Clinch Clinic With The Spider
October 14th 2006 Las Vegas, Nevada. The Las Vegas strip is bustling and inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center is about to make history. The event taking place this evening is The Ultimate Fighting Championship #64.
During this time the UFC’s Viewership has grown greatly in part because of the Ultimate Fighter reality series. One of the fighters who has become infamous from the show was Chris Leben. Chris had built a strong following with his odd colored hair and his impressive 5 fight win streak he was on and aggressive throwing bombs style.
Until he met Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Silva dispatched the previously unbeaten Leben. Not in just any fashion, with the most technical Muay Thai that Mixed Martial Arts has ever seen. Silva knocked the durable Leben out cold.
Now on a cool night in the desert of Nevada, The Spider stands across from Rich “Ace” Franklin. Franklin was looking to defend his title for a third time, and most of the world thought he would do it. Rich had beaten Evan Tanner to win the title, Defeated challengers Nate Quarry and David Louiseau.
The fight started off even, each fighter winning exchanges while standing.
This was until two minutes and thirty three seconds into the first round. It was at this moment in time, the world would come to learn how powerful Muay Thai is. At this moment Anderson locked Franklins head in a Thai Plum.
The Thai Plum or Thai clinch as it is commonly referred to, is when the hands wrap around your opponent’s head. Often torwards the crown. One hand clasped over the other. Forearms on your opponent’s chest using them for leverage to pull the head down. Or to lead the head to either side.
Rich Franklin over the next minute and a half took a beating. Knees crashing into the body and head relentlessly. Franklin tried to muscle out at one point but The Spider kept the pressure on. In less than one minute and thirty seconds Anderson scored with 26 brutal shots. None of which Rich could evade or get away from.
Rich Franklin in an interview stated, he stood next to Anderson and felt he was the bigger stronger man. He also stated he felt like he could “Overpower him in the Clinch”.
If you go back to that fight and look, Franklin was the more muscular man. They weighed in the same but Silva was a little taller and had only a half inch reach advantage.
So how was it that Anderson Silva could hold the bigger man in place and land crushing shots?
It is all physics, but it is simplified by the adage “Where the head goes, The body follows”.
Anderson broke Franklins posture in effect killing Franklins ability to fire shots back with any power. Then Anderson off balanced the stronger man, in the moment it took for Franklin to recover another knee found its way to its target.
This entire time the Thai Clinch is forcing the opponent to carry the attacker’s weight. Wearing the opponent down, frustrating them, forcing mistakes in their exhaustion and pain.
Anderson Silva is a not just good with the Thai Clinch, He truly is a master with it. He has a few different tricks with the Thai Clinch that make him effective, and they are simpler than you might think.
Check out how The Spider uses the Thai Clinch to move an opponent around in a unconventional way!
This method is truly genius! Instead of trying to fight for inside control, he pushes sideways on the temple, and bracing on the other side.
Want more from Anderson? Click Learn More!
This takes his partners head off center line and loads up one leg with the majority of their weight. Causing them to be unbalanced.
He also creates a position where knees up go up the side and land either on the partners arms or into the head.
Anderson Silva has taken the time to map out his Clinch system, as well as his elusive fighting style in a four part instructional.
He lays out the grips, angles, types of controls to use in a clinch. How to strike while in a clinch. Then explains how to use his elusive striking style that lead him to 16 consecutive title defenses. Making him the record holder for longest time a middleweight has held a title.
There is an entire section used to explain the fundamentals of striking, and how and when to use counters to the most common attacks.
Most importantly there is a section on pad work. This is what will help any fighter get timing and power down!
Check it out here!
