Dominick Cruz Knee Tap Takedown

<img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/750973/urijahfaberguillotinechokesdominickcruzwec26.gif">
Please disregard the great submission finish by Faber lol

I don't recall any other fighter in MMA using this in fact watching Cruz fight is the only instance in which I've seen this technique and I watch a fair amount of mma/wrestling/judo/bjj/sambo.

Well I did manage to find some footage of this technique being drilled on youtube and the technique itself uses the act of kuzushi (off-balancing)to a T. Is there a reason wrestlers and MMA fighters/grapplers don't use this as often as your standard double/single legs?

Doesn't seem like that hard of a throw to execute.

It's a relatively high % trip, but you're less likely to control your opponent after the knee tap TD than with a single or double (as evidenced by Faber rolling out from just about all of them). Most likely because you're just blocking the knee, rather than controlling the leg(s).

It's a relatively high % trip, but you're less likely to control your opponent after the knee tap TD than with a single or double (as evidenced by Faber rolling out from just about all of them). Most likely because you're just blocking the knee, rather than controlling the leg(s).


Hmmm good point. However since Dominick is only a BJJ blue belt I'm gonna assume at this point he's more worried about securing the takedown rather than play the BJJ game with Faber, a highly touted practitioner who has a submission win over him.

It's a knee pick and it certainly isn't the first time it's been in MMA, not by a long shot. The reason Cruz wasn't successful with it wasn't because you're less likely to control your opponent, but because your opponent's head has to be lower than yours and PAST his knee. Cruz didn't or couldn't do either.

Pretty sure Njokuani hit a knee tap the other night against Andre Winner.

Certainly not the easiest trip ever(you have to be good at controlling the tie and off-balancing), but when done right it's a thing of beauty. I also like the over-under version I've seen in shuai chiao and sanshou.

 I've wrestled since I was 5 years old. That knee tap is very hard to hit in mma. I think the reason he is so good at it, is the angles he comes in at with his strikeing are very simular to the angle you take with that knee tap. Plus he is very long and that makes it alot easier to hit on shorter people.

 

GriffinQ - <img alt="" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/750973/urijahfaberguillotinechokesdominickcruzwec26.gif" /> 


Thanks. I'm having a hard time trying to embed pics on this forum. They should make it clickable like they do on Sherdog.