Why Leg Locks don’t work in MMA
If you ever get the chance to go to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition then you will see lots of leg lock submissions. At the lower belts, these are usually straight ankle locks but more advanced practitioners will also use toeholds, kneebars, and heel hooks. In short, leg locks as a percentage make up a large number of BJJ submissions, and these days are pretty common.
However, if you look at MMA – they’re still pretty rare. Sure, they do happen and you may get the odd specialist but as a general rule, it’s really not that common. There are several reasons for this and we shall explain below why leg locks don’t really work in MMA compared to other combat sports.
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Strikes make leg locks very risky
In grappling sports, if you attempt a leg lock and fail you end up in a bad position. This may mean getting your guard passed or simply end up in a bottom position. Ultimately, this isn’t ideal but isn’t the end of the world. Even if a risky leg lock attempt loses you a position, you can still win the match. Even if it loses you the match, you won’t get physically hurt because of it.
Now, in MMA the consequences are far harsher. Basically, if you lose the position due to attempting a leg lock then you can literally get knocked out. Imagine stepping into a leg lock from a top position, only to end up on the bottom. Here, you’ve gone from a good MMA position to an awful one. Because of the threat of head strikes in particular, leg locks have a different perspective in MMA.
You may go from happily attempting them with a 50% chance of success, to only trying them when this percentage is closer to 100%. In other words, when you bring punches into the equation, leg locks suddenly lose a lot of their appeal. Overall, this is probably the main reason why we don’t see them in MMA – whereas the rules in submission grappling typically don’t allow strikes which makes them way less risky.
Leg locks use a different hierarchy compared to other submissions
An unusual quirk about leg locks is that unlike most submissions that target the arms and neck, they target the lower body. This means that when attempting leg locks, you’re an easier target. Whilst all submission attempts can land you in a bad position if they fail, the difference is that leg locks can also be dangerous whilst setting them up and entering the position.
For instance, if you can’t finish a rear naked choke then the chances are that getting to the position is still fairly safe. This may mean you took the back during a scramble or most usually from a mount position. More specifically, this means you were probably in a dominant position to begin with which didn’t pose much risk in terms of strikes.
However, leg locks work very differently and usually have riskier entries. Even leg lock pioneer Mazakasu Imanari sometimes got caught when doing this. In one fight, he attempted his famous Imanari roll at one point, only to be knocked out by a kick to the face mid-roll. At this point, he was on the floor which is obviously a dangerous position to be in during a fight.
To summarize, leg locks are often far riskier to set up than other submissions and don’t require as much positional control. In some ways, this can be beneficial as it allows leg lockers to quickly enter a position. In other ways, it can be risky as your opponent can defend the entry easier which in some cases means kicking you in the head.
Some fighters may refuse to tap
Imagine you’re in a BJJ competition and you get caught in a toe hold. You’re more likely to tap when it’s close to popping or breaking your ligaments as this injury could linger for months. This is especially the case if you’re a hobbyist which 90% of practitioners are. Now, imagine you’re a professional MMA fighter who fights roughly twice per year. The perspective of leg locks changes once again.
In this scenario, you’re less likely to tap and try to fight out of it. Even if your ankle does break, you may even carry on. This is especially the case if you’re running on adrenaline, or the fight is coming to an end and you feel the risk and reward ratio is worth it.
There’s another aspect of this mentality too. In grappling, some people tap too early out of fear. Of course, this is a sensible decision and is advised as pushing the limits can be very dangerous. However, MMA fighters are notoriously tough and may push the limits of tapping an extra few seconds. In a fight, this may be the difference between winning and losing. This is especially appropriate when thinking about the straight ankle lock and calf slicers which typically have more give compared to heel hooks.
Lastly, there’s also the issue of finances and a career. If you tap in a BJJ match then it’s not a big deal and it will be forgotten about within a week. However, if you do so in an MMA match then it could ruin your career or end your contract. Obviously, when finances are on the line people will be more willing to take risks and have more heart than usual.
MMA leg locks are still fairly primitive
Undoubtedly, there have been some skilled leg lockers in MMA. The likes of Rousimir Palhares and Ryan Hall instantly spring to mind. This pair won several UFC fights by using heel hooks on fighters such as BJ Penn and others. However, they were both fairly uncommon compared to the overall talent pool of MMA.
Often, many MMA fighters will barely learn leg locks from an offensive standpoint. Whilst it’s worth putting the time in to defend these attacks, they won’t spend much time on offense based on the points raised earlier. So, if a fighter does try a foot lock in MMA then it may lack real control or precision, compared to a true leg lock specialist. This means that they may throw a leg lock out of desperation or bad strategy rather than having a reliable system.
For instance, BJJ practitioners such as Gordon Ryan and Eddie Cummings both devoted a huge chunk of their time specializing in leg locks. This paid dividends and is very effective in BJJ. Still, you have to remember that there’s only so much training an MMA fighter can do in a day. It’s more common to practice boxing or wrestling which is arguably more effective in MMA. In brief, there are no point in learning techniques that you’re unlikely to encounter – so investing time into leg locks could be spent elsewhere.
MMA gloves make leg locks harder
As a general rule, MMA gloves make most submissions harder. Sometimes the difference between finishing a rear naked choke and failing it is because a fighter holds the inside of the gloves. Whether gripping certain parts of MMA gloves is legal or not, it certainly changes the dynamic of fighting. Before, you may have been able to fully clench your fist whilst using your bare hands. Now, this may not be possible due to the thickness of the gloves.
Put simply, MMA gloves surprisingly change how submissions and fighting in general are fought. For the most part, fighting is still fighting – but for some moves such as leg locks, it can advantage those trying to defend. So, this is a fairly small but relevant reason why leg locks are even harder in MMA.
MMA rules help strikers over grapplers
How many times have we seen an MMA fighter trapped in a submission only to get saved by the bell at the end of the round? This is fairly common and certainly goes in favor of those that don’t grapple. In some fights, a wrestler could take lots of heavy shots trying to down their opponent, only for the round to end when they eventually get a dominant position. This is also the same when it comes to submissions.
Basically, the nature of MMA favors strikers – as knockouts are generally what fans want to see. In some extreme cases, you may even get referees that stop fights during a submission attempt due to ignorance of the position and a favoritism of standing compared to grappling on the floor. The cliché ‘stand them up’ is sometimes even shouted by ignorant members of the crowd.
In this sense, leg locks are no different from other submissions and can take too long to set up. You could potentially spend two minutes of a round trying to attack a leg lock against someone with good defense. During this round, they could have landed a few more strikes than you, putting them up on the judge’s score cards. Thus, investing in submissions isn’t always the wisest strategy when thinking about short rounds that don’t advantage significant amounts of time being sunk into grappling.
Summary
Leg locks aren’t new in MMA. In the early UFC events, Ken Shamrock specialized in them and would tap out his opponents by knee bars and toe holds. Still, MMA has moved on since these days and most fighters are now more clued up on defending their legs.
Even as the general skill level of attacking leg locks has evolved over time though, one thing that has remained consistent is how risky they are. Even the best leg lockers in the business can still get caught out which is possibly why they aren’t so popular. Coupled with MMA rules favoring striking, people refusing to tap and most people avoiding them in the first place, it’s not too surprising that leg locks remain pretty rare in MMA.
If you’d like to improve your chances of leg lock success then check out this DVD by expert leg locker, Craig Jones.
