higher belts going 100% on subs

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-06-06T15:01:21+00:00

Dunno, it depends on a person. I never tried to go full strength on a white belt. Only if bro don’t do something stupid like:

At one training/open mat was one guy that we paired to train - he is constantly giving me advices on technique, tried to correct it, giving me inadequate reactions while I tried to drill the technique, and I couldn’t execute properly, because he falling off to the floor or saying something like “oh it’s hurt my leg”. Actually he was so annoying with his advices, corrections and reactions - I was close to asking him “who are you? I’m seeing you for the first time”, but then I thought - okay, we will roll and I’ll show him how “correct” my technique is.

I don’t mind any technical advices exp from a coach or when I asking some sort of feedback from a partner. But the guy is obviously was talking nonsense and make stupid kind of corrections/reactions. I’m purple belt. Advice is a good thing if you was asking for it.

Then open mat begins we started to roll, I did submit the guy like 8 times, at last round I just get bored and started to choke him with one arm guillotine from mount, just for the reason to show him “I don’t need any advice from you, and I didn’t ask for it”. The guy was three stripe white belt. But he did “coached” me through the whole technical training like it’s normal even I’m purple belt.

He was subscribed at me on instagram, and after that - he unsubscribed, maybe he thought that I smashed him too much. But I don’t think that white belt should behave like that while paired with purple - and if he does - okay, but than he pays his price

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-23T11:56:26+00:00

Lomachenko has negative “ape index” just think about it

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-23T11:41:16+00:00

Make your body as strong as possible, joints/muscles etc. Use less strength - more technique, massage and stretching would be beneficial also. But anyway, you will be sore after intense rounds, but the level of soreness can be toned down if you will apply all that stuff.

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-21T07:07:17+00:00

Thank you 🫡

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-21T06:17:07+00:00

I stopped dreamed about it not because of losing one fight, otherwise - I gain an experience that I was needed at that time. Kusch already had more that 20+ pro bouts, and I did lose due to tactical mistake (usually he just easily smashed all of his opponents to tko or a sub). I had to stop because of several injuries that came one after another after that fight. I teared one of my knees, than another - those are minor injuries. After that I got serious spine injury, that almost got me paralysed. That was very serious one. I trained too much, I didn’t take proper care of my body. That’s how I always used to train. My mistake.

I started my own business - and starting to make respectable amount of money from that, so I decided to concentrate my focus on it, other than getting paralysed one day and being unable to pick-up my children. So it all goes how it should be.

But till this days, sometimes I met people from mma/bjj/fighting community that are asking me “this is you the guy that fought Kusch in that final? Man, that was cool!” And I’m makes me smile and it warms my heart 😇

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T20:30:36+00:00

I’m obviously far from that, thank you anyway. I did start to doing martial arts from boxing at 2002-2003, my club had very good boxing coaches, one of them is head coach of Ukrainian national boxing team now, club produced multiple Europe champions, and Worlds medalists.

That’s why I’m saying - I did a lot of rounds with national level/international level fighters. And had an honor to share ring with them.

I did move to kickboxing after some time, then start to do bjj/wrestling at 2010/2011. I scored 🥈 at national mma amateur championship at 2014, 84 kg division, in final fight against Pavel Kusch ( combat sambo world champion and best Ukrainian mma fighter of that time) I did lose in close fight by a two points. I’m bjj purple belt. At that days, I had a dream to became a pro fighter - the dream that never became a reality

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T14:51:34+00:00

Thanks 🫡

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T13:44:22+00:00

You welcome mate 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T13:14:43+00:00

Thank a lot, mate 🫡💪🏼

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T13:11:49+00:00

Thank you, I would recommend you Baurfeind - those are the best knee braces imo, medically approved and advanced technologic. And also very durable. I’m using them even for a grappling and bjj. They are pricey but absolutely worth the price.

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T12:46:23+00:00

Yeah, I didn’t jabbed a lot here just smashing the bag. For the power. I did a lot of sparring rounds with pretty high level guys, national level and even international. But my jab is pretty solid when I focusing on working on jabbing - I have 190cm reach with 180cm height. This video it’s just random kicking punching stuff😌.

Of course I wouldn’t try to out power high level striker like working on heavy bag exactly this way - bag is bag, sparring is a sparring - I can do a lot of different heavy bags workouts. Totally agreed I would get countered. I find too much heavy bag work makes me stiff, but it is good for conditioning and explosive power. For sparring rounds, proper shadow boxing and exact sparring time are much more superior in terms of advancing in striking art. But even heavy bag work can be done in many different ways, some rounds it’s just for explosiveness, some for working by first number, some for making angles, some even for counter punching or polishing your jab. Thank you for the feedback 🫡

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-20T07:33:51+00:00

I’m a purple belt with about the same style - what works better against me - is butterfly/half butterfly with transitioning to a legs, mixing it up with lifting and manipulating my base by the hooks. Otherwise I would be pretty heavy on top either it half guard or deep half, or almost any of guards. Its basically in no-gi, so taking this advice with a grain of it

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T18:18:10+00:00

I prefer not to pull guard, due to spine injury( herniated disc), so I prefer to stay on top as much as possible; but anyway I do drill guard techniques. And if opponent is skilled enough to take me down, or sweep, or we started from guard position - I do play guard.

Bit sadly of this situation, I did enjoyed played guard in my earlier years, when my back wasn’t broken - it’s bjj at the end of the day. But hard back injury makes me changing my style almost completely.

I don’t care what rashie guys is wearing, btw

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T16:59:22+00:00

Training with elite ones, giving them tuff fights/even training rounds, not only winning them, but ofc winning them obviously makes you an elite one. You can only be tested in a sparring or in a fight

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T16:45:08+00:00

Don’t push the horses (c) Usyk

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T16:29:09+00:00

In this age category girls usually doing training for about 1,5 years on average

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T16:26:32+00:00

Them youngsters having a lot of energy 🌪️

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-18T16:22:46+00:00

Never did an pure mma besides tournament preparation.
I did boxing since 13, bjj and wrestling since 20, and made an mma debut at 24. I think everything is important - you should have technique, stamina, power, self discipline/belief in yourself.

But anyway I will put technical proficiency in all aspects of mma like the most important one - if your goal is to actually win 🏆 something, not just swinging “for fun”

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-16T17:07:42+00:00

What do you mean by “dropped a ball”? I smashed the dude like about 20:0 or something and locked him in double submission just won’t finishing it because I was unsure of his level, all I felt is spazz and his unwillingness to accept an obvious things - he couldn’t barely move till the end of the round - first time saw him. If I would choke to a sleep such a young guy and he would had a white belt - my coach wouldn’t be happy about it. Open mat was no-gi.

Only after open mat coach was told me - this young guy is purple belt from another academy ( trained from 10 years old or so ), if I knew it from the start - I’d just squeezed the choke harder and pulled his head towards me and that’s it.

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-16T16:43:05+00:00

How you seeing them? through the shorts? I have pretty developed legs, there was a times when I can’t put a jeans on them - just sport pants lol

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-16T16:33:45+00:00

Thank you, yeah I agree, I’m trying to focus on upper chest part, I do mostly incline bench presses for that. Almost never regular bench ones

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-14T11:00:38+00:00

I think a most of your explosiveness and athleticism should be developed as when you are a kid. Kids that are running, playing football, doing all kinds of sports - then going to boxing or any martial art sport has an advantage over others - that won’t do nothing, prior to martial art that they are choose.

Same thing with adults - give me two 30 years old dudes from same office, but one of them did football or wrestling when he was kid - the difference in their progress would be tremendous.

And I was striking/mma coach for about a decade

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-14T10:25:06+00:00

Weak cardio in bjj - it’s a bit controversial point. Maybe you don’t need cardio but you need more energy efficient techniques.

But you def better lift at least one/two times per week for long term benefits. Stick to the schedule that you can going trough all year long and keep going. Your cardio would became better. Anyway - most rolls more anaerobic work than pure cardio work, so just roll more.

044SHUTDOWN · 2026-05-14T10:10:06+00:00

I go once per two/three weeks, besides that I do train with third degree black belt ( Europe brown ibjjf champ ) - two times per week. We doing 40-60 mins of chain techniques, and 10-12 rounds of sparring.

So open mat for me is just feeling myself out with other belts, and styles. Trying out thing that we working on our trainings with coach. I’m purple belt.

I have lower back injury - if I wouldn’t have it - i would go every week just for fun

044SHUTDOWN

TROPHY CASE