Wrestling on the Cage

Against the cage, a takedown that would fail in open space becomes viable because the defender has nowhere to circle. The attacker's job is to remove the defender's hips from the wall while keeping their shoulders on it; the defender's job is the reverse — get the hips off the fence and the head above the attacker's. Both sides fight for underhooks, but the underhook only matters if your hips can turn. Hand fighting on the fence is patient, and stalling there costs you the round.

Key points

• As the attacker, close a body lock low on the hips rather than high around the ribs where the opponent can posture up.
• Use the cage as a backstop: pinning the shoulders lets you free one hand to attack a leg without losing control.
• As the defender, win an underhook and a wrist, then walk your hips along the fence rather than pushing straight out.
• Frame on the hip with your forearm to create the inch of space a knee needs to slide between you and the fence.
• Change levels against the fence with the same posture rules as open space; a bent back on the cage is a back take waiting.

Common mistakes

• Turning your back to escape the fence, which converts a bad position into the worst one available in mixed martial arts.
• Holding a high body lock around the chest, which lets the opponent posture up and walk their hips free along the wall.
• Resting with both hands gripping and no attack, which reads as stalling and lets the defender recover their base entirely.

Put it into practice