At last night’s UFC 271 event, Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision. The champions received three rounds in favor of two judges, while one judge saw Adesanya as the superior fighter throughout four rounds. While it’s difficult to argue that Izzy didn’t deserve to win, it’s also hard to say that he didn’t earn his victory.
The UFC’s president, Dana White, was one of the first to contradict Adesanya’s comments. “I believe he was superior in the three rounds,” White said. “Adesanya rated his performance a seven out of ten, but I think it could have been much better.” He nevertheless won and got off very lightly, or almost no significant damage at all.
Adesanya now faces new challenges, and Jared Cannonier is virtually certain to take his place. According to Izzy, he was looking forward to “new meat” because he had previously won the other four top five fights (Vettori, Whittaker). The impression is that after Cannonier and perhaps Strickland, there are no more relevant challengers; Adesanya may soon literally sweep the category. Many believe one unranked fighter poses the greatest danger in the class.
Of course, the discussion is about Khamzat Chimaev. Chechen with a Swedish passport is currently ranked 11th in the welterweight category, and he has previously fought in the middleweight division (2-0). Despite having made two appearances at middleweight (2-0), Khamzat is not presently ranked among the top 15. It appears that Khamzat was unimpressed by Adesanya’s performance today, as his “tweet” reflects this.
”Stylebender is easy money for me. His wrestling is 0. “I will kill him in the first round,” Chimaev wrote, adding “emoji” which is definitely one of his favorites.
@stylebender easy money for me, 0 wrestling. 1 round I’m gonna kill him🤪
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 13, 2022
At the press conference following UFC 271, one of the journalists read Izzy a “tweet,” but Adesanya gave no indication. The champion simply said, “Okay,” and moved on to new inquiries. Chimaev is still a long way from challenging for the middleweight title, and Adesanya isn’t likely to pay much attention to him. However, if Chimaev maintains his current level of success, other high-level middleweights will soon be forced to pay attention to him as well.
This one is a really really rewarding one after doing Jiu-Jitsu. I had no idea how much my IT bands actually work when rolling. As a matter of fact, I never knew what IT bands were, before giving the Limber 11 a try.
The second exercise of the routine is almost set up directly after the first one. For this, you need to place your adductors, which are the muscles on the inside of your thigh on the roller. The easiest way to do it is to lie on the ground and lift one leg up and at an angle. Place the roller underneath it, just below the hips. 10-15 reps on each leg are plenty.
The glutes also get a real battering in Jiu-Jitsu. It is not just the constant pushing and lifting motions, it is also the angles. BJJ requires all three of our glute muscles to work a lot, which means you need an effective recovery method. Since all three muscles here lie one underneath the other, you need to go deep for a real release.
The Iron Cross is a really simple exercise that really helps you loosen up your glutes even further. This time though, you’ll focus on a more rotational pattern allowing your muscles a different kind of a stretch. Executing the exercise is fairly easy. You start off on your back, arms wide apart and legs firmly together. Then, bend your legs at the knees, keeping them at no more than a 90-degree angle. From there, move your legs to the side until you touch the floor with the side of your leg. Proceed back to the middle and repeat the movement to the other side. This is 1 repetition. You need to do the usual 10-15 for maximal effectiveness.
There’s really not much need to explain why this exercise is arguably the best of the bunch for BJJ recovery. It involves you rolling backward over your spine, all the way to an inverted position with your toes touching the floor above your head. From there get back up, but don’t just settle for laying down. Instead, sit right up and spread your legs as wide apart as you can. Reach forward with your arms, as much as comfort allows you to. Then go back for a second rep until you do 10-15 of these.
This is the simplest exercise of the bunch and the most painful one at the same time. We all know how important the hips are in Jiu-Jitsu, and why BJJ recovery methods need to include them a lot. Limber 11 delivers by beginning to focus on the hips with the rocking frog stretch. It is a dynamic stretch that’ll make your hips feel immense pain before they feel a complete release.
The funniest looking exercise of the routine, with an enormous return. Despite looking like a dog when doing this, you’ll end up reaping unbelievable mobility and BJJ recovery benefits. Simply go on all fours and then lift one leg to the side. Start making circles forward, taking each circle wider than the previous one. Repeat it in the other direction and then move on to the second leg. 10 reps forward and back on each leg and you’re done.
I think there’s not much explanation needed here. You’ve probably done mountain climbers as part of your conditioning or even BJJ warm-up routine. The only thing here is that you’re not going to jump while doing them. And you’re going to take them further than regular ones. Form a pushup position, get one leg forward, and step as far ahead as possible. Push in with your hip, then return to a pushup position and repeat on the other leg. 10 on each side is what DeFranco demands.
Another PT classic. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and bend the knee to one side. Keep a rigid posture throughout (having your arms stretched in front helps). Keep the leg on the opposite side as straight as possible and go as deep as you can. From there simply transition to the same position on the other side and repeat for 10 per side.
As the routine progresses, the exercises get simpler and simpler. DeFranco took into account that you’re tired, plus the additional effort of going through the routine itself. The seated piriformis stretch requires a chair. Sitting as you normally would, lift one leg and place the ankle over the opposite side knee. Hold your foot and push on the knee of the crossed leg. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds before you switch sides.
The final exercise in this BJJ recovery routine is a simple hip flexor stretch. Still, there’s a really key twist to it. You’re going to place your rear leg on the same chair you used for the previous exercise. If you can, you can also use a wall. the goal is to have your knee on the ground and your heel touching your butt. Place the other leg in front of you, knee bent at 90 degrees. Lift up the arm on the side of the rear leg and hold it straight above your head. Push in with the hips, hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat.