The Ultimate Revamp

What a Fall we’re having… The Ultimate Fighter’s ratings are at an all-time low, Dana White just said that we will “absolutely” see women in the UFC eventually, and everybody’s in a furor because  Chael P. Sonnen will not only be getting a TUF coaching slot opposite Jon Jones, but also a Light Heavyweight Title shot. Yes, everybody’s talking about something, but lets look past that.  Look past the attempt at hot-shotting The Ultimate Fighter’s ratings, look beyond what many see as a mismatch on the level of Bonnar Vs. Silva, and look to the 18th edition of The Ultimate Fighter.  There is a way to try to rebuild the franchise, and we’re going to take a look at it after the jump.

Battle Planning: Calf Stomps

As always, there was a little discussion about a technique after an MMA event this past weekend. No, it wasn’t about Travis Browne’s hamstring-tearing kick, it was Shayna Baszler’s use of stomps to the back of the leg of her opponent, Sarah D’alelio at Invicta FC 3. As always, if it creates discussion, I want to take a look at it, so here we go.

WMMA’s most metal fighter, “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler

“The Queen of Spades” was showing off some interesting attacks in this fight anyways, such as her attempted kimura from the back in the first round when D’alelio was attempting to throw her off her back, as well as what looked like attempts at setting up an inverted guillotine (AKA Dragon Sleeper for you pro wrestling fans). However, near the end of the first round, in an attempt to make “The Monster” open up on the ground and allow the insertion of a second hook, Baszler positioned her foot and began to stomp down on the calf and ankle area of D’alelio. It’s not something anybody I know has really seen before. In fact, I sought out the medical opinion of Dr. Jon over at FightMedicine.net in regards to this, and was actually a little surprised. In his opinion, Dr. Jon states that, “Its unlikely a stomp to the back of the leg will cause any serious damage, but it can lead to hematoma formation and significant pain. It would take a significant force to cause a fracture in the tibia (shin bone). The Achilles tendon would unlikely rupture. However, a stomp to the foot, on the other hand (ala Marco Ruas) could lead to a fracture of the small bones of the foot.” Basically, what he’s saying is that what Baszler did to D’alelio was safer than what many MMA fighters who utilize Wall’n’Stall techniques do to each other with foot stomps.

Due to the fact that there are still many fighters, trainers, and fans who write off women’s MMA, this technique may not catch on to the extent of the Jackson’s MMA oblique kicks. It is, however, a useful technique that can be used from back control if you are only able to get one hook in. If the opponent leaves their calf open, know that you have options. Just don’t forget to give credit where credit is due.

I’d like to thank Dr. Jon of FightMedicine.net for his valuable insight and contribution to today’s blog. Don’t forget to “Like” his page on Facebook! I would also like to urge you to follow Shayna Baszler as well, just because she’s pretty metal (\m/). As always, I love your comments and contributions so please feel free to leave comments here, by e-mail, or on Twitter at @stormlandbrand!