Zhang's Small Adaptation Over Suarez (Patreon)

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Women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang defended her title against undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez in dominant fashion. Suarez was actually the betting favorite going into the match because of her outstanding wrestling abilities. Former champion Rose Namajunas has shown you can hold Zhang down and beat her by decision. That was, however, back in 2021.

In the first round, Suarez took Zhang down quickly, and it looked like it might be an easy night for Suarez.

When Suarez grabbed Zhang's body, Zhang grabbed Suarez by the head, which only helped Suarez take her down. Even if you're the top female MMA fighter in the world, when you feel rushed, you might revert to instinct. Just grab something, anything.

When Zhang regained her composure, she changed her movement behavior. When Suarez initiated a body lock, she wrapped up Suarez's arm (overhook/whizzer) instead of her head. Zhang also placed her own head as an obstacle in the path of Suarez. That movement change was the critical scaffold Zhang needed to take over the fight with a more diverse MMA game and better conditioning.

When you want to create empty space between yourself and your opponent, you need to push them away. What if they keep following you? Then, you can push them while backing away, creating separation in both directions. What if they insist on collapsing that empty space? You need to place obstacles to stop them. Zhang used her head not only to push but also to stop Suarez from coming forward. Grabbing the head pulls your opponent into you. By wrapping their arm, you've placed a wedge between them and yourself. Extending your arm drives that wedge between yourself and your opponent, expanding empty space. Small movement adjustments like these make huge differences in outcome.

– Sam