r/judo • u/Vivid_Cover_2806 • Jun 13 '25
Judo x MMA Most important Judo takedown for MMA
Hi guys,
Even though MMA doesn’t use the gi, I think Judo takedowns can still be incredibly effective — especially in the clinch or against the cage.
I wanted to get your thoughts:
Which 5 (no gi) Judo takedowns do you think work best in MMA?
My personal picks are:
- Osoto Gari – Major outer reap, great off an overhook or body lock.
- Harai Goshi – Sweeping hip throw, works well from tight clinches.
- Kouchi Gari – Low-risk inner trip, great for disrupting balance.
- Uchi Mata – Powerful inner thigh throw, especially from a whizzer.
- O Goshi – Classic hip throw that works well in over-under situations.
Would love to hear what throws you’ve seen work well in no-gi settings, or what you use personally in training or fights!
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u/JarJarBot-1 bjj Jun 13 '25
I would say ura nage. It gets used all the time since the current meta is to risk back exposure to stand up off the ground.
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u/Uchimatty Jun 13 '25
Judging from frequency in the UFC: o soto, harai, ko soto (usually gake), ouchi, uchimata in that order. Most throws work, but you typically only see ex-judokas hitting throws besides those 5.
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 13 '25
I think Sasae needs to be here somewhere. I see that a fair bit.
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u/Vivid_Cover_2806 Jun 13 '25
what are the most successful judo throws in ufc? unfortunately, there are no actual statistics about successfull takedown in ufc in genereal right?
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u/zombosis Jun 13 '25
They just say judo throw because no one knows judo
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u/Blyndblitz Jun 13 '25
Yep, first time i saw a caster name a judo throw was laura sanko teaching michael bisping the name of osoto gari lol
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 13 '25
Whizzer kick. All whizzer kick.
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u/Judontsay ikkyu Jun 14 '25
I always wanted to see where these wizards were sitting that the fighters had on their side.
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u/Fancy_Librarian4514 Jun 13 '25
Koshi Garuma
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 13 '25
This shit sucks, at least when women in MMA do it without getting it right. It’s asking to get your back taken.
I think the only fighter I see do it well with regularity was Cub Swanson. He actually whips with violence.
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u/PhoenixFllies777 Jun 14 '25
Headlock throws are extremely common, especially in Women's MMA (where I think it's probably the NO1 throw used), but they're more headlock Harais than pure Koshi Guruma
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u/TyBo75 Jun 13 '25
I use kouchi as a setup in every roll. Rarely a full take down but use it to create imbalance
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u/ObjectiveFix1346 gokyu Jun 14 '25
Pushing someone against the cage and tripping them would be the most important takedown. There's a cage in MMA, and people end up wrestling against the cage in almost every fight (if it lasts more than a few seconds). The kind of trip doesn't matter.
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u/BackflipsAway Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
Honestly I feel like hip throws are underutilised in MMA in general, there are plenty of chances for them but for some reason people don't use them nearly as often as they could, but I'm still a noob so I could be missing something
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u/BJJJosh shodan - BJJ Black Jun 13 '25
For me personally, I've found they have to be timed really well. You're often showing your back to someone when you go for some type of hip throw and they can drop levels and body lock you or go for your legs.
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u/Mcsquiizzy Jun 13 '25
Really easy to make a judoka over roll to grt on top or sink and take their back youre correct to an extent though
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 13 '25
I’m not convinced O-goshi is all that good. If you can do that, you can just blast a Harai Goshi instead.
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u/IM1GHTBEWR0NG Jun 13 '25
Harai, Osoto, Kosoto, Sasae, and Uchi Mata are the big 5 that come to mind for me. Ouchi and Kouchi work very well, too.
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u/ganztief Jun 13 '25
Easily kosoto gake and ouchi gari. Since there are far more BJJ practitioners in mma than judo, just look at what the BJJ guys use. It’s always those two takedowns
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 13 '25
Tai otoshi seems to be sitting there to had especially after half assed uchi attempts that always get thrown in mma fights, dont always work but can give the tai otoshi a lot of the time.
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 13 '25
I think it’s technically not possible. You need the gi for the grips.
When you see Tai Otoshi in MMA, it’s usually more of a ‘Mach Otoshi’ which is more of a hip throw than hand throw.
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 13 '25
Wrist and overhook same throw almost and its a simple balance shift when the outside plants they just fall no hip involved
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 14 '25
Ehh... maybe? I feel like wrist control just doesn't work as good as getting some whole-ass elbow, tricep or even an overhook there.
For what its worth, the 'Mach Otoshi' I mentioned has come up before and it basically looks like Tai Otoshi except too close. Hector Lombard did some on Jake Shields, and Ronda Rousey had a few if I recall right.
Honestly I might be splitting hairs though- it basically looks like Tai Otoshi.
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 14 '25
So if one has an overhook on the leg kick side of the uchi ..how would you be able to over hook the other switch your hips and step over for tai otoshi? And yes no gi you still can have tricep control but dude is always gonna be across and it makes a lot more sense to have wrist control
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 14 '25
To me that’s just why it doesn’t work as well- you are too close and it’s better to go for something like Harai Goshi instead.
Wrist control just seems too slippery to me compared to overhook.
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 14 '25
No you are totally off base thinking about double overhooks. Uchi to tai is a really easy combo and a minor adjustemnt makes easy no gi.
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 14 '25
Oh no, I don't mean double overs. I mean one overhook, and the tsurite would be an underhook.
I can't help but think Uchi Mata into Harai or Ashi Guruma would be better.
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 14 '25
The damn point is chaining uchi to tai if you dont like it fine. Also you cant do it over-unders and there is a 100 other things I do from over under any way.
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u/slapdaddy88 Jun 14 '25
https://youtu.be/nYscmk0oCQQ?si=0H-AJjXLT6qvZ2aq Right is an overhook instead of lapel Left side is wrist instead of sleeve Im not sure what you're on about
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 14 '25
Sleeve grip and wrist control are not equal. Wrist control can be broken quite easily compared to pulling them close.
That being said, maybe I am wrong because I have found a few videos of potential Tai Otoshi in no-gi anyway.
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u/blandyetsalty Jun 13 '25
If a good tai otoshi user joins MMA it’s possible. From the clench, assuming your right hand is on the back of his neck, you push the forearm into the left of their ribcage and up the armpit as you’re turning to enter for the throw. For the arm that has their arm, you really need use it to lead your opponent.
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 14 '25
That, or they fit into the Harai/Osoto mould like other judoka have done.
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u/PhoenixFllies777 Jun 14 '25
Tai Otoshi should absolutely not be possible nogi, I agree with you 100%. However, although niche, some fighters have used it effectively. Ronda Rousey most famously hit a super clean one on Miesha, and Chepe Mariscal, Hiromitsu Miura and Satoshi Ishii routinely hit several during their matches.
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u/NemoNoones ikkyu Jun 13 '25
I did a lot of Judo throws when I was doing MMA. I was the only Judoka among wrestlers. Very successful with it. Shooting Morote Gari on wrestlers wasn’t preferable all the time. But koshi waza, some te waza, and ashi waza worked fine.
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u/Vivid_Cover_2806 Jun 13 '25
what judo takedowns worked best? what did you usually go for
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u/NemoNoones ikkyu Jun 13 '25
My mains were: seoi when clinched. Uchi mata/Harai when over/under. O goshi. Sticker. And kouchi/ouchi into kuchiki or kibisu. Te guruma when my posture was broken.
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u/NemoNoones ikkyu Jun 13 '25
My mains were: seoi when clinched. Uchi mata/Harai when over/under. O goshi. Sticker. And kouchi/ouchi into kuchiki or kibisu. Te guruma when my posture was broken.
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u/Dayum_Skippy nikyu Jun 13 '25
Frequency my vote goes to ko Soto or o uchi against the fence. Amplitude or intensity I’d say Harai. Rhonda has a KO with it I’d say fair to say.
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Jun 14 '25
I mean standing sumi gaeshi throw? Low risk ending in a butterfly or into octopus guard off a half guard ? I mean if your good can go into z guard lock down the near side under hook and wrist control to avoid strikes . . But talking from a pure BJJ practitioner pov just understanding that judo and it’s shared positions and it’s own throws and sweeps we use in BJJ not really knowledgeable like a pure judoka player which they have crazy top control ! Which is a different goal from submitting them right? Your trying to get into a ground and pound position?
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u/zealous_sophophile Jun 14 '25
Aside from what you said........ Ura Nage like the wrestlers, Okuri Ashi Barai/DeAshi Barai like the Muai Thai guys, o uchi gari into uchi mata.
Another idea is any throw that's makkikomi onto their ribs.
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u/PhoenixFllies777 Jun 14 '25
The most commonly used ones in MMA by far are (in judo terms) Kosoto Gake, Harai Goshi (usually with a headlock grip), Ouchi Gari and Uchi Mata. The more MMA you watch, the more throws you will see used (I've seen anything from Tai Otoshi to Sumi Gaeshi to Drop Seoi to Tani Otoshi etc etc), but these are a cut above the rest. Keep in mind nogi grappling and MMA are not the same game, and the cage makes a huge difference. The viability of these throws as the best ones mostly comes from the action/reaction of cage wrestling.
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u/Internet_is_tough Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 14 '25
Personally like the uchi mata cause it's a defencive takedown when someone gotten or is getting your back (standing) etc, or is trying to get outside of your elbows for an angle
Its not that I am particularly good at it, moreso that they are not expecting it as a defencive move. Pracically leg reaps when you go em agaist the cage are more usefull for the arsenal
Offensive take downs lose to the most basic wresling takedowns (single, double, snap down)
Offensive judo takedowns have more risk of getting hit. I do like some from a wizzer situation, but they are veey situational they are not like part of a gameplan of an mma fighter. You can know zero judo takedowns and still be an excellent fighter
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u/Reasonable_Pen_3061 Jun 14 '25
Uchi Mata should work well with both an over or underhook. Plus, there is a sneaky version of it: You dont reap the leg from the inside, but move it around the body and hook the foot from the outside. Then you lift your own leg.
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u/Potential-Piglet-617 Jun 17 '25
I would say kouchi gari and kouchi gari would be good for if your on a wall
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u/Connect-Problem-1263 Jun 18 '25
I did a bit of no gi combat sambo recently and loved tai otoshi with an collar tie, if you know I mean. Ogoshi with an underhook also. Arm drag for me is undefeated gi or no gi!
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u/michael3-16 Jun 13 '25
Morote gari should be there.
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u/Guivond Jun 13 '25
I get what you are doing.
But most people doing those techniques in mma do them with wrestling tips/strategy. The way the shot is set up is like nothing we see in judo.
As a judo fans, we need to be real with what is more wrestling than judo.
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u/m0dern_baseBall Jun 13 '25
Kouchi off the wall