Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) includes the usage of a vast array of striking and grappling-based martial arts manoeuvres. A wide variety of strikes including punches, kicks, knees and elbows are utilised by MMA fighters during stand-up as well as on the mat.
These four basic strikes have further sub-divisions. For instance, punches are sub-divided into jabs, straights, hooks and uppercuts with further sub-varieties and nuances. Push-kicks, roundhouse-kicks and many other sub-varieties of kicks, as well as a vast array of knee strikes, are utilised in MMA.
Furthermore, MMA fighters have had tremendous use for elbow-strikes, not only in recent times but since the early cage-fighting days of Royce Gracie and David ‘Tank’ Abbott. MMA involves the usage of a vast arsenal of elbow strikes on the feet as well as on the ground.
The elbow being an excellent weapon to cut, as well as knock an opponent out, has a special place in our beloved sport. A few such nasty elbow-attacks have made our list:
#5 Jon Jones’ elbows from guard
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (22-1) is a former longtime UFC Light Heavyweight (LHW/205-pound) Champion and former Interim UFC LHW champion. He holds the distinction of being the youngest Champion in UFC history.
However, he has been embroiled in several controversies as of late, including testing positive for illegal-PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) before his July 9th LHW title-bout against Daniel Cormier. His MMA base is wrestling and he is well-known for his unorthodox striking techniques.
Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera (15-7-1) is a World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Grand-Prix HW winner and the current ONE Championship HW champion. Vera’s MMA base is Greco-Roman wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and Muay Thai.
Jones faced Vera in March of 2010 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones, a fight in which Jones dominated Vera on the feet as well as in the exchanges on the mat. Jones used his wrestling to secure top position on Vera and landed 2 picture-perfect elbows from Vera’s full-guard.
The elbows made Vera’s eyes roll back after which Jones followed up with a few ground-and-pound punches that forced the referee to stop the fight and award Jones the technical knockout victory in the very first round. It was later revealed that Jones’ elbows broke Vera’s face in three places.
Now mind you Vera is no slouch on the ground, and considering that, knocking ‘The Truth’ out from his full-guard was a huge accomplishment for the-then 22 year old future UFC champion. Jones’ brutal ground-and-pound elbows have landed him in the fifth spot on our list.
#4 Chris Weidman’s standing-elbow
‘The All-American’ Chris Weidman (13-2) is a former UFC Middleweight (MW/185 pound) champion and an NCAA-Div 1 All-American wrestler. Weidman’s MMA base is wrestling and BJJ. His work under the tutelage of Matt Serra and Ray Longo has paid dividends by helping him improve his striking, turning him into a well-rounded MMA fighter.
‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ Mark Munoz (14-6) is an NCAA-Div 1 All-American wrestler as well, with an MMA base of wrestling, BJJ and boxing.
Weidman faced Munoz in July of 2011 at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs Weidman. Weidman dominated Munoz in the grappling exchanges and also succeeded in keeping his stocky opponent at the end of his strikes on the feet.
Weidman outclassed Munoz throughout the first round and started off round 2 by feeding Munoz a constant dosage of feints. Munoz lost patience and rushed his way into range, in response to which Weidman timed Munoz with a beautiful standing elbow.
Munoz was out on his feet and Weidman landed a few unnecessary ground-and-pound shots, leaving Munoz in a pool of his own blood. Now it’s essential to note that Weidman’s strike wasn’t a Sok Ti (slashing elbow) although it had a slight downward (45-degree) angle. It was, in fact, a Sok Tad (horizontal elbow) that is thrown with the intention of stunning or knocking out your opponent.
The Sok Tad is thrown by swinging the elbow at a 90-degree angle to the armpit whilst planting one’s feet. However, in Weidman’s case his Sok Tad managed to not only knock Munoz out cold but also deliver a huge cut across his face. ‘The All-American’s’ excellent timing and powerful display of Muay Thai has landed him on number 4 on our list.
#3 Anderson Silva’s reverse elbow walk-off KO
Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva (33-8-1) is a former longtime UFC MW champion with a record 10 title-defenses to his name. Silva started training BJJ at a young age and dabbled in Taekwondo and Capoeira after which he eventually learned Muay Thai.
His MMA base is Muay Thai and despite having bad takedown defence, he more than makes up for it with his excellent BJJ. Tony ‘The Freak’ Fryklund (14-9-1) is an MMA veteran of notable organisations such as the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Cage Rage among others.
He trained in boxing, kickboxing and karate as a child and has an MMA base of submission grappling.
Silva defended his Cage Rage MW strap against Fryklund in April of 2006. Silva dominated the fight comfortably out-striking Fryklund with punches at range and knees in the clinch, however, ‘Spider’ failed to land anything clean on ‘The Freak’.
Then seemingly out of nowhere, Silva landed a rare reverse-elbow to Fryklund’s head and casually walked away. Fryklund collapsed to the mat and the referee called off the fight. Fryklund was so dazed by that single elbow he tried to wrestle with the referee.
It’s essential to note that the dynamics of Silva’s reverse-elbow are similar to that of the Sok Sab (chopping elbow) with the main difference being that instead of travelling at a downward angle, Silva’s strike travelled upward.
Silva is undoubtedly one of the best Muay Thai stylists to compete in MMA. If any fighter were to pull-off a picture-perfect reverse-elbow in an MMA fight, it would be ‘The Spider’.
#2 Dan Henderson’s one-legged reverse elbow
Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (32-15) is a former Strikeforce LHW champion, UFC 17 MW tournament winner, former Pride Middleweight (205 pounds in Pride FC) and former Pride Welterweight (183 pounds in Pride FC) champion.
Hendo is also a former Pride Welterweight Grand Prix winner. He is a former Olympic wrestler with an MMA base of Freestyle as well as Greco-Roman wrestling. Hendo is also well-known for his lethal right-hand punches, referred to as by MMA pundits and fans alike as the ‘H-bomb’.
Hector ‘Showeather’ Lombard (34-6-1-2) is the first ever Bellator MW champion and a former Olympic judoka. He is known for his explosiveness, KO power and ability to finish fights with strikes in an instant. His MMA base is Judo and kickboxing.
Hendo faced Lombard in what was advertised as Hendo’s farewell fight win-or-lose at UFC 199 in June of 2016. Entering his 43rd pro-MMA bout against Henderson, Lombard boasted the accomplishment of never having been knocked out cold in his long career.
Apart from a late-TKO stoppage loss to Neil Magny, Lombard had never been knocked out inside the cage.
Henderson and Lombard traded heavy leather from the opening bell of the bout, dropping each other multiple times. Henderson came close to finishing Lombard in the first round, after which Lombard rallied and knocked Hendo down multiple times in the same round.
Round 2 began and both fighters came out wary of each other’s power. Hendo found his range first, firing off a right head-kick to the southpaw Lombard. Lombard ate the kick and held on to Hendo’s leg in response to which he fired off a rare one-legged reverse-elbow.
He caught Lombard on the temple knocking him out instantly, and followed up with two forearm strikes to Lombard’s face on the mat. The arena in Inglewood, California erupted and Hendo climbed the cage to acknowledge his hometown fans.
From a technical standpoint, Hendo’s reverse elbow is similar to the one Silva landed on Fryklund, with the only difference being that Hendo managed to pull it off on one leg! The Sok Sab (chopping elbow) even if it’s landed in an upward or a horizontal trajectory is a devastating blow that helps a fighter to stun or knock out his opponent.
Upon re-examination, one can observe that Silva’s elbow had a slightly higher upward trajectory than Hendo’s elbow on Lombard. Nevertheless, both strikes were just as vicious. Hendo’s rare one-legged reverse-elbow lands him in the 2nd spot on our list.
#1 Gary Goodridge’s elbows from the crucifix
Gary ‘Big Daddy’ Goodridge (23-23-1 MMA; 12-24-2 kickboxing) is a former Canadian Super Heavyweight Amateur boxing champion and a kickboxing and MMA veteran of notable organisations such as the UFC, Pride FC, K-1 and many others.
Goodridge is a former professional arm-wrestling contender with an MMA base of boxing and kickboxing. Paul Herrera (1-1) is an All-American wrestler and two-time judoka with an MMA base of submission grappling.
Goodridge faced Herrera at UFC 8 in February of 1996. Herrera immediately shot for a takedown on Goodridge who outweighed him by more than 60 pounds (this was considered the dark ages of cage-fighting and the UFC, where the promotion functioned on their no weight class gimmick).
Needless to say, Goodridge sprawled on the smaller wrestler and wrapped both of his legs around Herrera’s right arm. Goodridge trapped Herrera in a crucifix position and proceeded to ding the side of Herrera’s head with two brutal elbows.
The first elbow stunned Herrera and the second knocked him out cold. Goodridge landed about seven more elbows to Herrera’s head from the crucifix position after which in-fight referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy mercifully rescued Herrera.
Now, this wasn’t as flashy as Silva’s reverse-elbow or as technical as Weidman’s horizontal-elbow, however, Goodridge’s elbows from the crucifix position served as a sign of things to come in the UFC as well as the sport of MMA.
Goodridge never reached the levels of the Anderson Silvas and the Fedor Emelianenkos of MMA, but his 13 second knockout of Paul Herrera is to date regarded as one of the most iconic moments in the sport of MMA.
The crucifix position is now widely used in MMA bouts around the world, not only to secure a dominant position for ground-and-pound but also to work for a wide variety of submission manoeuvres. Goodridge’s finish of Herrera still stands as one of the nastiest KOs in the sport of MMA.
From Jon Jones’ precise ground-and-pound elbows from hell to Chris Weidman’s Sok Tad (horizontal elbow) timing, MMA is filled with examples of beautiful usage of elbow-strikes.
Now mind you, these elbow-strikes include not only traditional Muay Thai elbow manoeuvres but also unorthodox elbow-strikes that our highly adaptable MMA athletes pull-off on the fly. Traditional or unconventional, the aim of these strikes is effectiveness, and by God are they effective!
Keeping up with our combat tradition, I’d like you, the reader to chime in with your favourite elbow-strike finishes in the comments. Till then keep your Muay Thai sharp and your MMA game sharper- elbows galore!
