12 Tips to Fighting BIGGER Opponents 

Damnnn doesn't it suck when you're paired with someone 40 lbs bigger than you? We've all been there before, but I hope these tips and strategies at least help you gain the upper hand! And if you haven't done your workout for the day, follow me for 45 minutes in a full striking class: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Bn9V37MKoGA.html 🥊 LEARN OVER 300+ EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES WITH MY NEW PROGRAM: www.mmashredded.com/soloprogram

Idk why but it's soo satisfying watching you fight... it's very motivating

I'm the big guy in the room, 6'5" 225lbs. The smaller guys (anyone under 6 feet) always seem to play my game and let me take advantage of my reach. I've learned to in-fight pretty well to counter those guys who try to get in close. So this is what experience has shown me works well against me; 1) keep moving. It takes a lot of energy to move 225lbs and I'll likely get tired before you (unless your cardio sucks) 2) don't hover at long range, I have ridiculously long legs. stay at your best range for you but circle (see step 1) 3) leg kicks. reduce my mobility further by chopping at my legs 4) double and single leg takedowns. tall guys are unusually susceptible to those and even if you don't take me down they're exhausting to defend against. Erik Britz below basically said the same thing as did the video. I'm just confirming that as a big guy the strategy works. P.S. after the clinch break fast and stay covered up, I almost always catch a guy with my reach on the way out, I've scored knock outs that way.

I believe that no matter how skilled you are as a fighter, when you fight a bigger opponent who is also skilled, you are still at a great disadvantage.

1:35 Don't stand and bang 2:22 use quick footwork 3:05 Don't get trapped 3:20 strike back and circle out 4:02 Be defensive and evasive 5:16 counter alot 5:34 Use explosive blitz movement 6:07 hit the body 6:25 then follow up upstairs 6:44 u can also use high kicks 6:55 chop the legs 7:32 takedown when tired 8:39 catch their kicks 9:39 use speed

We need a video on how to fight an elderly opponent. Im sick of my grandma beating my ass

I've been learning Mike Tyson's 'peek-a-boo' style of fighting and applying it to kick boxing. There is a lot of underrated strategies I think still apply to mma. Tyson could counter jab a tall guy and ruin his rhythm because he would always slip right, down, or left while jabbing. I hope someday Jeff dissects Mike's footwork, head movement, and angle cuts to apply them to mma because it is so underrated.

Since im always the smaller guy(5ft 7) i already knew these from experience and i will just arrange them differently. 1.)Move around your opponent not backwards. 2.)Attack the body as fast as possible 3.)Attack the legs as fast as possible too 4.)Make them chase you 5.)Never let the bigger man get a hold of you(Grappling) always frame on them and get out and away. other then this there is combo's etc. as you mentioned that help a lot but i feel these first four is the bread and butter of beating a larger opponent, fun part is i have a 6ft 4 kickboxer in my gym and he is great practice for me.

My problem in MT is always that it's very hard to counter the knees from much larger opponents as well as their straight punches. It needs really skilled fighters to be able to handle larger opponents. You do quite well. One in my gym is so powerful that he is able to rush into them like Tyson did and has almost no difficulties to fight them in the way he wants to.

Jeff, I love seeing how you are getting sharper and sharper, when I first started following you were not this sharp; the hard work has made effect and it shows!:D That makes me really happy

Thanks for posting this. I guarantee this is the most researched question on the Internet and asked question in classes. I know it was the first and foremost thing on my mind when I began training. If only RU-vid had existed back then, it would've saved me a lot of time and trouble. I would just like to add a couple of thoughts to supplement what Jeff mentioned in his video: 1. The most dangerous assumption I see in sparring is "Him big, strong but slow and tires faster; Me small, weak but fast and and good cardio." You know what they say about assumptions, right? Don't assume a larger opponent has no speed or cardio. Make them actually prove whether they have it or not. Liam also mentioned below, but I have personally been caught by sudden bursts of speed from larger opponents who strike suddenly and quickly while I break away from them. An opponent doesn't have to be faster than you ALL the time -- he just has to be faster at the RIGHT time. And he doesn't need to outlast you in cardio if you're dazed, knocked down or knocked out. 2. You have power. Everyone has power, even smaller people. Not as much as bigger people, but we have some. Use it appropriately. One of my favorite tactics is to either come to a sudden dead stop while my opponent chases me or simply trap a hand right away and start pounding away with a rapid blitz of short hooks, jabs and backfists. I have been graciously told by sparring partners that they were genuinely surprised at how much power I could actually put into a short throw strike. Just don't get cocky about it and remember to still move unless you want to experience how much more power your larger opponent has. Funniest sparring session I ever had with a larger fighter who specialized in Muay Thai many years ago. He dropped his guard and baited me to come in, clearly setting me up for something. However, I was loading a spinning back kick by lifting my back heel which he couldn't see waiting for him to come charging in to it. So we both wait there... and wait there.... and wait there. Finally he goes "Are you going to do something?" I look at him and go "I'm waiting for YOU to do something!" We both laughed and broke off and reset. As we did, I happened to glance up at the gym clock and realized we had both stood there doing nothing for nearly two minutes out of a three minute spar.

Yess you did a huge favor with this one. The biggest gap between pros and the people they try to teach is giving a process for choosing strategies as opposed to just listing the strategies. Thanks Jeff!

What up my ninja

Hey Jeff, thanks a lot. You´re by far the most influencial RU-vidr for me. It´s great that you always show the techniques in real life Sparring. That´s whats setting you apart from all the rest. Really appreciated. As for me, i used to train Muay Thai in my early 20´s, stopped training Muay Thai for almost 15 years and started MMA now in my late 30´s. I always spar bigger and stronger people as i´m only 5´3" and 136 lbs. One of the best tips from you is aquiring ring IQ. My Trainer tought me to be a pressure Fighter, always going forward. It still works with training partners of my own abilities, as they gas out pretty fast as you mentioned. Last time i sparred someone as tall as 6´3" who was far beyond my abilities, luckily he took it quite easy on on me. So my new plan is to be more evasive, try to annoy my sparring partners a little with some pokes and blitz when the opportunity arises. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

I've learned that you have to be in better shape (conditioning) in order to execute the advice given. Great advice Jeff!

9:37 Damn bruh you hit him with a 10 piece combo, lmao.

I’m a big guy and basically what smaller opponents do in kickboxing is they minimise my reach and be very agressive up close fighters

What? No _nut shot?_ Oh … fighting inside the ring, my bad.

Jeff you are seriously a beast at fighting!! You should chill out and go ice skating for the next video! 💪💪

Great vid, Jeff. I spar regularly with bigger dudes, so these really help.

Kaoklai Kaennorsing is a perfect example of how a small fighter can overcome a highly skilled heavyweight twice his size who outweighs him as much as 100 pounds or more utilizing sublime evasion and counter attack tactics through flawless head movement and footwork! No wonder he came from the same training camp as the great Saenchai and Lerdsila who are footwork and evasion masters!

Finally, Some tips I can use in real life. Nice video 💯

thanks for the tips! im a 135 fighter but most of the guys at my gym are 170+ definitely agree about tiring them with speed and staying out of clinches!

Great footage and breakdown as always!

0:57 I rewinded it like 6 times just to look at that smooth teep it’s like a mix between a side kick and a teep 😩👌

Hey jeff, thanks so much for using my music in this amazing video its a true honor.

Currently using this for Thrill of the Fight against The Spider. Thanks for the tips!

The various parts where you mention the usual lack or less of cardio on the bigger guy's part is golden. More muscles require more oxygen to fuel them and therefore a stronger cardiovascular system as a result. If you've ever seen some of those videos of strongmen trying to do gymnastics, yes they're strong, but they usually lack in the cardio department and gas out within seconds of doing some intense gymnastics. This video couldn't have been more well-put together.

Tyron needed this

As far as self defense. Different fighting styles may have different approaches to this. I like the Brazilian Jiujitsu approach of clinching up a larger stronger attacker. The clinch reduces the striking power of your attacker. This approach can then be followed up with your grappling skills. Or you can maintain the clinch to keep your attacker under control until someone breaks up the attack. I'd also recommend that people learn and practice the Crazy Monkey defense. Along with practicing moving your head off center when throwing punches. These two things can reduce your chances of getting knocked out in a fight. If you kick keep them at thigh level to prevent your leg from getting caught.

Great technique. Thank you for sharing. Also, great editing and voice overs.

Great video as always Jeff. What about an opponent who is the same size but a naturally gifted, more explosive, fast twitch touch of death person that all you have is endurance on. My guess from watching you is: 1. Long guard 2. Circle away from power hand 3. Evasion 4. Lure them into takedowns when they over commit Wanted to get your input on weathering that initial storm! 😁

This is the only true Legit adviceon how to defend yourself against a bigger attack on the internet

I've been waiting for this video for soooo long, thank you!

Good tips!

My man Chan! Thanks for this!

Great tips. I also second the How-to-Tyson-in-MMA. Would be splendid! Cheers and keep the content going!

Great video man love the content !

As a "bigger opponent," thanks for letting me know what to look for!!

Jeff know what is talking about! 💯

Too good Jeff .. This is just awesome . You are master of techniques .. it’s nice to see you demonstrate these techniques with real action

Thank you for this information. I spar with a guy who's bigger then me, most times I find myself in the positions you talked about. I found myself over compensating, when I think the answer to my problem is more movement, but that means better cardio!

You are amazing and talented. I’ve learned a lot from you and I’ve sparred with someone who was in spec ops. Ur stuff works. Keep it up.

Your videos are no doubt the best fighting resource out there as you are practicing live what you preach

As one of the smallest guys in my gym (5'10) this is very usefull. Thanks!

Jeff helps a lot especially for us not trained. Love and support from Philippines

Best mma guy on youtube!

One move that worked well to surprise someone I was sparring was coming in orthodox throwing a double jab. Slipping off to the side switching to south paw while throwing an overhand right. He thought he was safe. Didnt notice the switch stance.

This is also great as 12 Tips to Fighting Smaller Opponents if you just take it as stuff to watch out for.

Love this breakdown! Definitely worth thinking about it in training, especially with the lower body takedowns

Strikings looking extra crispy as usual, can't wait to see you fight again.

nice training~!!^^

exactly what i need :) always love when a new video comes out thanks bro!❤

Your on line program seems to be awesome jeff and thanks for keep sharing your knowledge

great tips with great build up

Clean clean and clean🔥

A little tip for when the guy tries to pressure and trap you is to work for a double inside position then push his shoulders hard and run him backwards then slip out or if MMA/ street/ battlefield, you can easily do a throw by and get behind him.

This is such a good video. I find them very helpful ti ubderstand the correct approach and tactics to use. You should do more of these tutorials!

jeff's head movement is.. SATISFYING

From watching this i had a thought: since you have been in so many sparrings and fights, could you tell us what are the most common strikes and combos fighters tend to use and how you counter them? Just a random thought, great video once again !

Great video sir, I will try to implement this in my fight and sparring. Every time I watch such videos it inspires me to be a great Martial Artist.

Great tips Jeff , attack the body cause their hands are up and take downs makes them respect your space seem highly effective can’t wait to try at my next class

Another useful video on fighting bigger opponents! I'll have to make note of these strategies when I spar bigger partners next time! :)

This guy is a genious👊🏼

Thank you!, You have helped me to improve so much your a legend

Let’s go! Needed this. Thanks dude

Interesting video. As always. Thanks man.

As a 5.5 guy who is resuming training this is greatly appreciated 👍

Like the background music, thanks

Oddly enough this is also an instruction video for tall fighters. So you provided me have some insight into the strategies in how to deal with smaller opponents. :D 6'8ft is a bitch with the ground-game part if you're lanky (like me).

Love this channel

Very nice 👍 thank you !

Firas Zahabi has a great video on fighting bigger opponents as well.

Brilliant, as usual mate !

tip n°1 : be a damn ninja

Thanks for the tips bro

Depends what style you're fighting but sweeps are my go to technique; not always to take them down but to off balance them......and, boy, do their hands drop!

I think jeff should get rewarded the best youtuber ever on RU-vid coz jeff is so talented and handsome guy.hope you reach 1 million subscribers soon.keep going beast 🔥🔥👏👏👏👏

Great stuff. You are skilled and a lot of fun to watch. I learned a lot

The “ASIAN ALI” lol oh boy got mad skills...@Jeff🥊🥊🥊

Nice video Jeff, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, Greetings from Chile.

the only thing i can recommend to smaller people when sparing bigger opponents is speed, the only thing they have a disadvantage is in speed and reflexes, rather jumping back, push him back with speed, or jump to sides and land a hook or uppercut that will push them to defence position..

You know I always see videos on how to fight bigger opponents, but what about the other way around? I'm pretty tall so I'm usually always the bigger opponent. I guess it would be obvious on what to do which is just keep them at my range, but an in depth video on how to counter small man tactics might be super interesting. Thanks for the videos as always Jeff. You are definitely a huge motivator for me to keep training

Nice takedowns on the big guys. I remember being grounded by a smaller guy with superior technic.

Another fantastic vid. Also for some reason every time I see that Bali sparring footage I hear “good job Alex!” 😂

THANK YOU!! I literally spar bigger people all the time bc I’m short but I still have power for my size I need a video like this!

Really helpful since I’m almost always shorter than all my opponents

I like how he also showed some of the counters from the video he did about counterpunches.

This video really helps actually I'm learning how should I deal with bigger oppenent and it helps a lot thanks !

Fantastic advice. I am very new to this kind of training. Really enjoy it though. Have not sparred yet, but enjoy learning techniques and drills to better myself as a fighter/person. Liked and subbed.

Some lovely combos at the end there 😀

Lol on the third intro secuence I though for a second that you took down Jan Blachowich)))

Weight is a much bigger component than height. At least weight is somewhat variable

Wow, awesome! Learned 💪👊🔥

Awsome video. Thank you so much. Gained so much out of it🙏🏽

For large and skilled opponents, no chance unless u have supernatural strength and power

I enjoy this video. Your IQ shows in your ability to fight both bigger and smaller opponents! I learned alot

Are there full videos of you going against bigger opponents? Just see clips in this video. Love your content man, much love from the Bay Area

Great vid, bro!

U helped me bro! Thanks a lot!