch back is that there aren't many people who know it. But when I show it to people, they like it.

[@oneguy7202]

@@theodorewurz8424 real catch is too hard to find

[@ffnovice7]

Super underrated video resource

[@999yuiop]

Great video Sonny. Hopefully you can do a video on how to defend against mat returns and rides and other aspects of folkstyle wrestling, there aren't many videos out there covering it.

[@SonnyBrown]

Yeah I think I will start to cover more defensive moves for a bit.

[@Lamborghini1YT]

Go watch sakuraba

[@kevionrogers2605]

When knee strikes and head butts were allowed on the ground as taught by Hammer House Folkstyle Wrestling was even more effective. Spiral ride with knees to the face was one of my favorite techniques.

[@xyungdethxxnarcotic1583]

I have been wrestling for 7 years and I plan on fighting soon and this is basically my plan lol I’m not the best at takedowns but compared to most fighters I’ve found it easier to take down strikers and bjj guys but my bread in butter in collage was my mat wrestling and grinding guys down from the top until they had nothing left witch made them easy to take them down in the second or third or even overtime

[@form_7wrestlingman810]

Yes been waiting for another one of your vids

[@joaopedrosilva8052]

Another great breakdown. Thank you!

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks João!

[@pheonixxavier6725]

I love wrestling

[@nickyb1499]

Great video, Davis is honestly one of my favorite fighters

[@SonnyBrown]

Thank you!

[@aiyahuntacheimumbi236]

You do such a great job streamlining these videos with great visual examples and by keeping your explanations brief and easy to follow. If you had any interest I think a Jon Jones Greco Roman Wrestling video would end up being pretty popular.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thank you! I spend a lot of time making sure its the way you have seen it.

[@chrisXDfull]

phenomenal

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate !

[@jongrappler287]

inside wrist to 1 arm kimura! Excellent work as always!

[@SonnyBrown]

Cheers Jon!

[@FM-kb3hf]

Nurmagomedov and GSP have freestyle base and they are the folkstyle kryptonite!

[@youseffsoliman5711]

Can you explain why please?

[@FM-kb3hf]

@Luke Brown GSP started wrestling under Russian wrestling coach beside mma

[@YourBestNeighbor7]

Lmao Khabib's MMA wrestling style is actually closer to folkstyle wrestling with all these ground controls

[@bottle_coke]

Very informational! All your videos are great film study

[@Utellglass]

It be nice to see a study of Olympic judoka turn MMA fighter Dan "Dad" Kelly and his combination of judo grip fighting tactics and dirty boxing. Especially all his meta tactics of launching offense from grabbing of the gloves/wraps

[@SonnyBrown]

That could be interesting as he did have some interesting clinch entrys, I would have to go back and take a look. Also I might have the best chance of actually speaking to him about it.

[@gladiumcaeli]

That would be awesome to see

[@sl0ptart]

Could you please do a breakdown of Brian Ebersole? He's still one of my all-time favorite fighters. Unfortunately he got to the UFC late in his career and didn't get to fight much there but there are a few techniques he used that I still don't see anyone else use. Specifically beating up people on the ground with his shoulders. He would also routinely give up a guillotine because no one could ever make it work on him.

[@SonnyBrown]

Yeah actually I could, I have an interview with Brian on my podcast "The Sonny Brown Breakdown" if you want to give it a listen.

[@sl0ptart]

@@SonnyBrown Thank you so much... There's very little info on him on KZbin and the little bit there is focuses on his cartwheel kick which is his least impressive tool in his arsenal in my opinion.

[@ishakaimen1576]

It’s starting to look like wrestling is the best base martial art not bjj.

[@ivantheterribler8346]

Wrestling is definantely important

[@joaopedrosilva8052]

For mma yes, because of the ruleset.

[@ivantheterribler8346]

A hybrid style of wrestling and jiujitsu is the best

[@ishakaimen1576]

Ivantheterrible r yes I was thinking the same thing, but what do you think this martial art should focus more on? Wrestling aspect or bjj aspect? Or 50%-50%?

[@ivantheterribler8346]

@@ishakaimen1576 i like your question, i would say 50/50. Take the takedowns from wrestling, the passing of bjj. The control and submissions of bjj. The ability to fight off your back in bjj and getting back to your feet. The conditioning and strength of wrestling, and the ground n pound of khabib.

[@tayl0165]

Awesome video!

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate!

[@jobilibalawa1008]

great breakdown

[@forcewayne9884]

Great video

[@lucabarbaresco630]

really really nice video, as always parabéns

[@navigatingel6104]

I was here before the shoutout

[@SonnyBrown]

Legend!

[@moondragon130]

Good vid on an underated tactic

[@johndeneen980]

Another superior warrior

[@SonnyBrown]

🙏🙏🙏

[@mikmac1048]

Makes you wonder if Justin used his offensive folk style against khabib outcome would probably be the same tbh

[@SonnyBrown]

Wouldve been interesting! 🙏

[@briantokuyoshi9905]

After watching this video, it looks like the Khamzat Chimaev uses a similar blueprint in the Rhys McKee fight

[@AJKungFuu]

You need to do a breakdown on Mirko Cro Cop and Andeson Silva. Great breakdown as always.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks A.J. Might be tempted to do one of those someday.

[@adamsmith3413]

We Are..Penn State!

[@kamalashraf4846]

Stopped the vid to like it.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

[@prud5930]

8:51 broo he did him dirty there, what's the use in throwing a cross arm that fast

[@RedPec]

You've never wrestled a day in your life

[@prud5930]

@@RedPec ):< Well u don't know my life sir

[@manonjuliette1725]

Folkstyle wrestling is just a goldmine for mma and jbb, people sleep on it

[@samcharles3363]

1:16 I think most people call it a western

[@prud5930]

8:51 LMAO he does the hand movement everyone does when they feel like the cross-arm wasn't legal. Fuckin shakes his finger n everything.

[@luanmantilla3575]

So chops are useful

[@SonnyBrown]

Yep!

[@alanl7911]

Ben askren was doin this as well! This stuffs way better than bjj imo cos its simpler and u dont lose posish (position). I dont like throwing in hooks and doin seatbelt. U lose the top and u cant beat “smesh” ppl. Khabib loves doin wrist rides. I guess if youre confident in your bjj, u could do standard turtle back take and throwin hooks for rnc. But keeping it simple like iowa ride after a takedown, wrist ride, cross-body leg ride even crucifix is cool andl fun cos u can just sit on top with at least one free hand to slapp ur enemy to death! Good video. I learnt a couple of moves. Now to the mats :)

[@SonnyBrown]

Yep, BJJ Scout did a great series on Askren 🙏

[@seetsamolapo5600]

What's the difference between folkstyle and bjj ground control/positioning?

[@SonnyBrown]

The pin makes a big difference.

[@ugurkaraalioglu2813]

👏nice breakdown what is next ,please ufc 100 lesnar-mir full analysis 👍

[@SonnyBrown]

Oooo not a bad idea. Would be a good one.

[@ugurkaraalioglu2813]

@@SonnyBrown I watched the match full yesterday mir lockdown made the attempt but failed both rounds are pretty impressive performance by lesnar but in my opinion the second round ruthless and effective seemed unstoppable.

[@ugurkaraalioglu2813]

@@SonnyBrown I think two people were able to control frank mir on the floor,lesnar ( mostly ufc 100 ) and overeem ( limited time ) .

[@dboyzero]

so, aside from superior athleticism, how do you mitigate this kind of ride and punch style? my first thought is to be more willing to put your back on the mat and try to play guard from there, but even nog couldn't seem to work that game effectively. so what's the answer, just do your damnedest to try and avoid letting him get top position at all costs?

[@ishakaimen1576]

Don’t let them get their grips, hand fight hand fight. It’s like a rear naked choke

[@theodorewurz8424]

Going to guard would be a terrible idea. Learn to wrestle. Nothing counters wrestling better than wrestling.

[@SonnyBrown]

Good question and something I will look to cover in the future.

[@andrewferris1903]

Just watching those guys on bottom struggle made me tired, brutal.

[@SonnyBrown]

Cheers Andrew. Yeah I wouldnt want to trade places with them.

[@dantean]

Excuse me while I go look up what "folkstyle wrestling" means. Possibly I'll return after doing that.

[@SonnyBrown]

Haha I was hoping this video would help !

[@ivantheterribler8346]

He uses some techniques that khabib uses.

[@SonnyBrown]

Yeah some crossover is there for sure.

[@ffnovice7]

Would be cool if you hired a Japanese translator for catch wrestlers under the Gotch lineage

[@SonnyBrown]

I actually looked into this briefly to get some Shinya Aoki and Sakuraba stuff translated but the only ones I could find were very expensive. I am sure it would have been quality work but I couldnt justify the costs.

[@ffnovice7]

@@SonnyBrown i see no worries

[@JrKinabalu]

He should fight khabib. They both had domination grappling style.

[@SonnyBrown]

Crazy! 🙏

[@Rifforecordz]

All of this is beautiful but where does Masvidals knee come into play...?

[@toplobster740]

Sent here by Dan Hardy.

[@SonnyBrown]

Very cool, where did he mention it?

[@tmpace9]

Here comes Ed Ruth

[@dondamaria3524]

Freestyle wrestlers like cejudo and romeeo rarely use their takedowns...is it because they lack ground controll unlike folkstype wrestlers who have great ground cpntroll

[@sulbul64]

sonny u should be doing that new details show not dc

[@SonnyBrown]

haha I wish. I will be watching what DC does though he is awsome.

[@oneguy7202]

Its really unfair that here in Europe we dont have folkstyle wrestling, at least we have Russian wrestle with bears

[@falty2580]

Freestyle and Greco is even more efficient

[@aryanfraz9215]

You are not alone :-(

[@aryanfraz9215]

@@falty2580 nope, folkstyle have the ground controll and greco and freestyle dosent have that so for mma they are not more efficent than folkstyle

[@dimelo2melo961]

Very similar as khabib's style

[@SonnyBrown]

🙏🙏🙏

[@BURGAWMMA]

I've been coaching folkstyle wrestling and running MMA clubs for decades... folkstyle wrestling is a mediocre martial art, it's just over-represented in American MMA because it's the only combat sport available for free in the public school system... if freestyle, Greco-Roman, boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu sambo and Judo were available for free in the nation's Public School System things would look very different

[@SonnyBrown]

Im not sure if its a mediocre martial art, but I think you could make the argument that being free in public schools allows it to attract a much larger participation rate and then has a wider and tougher field to filter out the absolute best athletes.

[@BURGAWMMA]

@@SonnyBrown EXACTALLY and don't forget the radically lower liability aspect that allowed coaches to drive harder and the tough competitive nature of interScholastic competition. Nobody gets kicked out of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu team for showing up late or quitting during a match. You don't even have to show up if you don't want to. It's a completely different world.

[@MrLazenby007]

Great work Sonny Brown! You keep raising the bar. But let’s not introduce the word jiu jitsu except to say that Phil Davis adapts none of its philosophy and utilises classic catch wrestling, luta livre, or sub wrestling moves: hammerlock, double wrist lock, and the gator roll. No hybrid mix on display in any of the footage broken down. I imagine Phil has basic knowledge of jiu jitsu tactics and how to nullify them and even apply some of them where absolutely necessary but a jiu jitsu guy he is most certainly not.

[@SonnyBrown]

Thanks mate, I only included the reference to BJJ as I know he had a blue belt and Loyd Irvin used to corner him.

[@graciederangementsyndrome3669]

@MrLazenby007 Even if BJJ is not relevant to Phil's approach and fighting style, it's a stretch to credit CACC and Luta Livre since Phil Davis never trained in either one.

[@MrLazenby007]

Gracie Derangement Syndrome I guess he never trained at alliance San Diego under then head grappling coach Neil melanson who professes to be a catch guy?

[@oneguy7202]

@@MrLazenby007 bin already include teachniques from catch and all, no gi is luta livre esportiva with other name

[@TheVitin7711]

Overrated all he does is hug

[@SonnyBrown]

Well that's one way of looking at it 😕