As the master striker Bas Rutten would say; Kick to the liver!
With a stunning left kick to the lower chest that stopped Jordan Mein, Thiago Alves announced his return to the UFC welterweight division at UFC 183. While enduring a savage beating that included several slick elbow strike combos, Alves popped forward with a straight punch and followed up with the fatal kick that made a statement. And he is not alone; the body strike has become a trademark for many high level strikers returning to the UFC.
If you’ve never felt the wincing pain of a well-placed strike to the bodily organs; it feels like atoms being smashed together in an atomic bomb. Ask C.B Dollaway how he felt after Lyoto Machida brutally cracked his ribs at the last UFC Fight Night in Brazil — I’m sure he’s still in rough shape nearly three weeks later. That’s probably why Vitor refuses to fight “The Dragon” at UFC 184 for a possible interim belt.
We’ve known for some time the impact that a well-timed leg kick can have on a fight. It limits your opponent’s movements and increases the strain on leg muscles needed for explosive torque. Only recently have we re-discovered in MMA the effectiveness of reducing stamina with body strikes, especially in the form of a kick. The force generated from a front leg switch kick or a stepping back leg roundhouse kick to the liver or kidneys is always more fatal than the vaunted hook to the upper rib cage. Not only is a kick usually guard breaking, the shin bone always penetrates deeper into the cavities of your body than your hand. Plus your leg is harder to break.
Any fighter who watched Alves or Machida stop their fights with a body kick and hasn’t added it to their tool chest is old news in the stand-up aspect of MMA. Add it to your arsenal today or shoot lidocaine into your sides tomorrow ladies and gentleman.
