High Stakes on the Mat: RAF Makes History with Moscow Debut

 Real American Freestyle (RAF) is reshaping combat sports. By combining high-stakes, fast-paced freestyle wrestling with the drama of main-event super-matches, RAF has given world-class wrestlers and crossover MMA stars a high-paying, unscripted global platform.

RAF expanded its international footprint with its debut event in Russia—RAF Moscow: Chimaev vs. Woodley.  

What Made the Moscow Event Unmissable?

1. High-Octane Crossover Main Event

The headliner brought high-octane spectacle. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev locked up with former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley in a catchweight wrestling super-match. Chimaev lived up to the home-crowd hype, securing a lightning-fast pinfall victory just 1:34 into the opening round.  

2. World-Class Freestyle Bouts

Beyond the crossover star power, the card delivered elite freestyle wrestling. American Olympic legend Kyle Snyder successfully defended his RAF Light Heavyweight title against Olympic gold medalist Akhmed Tazhudinov. Meanwhile, multi-time World Champion Kyle Dake held down the Cruiserweight division in a high-paced rematch against Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau.  

3. Cross-Border Collaboration

Co-organized alongside the International Boxing Association (IBA), the event highlights RAF’s push to build a global circuit spanning the US, Europe, Central Asia, and beyond. Despite navigating complex international sports geopolitics, RAF delivered a packed arena and high-payoff matches.  

Why RAF is Changing the Game

Direct Compensation for Elite Athletes: Pure freestyle wrestling has historically lacked consistent financial payouts outside Olympic cycles. RAF gives world champions, NCAA legends, and elite combat sports athletes regular payday opportunities.

Bridging MMA and Pure Wrestling: By allowing current and former UFC champions to test their roots on the mat, RAF attracts both traditional wrestling purists and casual combat sports fans.

RAF's Moscow debut proves the league's global ambitions are moving fast. Whether you're tuning in for elite Olympic-level scrambles or high-profile star matchups, freestyle wrestling's newest era has arrived.

Amateur Wrestling and BJJ: An Exploration of Their Relationship and the Power of Cross-Training

 Amateur wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) are two combat sports that, on the surface, might seem quite different. However, delve deeper, and you'll find they share many techniques, strategies, and philosophies. This article will explore the relationship between these two disciplines, the benefits of cross-training, and the unique elements each sport offers.

1. A Shared Foundation

At their core, both amateur wrestling and BJJ revolve around controlling and subduing an opponent using leverage, technique, and body positioning. Both sports emphasize the importance of groundwork, with BJJ focusing more on submissions and wrestling on pins and positional control.

2. Techniques Common to Both

• Takedowns: Both sports rely heavily on taking the opponent to the ground. Techniques like the double-leg takedown, single leg takedown, and the ankle pick are prevalent in both.

  
  

• Guard Passing: The concept of bypassing an opponent's legs to gain a dominant position is similar in both sports. In wrestling, it's crucial for securing a pin, while in BJJ, it's essential for advancing position and seeking submissions.

  
  

• Base and Balance: A strong base prevents opponents from sweeping or taking you down, making it a foundational concept in both wrestling and BJJ.

3. What Works in Wrestling, But Not Necessarily in BJJ

• Exposing the Back: In wrestling, rolling to your belly can prevent a pin. In BJJ, this can lead to an opponent taking your back, one of the worst positions to be in.

• Headlocks: While effective in wrestling to control an opponent, a headlock in BJJ without proper control can lead to the opponent taking your back or applying submissions.

4. Benefits of Cross-Training for Street Defense

• Versatility: Combining wrestling's powerful takedowns with BJJ's submission arsenal creates a well-rounded self-defense repertoire.

  
  

• Adaptability: Different situations might call for different techniques. Being proficient in both wrestling and BJJ ensures you're prepared for a wider variety of confrontations.

5. Benefits of Cross-Training for BJJ Competition

• Enhanced Takedown Game: BJJ practitioners often have limited takedown training compared to wrestlers. Cross-training can vastly improve this aspect of one's game.

• Improved Top Control: Wrestlers are experts in maintaining top position, a skill that can prove invaluable in BJJ competitions.

• Conditioning: Wrestling has a different pace and intensity, which can boost a BJJ player's conditioning.

6. Cross-Training Considerations

• Rule Differences: Remember that certain moves, like slamming or certain leg locks, allowed in one sport might be prohibited in another. Always train with safety in mind and respect the rules of the discipline you're practicing.

• Gear: Wrestling typically requires shoes and headgear, while BJJ is often practiced in a gi (or no-gi attire like rashguards and shorts). Ensure you have the appropriate gear for each training session.

In conclusion, while amateur wrestling and BJJ are distinct sports with their own unique techniques and strategies, they complement each other beautifully. Cross-training in both can elevate your game, whether your goal is self-defense, competition, or simply broadening your martial arts horizons. Embrace the journey of learning, and you'll find that the mat has endless lessons to offer.

Martial Arts Gyms to Visit in London

London, the vibrant capital of England, is not only a hub for culture, history, and business but also a hotspot for martial arts enthusiasts. From traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to striking arts like boxing and Muay Thai, London offers a plethora of options for those keen to train, compete, or just get into shape. Let's delve into some of the top martial arts gyms to visit in London.

1. Roger Gracie Academy (RGA)

When it comes to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracie name reigns supreme. The Roger Gracie Academy in London is run by the 10-time World Champion, Roger Gracie, himself. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned practitioner, this gym provides a top-notch BJJ experience, emphasizing the fundamentals and core principles of the art.

2. Fight Zone London

Located in the heart of the city, Fight Zone London is a multi-disciplinary gym offering classes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, and more. With a team of dedicated instructors and a welcoming environment, this is a must-visit for anyone looking to immerse themselves in martial arts.

3. The Budokwai

Established in 1918, The Budokwai is Europe's oldest Judo club. But don't let its age fool you; the gym is as contemporary as any. Apart from Judo, they also offer training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and Aikido. Its rich history combined with modern training techniques makes it a unique training destination.

4. London Fight Factory

For MMA enthusiasts, London Fight Factory is a haven. This gym offers comprehensive training, covering disciplines like BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, and more. Whether you're training for professional bouts or just looking to get fit, their expert instructors will guide you every step of the way.

5. Carson Gracie London

Outstanding gym for serious BJJ players West London. If you like tough gyms with great competitors this is the gym to visit. Since it is located close to RGA, visit both!

6. Boxing and Muay Thai Gyms

London boasts a rich boxing heritage, and there are numerous boxing gyms scattered throughout the city, catering to both professionals and amateurs. Similarly, for those interested in the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai gyms offer rigorous training sessions.

London has a rich boxing heritage and several notable boxing gyms. One of the most renowned boxing gyms in London is:

Repton Boxing Club: Established in 1884, Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green is one of the oldest and most prestigious boxing gyms in the UK. It has produced numerous champions over the years and remains a cornerstone of London's boxing scene.

While Repton Boxing Club holds significant historical value and has been instrumental in the careers of many successful boxers, London is home to numerous other boxing gyms. If you're considering training, it's worth visiting a few to find one that aligns best with your needs and goals.

A Note on Wrestling: It's worth noting that while London is a hub for many martial arts, wrestling isn't as readily available as in other parts of the world, especially the United States. However, some MMA gyms do offer wrestling classes as part of their curriculum, so it's always worth checking beforehand.

In Conclusion

London's martial arts scene is diverse and dynamic. Regardless of your discipline or level of experience, the city offers something for everyone. Whether you're looking to hone your techniques, compete, or just have a good workout, London's array of gyms will not disappoint. Remember, the best gym for you depends on your personal goals, so it's always a good idea to visit a few and see which one resonates best with you. Happy training!

The Ultimate Triad: UFC Fighters with Exceptional BJJ, Wrestling, and Judo Skills

 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) demands a well-rounded skill set that includes proficiency in various martial arts disciplines. Among these, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), wrestling, and judo are three fundamental styles that have consistently proven to be effective in the octagon. Some UFC fighters have showcased exceptional mastery of this triad, blending their BJJ, wrestling, and judo skills to become formidable competitors. In this article, we'll explore some of the UFC fighters who have excelled in this combination and the reasons behind their success.

1. Demian Maia: A BJJ Virtuoso with Wrestling Acumen

Demian Maia, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former ADCC champion, epitomizes the art of combining BJJ and wrestling skills in MMA. Maia's world-class grappling allows him to control and submit opponents from any position. He seamlessly transitions between takedowns and submissions, making him a threat both on his feet and on the ground.

The key to Maia's success lies in his wrestling ability, which enables him to dictate where the fight takes place. His solid wrestling foundation allows him to take opponents down, putting them in the realm of his BJJ expertise. Maia's exceptional combination of BJJ and wrestling skills has earned him numerous submission victories and made him a perennial contender in the welterweight division.

2. Ronda Rousey: Judo Champion with BJJ Adaptability

Before making her mark in the UFC, Ronda Rousey was a decorated judoka, winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. Her judo skills translated seamlessly into MMA, allowing her to execute explosive throws and takedowns with precision.

Rousey's proficiency in BJJ also played a significant role in her success. Her grappling skills, particularly her armbars, became her signature move, earning her several impressive submission victories in her undefeated MMA career.

Rousey's ability to blend her judo prowess with BJJ adaptability made her an unstoppable force in the women's bantamweight division for a time, dominating her opponents with her well-rounded grappling arsenal.

3. Khabib Nurmagomedov: Wrestling Supremacy and BJJ Ground Control

Khabib Nurmagomedov's fighting style is a perfect amalgamation of high-level wrestling and dominant BJJ ground control. A master of Sambo, a Russian martial art with roots in judo and wrestling, Khabib's grappling skills are unparalleled.

His elite wrestling allows him to take down and control opponents effortlessly. Once on the ground, Khabib's BJJ skills shine as he employs relentless pressure, suffocating his foes with top control and ground-and-pound.

Khabib's ability to neutralize the most skilled strikers and grapplers in the lightweight division is a testament to the power of combining wrestling and BJJ at the highest level of MMA.

Conclusion: The Synergy of BJJ, Wrestling, and Judo

The UFC fighters mentioned above exemplify the synergistic power of combining BJJ, wrestling, and judo skills. By integrating these martial arts, they have achieved incredible success in the octagon, dominating opponents with a diverse and versatile arsenal.

BJJ provides control and submissions on the ground, wrestling grants the ability to dictate the fight's location, and judo allows for explosive takedowns and throws. When these skills are honed to perfection and blended harmoniously, they create a potent formula that propels fighters to the top of the MMA hierarchy.

As MMA continues to evolve, we can expect future UFC fighters to draw inspiration from these pioneers and further refine the triad of BJJ, wrestling, and judo, leading to even more exciting and dynamic matchups in the octagon.

Wrestling Game for Grapplers & BJJ

After more than ten years training brazilian jiu jitsu, I definitely feel that in order to achieve the next level of confidence and excellence in technique, one needs to gain a good understanding of wrestling.

When I talk about wrestling, I am talking about freestyle wrestling or amateur wrestling as I believe it is called in the US.

In my view, judo and sambo are also very effective for take-downs, but freestyle wrestling gives a more universal system for taking the opponent down and also controlling the opponent on the ground.

If you are interested in competition in BJJ, the other issue is conditioning. Wrestling is very good for improvement of endurance, cardio conditioning and explosiveness. Most of the gyms I see do very little to prepare you for a real competition environment. Flow rolling, light warm-ups and short rounds are just some of the examples of this kind of behaviour that makes bjj more attractive for the regular guy but at the detriment of improving actual ability to compete at a higher level.

The other thing I would say is that BJJ players are just too happy to go on their back. This is not necessarily bad if you are outstanding guard player but there is a cost to developing this bad habit. As soon as I off-balance a BJJ passer, instead of trying to stay up right and maintaining balance they fall on their back giving up the 2 points for the sweep. A wrestler would avoid this and even use this scramble as an opportunity to counter-attack.

Lastly unlike judo for example, wrestling has some great technique of controlling an opponent from the knees. How often do you pass and the guy tries to grab your leg and sweep you from practically any guard and especially half guard? Very often. A wrestler has additional tools in his arsenal for this eventuality that I think are worth learning even if you don't want to improve your conditioning or compete.

Something to think about. After all after a long time if you feel your growth in BJJ is stalling, you need to change it up. Go do some wrestling and then try to utilize it more in BJJ. Change your game, get into uncomfortable positions. That will for sure make you a better version of yourself.

Aikido Effectiveness vs Sport Oriented Martial Arts Such as BJJ, Wrestling or Boxing

Guys I thought I would write this post, perhaps some will dislike it and we have to respectful to other martial arts but there comes a point when you simply just have to open people's eyes to the truth out there.

Just watched Joe Rogan's interview of Andrew Hill and having wasted almost two years of my life on aikido and several years on other traditional martial arts before that, it made me want to write this article to try to perhaps guide some young guys that wanted to learn a martial art that will work in real life and help them not only get in shape but also to help give them the skills to protect themselves or their family.

Check out the link here:

I know it is sometimes painful to admit that all those wrist locks and movements you were studying are not going to work but lets be serious catching someones hand will they are swinging at you is nearly impossible against a trained striker.

Aikido does teach some basic break falling which is useful but the lack of sparring or effective techniques just makes it an art whereby two people on the mat cooperate with each other. Yes some of these wrist locks will work on almost anybody if he lets you do them, but lets be honest, if you get a trained wrestler or judo fighter, he will dump you on your head and there is nothing in the aikido that will help you.

I know there are lots of haters out there that will tell you that all those techniques are very dangerous and while doing the takedown, the aikido guys can strike you with a deadly punch. In reality I think its worth while if you do plan to dedicate your life or a significant amount of time to aikido, why not actually take a free grappling lesson or brazilian jiu jitsu class and compare, ask questions and make the decision FOR YOUR SELF what works and what doesn't. I think the big problem is the influence on other people of a one sided story that your aikido instructor gives you.

What is obvious right from the start is that aikido does not prepare you for neither striking nor grappling. You just can't step out of the way of a guy that will relentlessly try to grab your legs and take you to the ground where you will likely have not idea what do to.

All I want to advise you guys training aikido is that I was one of you and I wish I tried some other martial arts earlier. If you don't want to strike, just try some wrestling, grappling or BJJ. It will change your world. I think BJJ personally is the better option for older guys.

The scariest thing about aikido is that it creates a false sense of ability (or invincibility). You go on the street thinking this stuff is going to work but the reality is that if your opponent has any real physical ability or real martial arts skill, the fight will likely end in a very nasty KO or submission for you. If you don't believe me or anybody else THATS Fine!! Just turn up to your closest JUDO/Wrestling/BJJ academy and just have a friendly roll with the instructor there, or even just some of the students :))

BJJ Game

Brazilian jiu jitsu is my passion. I think what makes BJJ so great however is the rule set, the submission rather then position focus.

Having said that, I think one thing that many BJJ fighters ignore is the takedowns that Judo and Wrestling give. The takedowns give your game an edge but also teach you how to improve you game and the transitions. This is why Ronaldo Jacare Souza is such an amazing success.

Jacare is not only an amazingly talented jiu jitsu fighter, he is also incredibly well rounded as a martial artist. He comes from a Judo background but also has great wrestling takedowns and now with his striking reaching a new level, he is going to topple anyone on the middleweight Strikeforce arena.

It is therefore a shame for me to see that so few clubs even in the US where BJJ is so much more developed are offering wrestling or judo. I imagine it is tricky to find instructors that can teach both martial arts but you also have to remember that the greatest artists around are very technical in their Judo and many possess great wrestling.

My dream academy would certainly offer all three of these martial arts. All three fit naturally together and should be nurtured from day one. More time needs to be dedicated to master them, but then thats life.

Buvaisar Saytiev Amazing Move Plus Wrestling in General

When it comes to wrestling, I have great respect for the sport. Below is the video from one of the modern greats.

Saytiev is truly one of the greatest in the sport today and for him to pull off such amazing moves is just extraordinary. The guy started winning big in 1995 and is still at the top of his game.

Having never done freestyle wrestling myself I have to respect the sport having trained with some wrestlers in no-gi grappling at my academy. There takedown defense I particularly respect as well as their top control. These guys are very quick and well-conditioned and it just shows how great this sport is in producing powerful and agile athletes.

Sadly, while MMA has experienced a tremendous boost in growth and other sports like Judo and Sambo have benefitted from popularity and support from the authorities, others have been declining.

Taking a look at wrestling, I found this particularly to be the case. I was looking at the number of clubs available for adults in two major capitals of the world, London and Moscow and frankly I was amazed. Basically there is probably one or two clubs total per each of these cities where an adult can go and train wrestling which is aweful. I don't know what those federations are doing but certainly they are doing very little if anything at all to boost the number of clubs offering GrecoRoman and Freestyle wrestling.

There is a lot of discussion in fact to whether you can do wrestling from the adult age having never done it before. Some say you can't but I think this is a problem with the motivation schemes that some of the trainers especially in Russia have. The trainers do not want to take you unless they can make a champion out of you in five or ten years time. Of course if you are 25 or even 20, they can't and in this case they can't make any money or get any title themselves as a world-class trainer.

A similar thing goes on in Judo but thankfully there are so many Judo enthusiasts out there teaching the sport, it is growing immensely without any need to focus on elite athletes or money.

Frankly BJJ has an edge here. It is not troubled with all this necessary insurance or affiliation. Just look at Judo. If you have great skills and you are from abroad and just want to come over and compete at some local tournament, there is a whole lot of paperwork you have to deal with. Why do you have to be a member of the British Judo Association? If a guy breaks his neck, his BJA membership will not help him that is for sure.

BJJ is free from this, at least for now. The only crazy thing in this regard I have seen is that in the UK for the BJJ AbuDhabi Pro Trials you have to have an EU member passport which is absurd. So if you are Russian, Ukranian, Belarussian - you can't compete at all. Ridiculous.