Tag Archives: Denis Kang
Arm Behind the Back Guard Pass
Getting a handle, or a grip, on your opponent in MMA is not always easy. Here Denis uses an unusual grip both to control his opponent and remove one of his potential weapons from the equation. (more…)
Passing the Guard in MMA
by Denis Kang and Stephan Kesting
Originally published in Grappling Magazine, October 2005
Denis Kang knows all about passing the guard in mixed martial arts competition. He has fought in Japan and throughout North America, and has passed the guards of many good fighters, including Minoru Suzuki, Keith Rockel and Stephan Potvin. He knows that passing the guard is one of the hardest things to do in a fight (more…)
Technique 2: Reverse Shoulder Lock
Marcus and Denis demonstrate the reverse shoulder lock. (more…)
Technique 1: the Reverse Clock Choke
A demonstration of the Reverse Clock Choke against the Turtle Position by Denis Kang and Marcus Soares (more…)
Marcus Soares technique 3: Half Guard Pass and Cervical Choke
Marcus Soares and Denis Kang demonstrate a Half Guard Pass and a Cervical Choke. (more…)
Marcus Soares - Kimura from Open Guard
Marcus Soares demonstrates the Kimura from the Open Guard (more…)
Marcus Soares - Kimura from Mount
Here’s how the Kimura can help you transition from the Closed Guard, to the Mount, and then to your opponent tapping out. (more…)
Jiu-Jitsu Cross-Training for NHB: A Denis Kang Profile
by Stephan Kesting
Originally published in Grappling Magazine, September 2003
Denis Kang debuted in Grappling Magazine after his Pancrase match against the very experienced Minoru Suzuki in Japan. (more…)
Get Up, Stand Up!
Why getting off the ground is a critical skills in grappling!
(originally published in Black Belt Magazine)
When mixed martial arts competition exploded in North America, martial artists quickly learned that most fights end up on the ground. And for years the prevailing wisdom was that groundfighting was inevitable, and if a fight went to the ground it would most likely stay there. (more…)
It’s January and all the gyms are packed with newly-inspired fitness junkies. But you can’t always get to a gym, and sometimes the weather makes it tough to go for a run. The beauty of bodyweight, however, means that you can work out almost anywhere. (more…)
Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He’s trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years.
He’s also my friend and a mentor. (more…)
An MMA Mount Escape and a New-To-Me Sweep
The last time I hung out with Denis Kang we shot a series of short videos on MMA techniques.
It’s rare to get an MMA fighter who wants to show you all his best techniques, but Denis is an awesome teacher as well as a great fighter. (more…)
Originally published in Grappling Magazine (August 2005 issue)
The ankle lock hasa long and varied history. This technique was used by many of the traditional Ju-jutsu schools in medieval Japan, North American Catch Wrestling as well as in pre-World War 2 Judo. Then it fell onto hard times. Judo banned the ankle lock. Catch Wrestling faded in prominence. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu never actually banned ankle locks completely, but using them was considered crass and low class.
Up to a few years ago, if you used a footlock at a Jiu-jitsu tournament you were likely to get boo-ed by the audience!
(more…)
MMA Ground and Pound
Here’s a short MMA video I recently shot with my friend Denis Kang. He’s a very knowledgeable fighter, and I wanted him to share some insights on the ground and pound aspect of MMA. (more…)
Countering the Double Leg with a Sitout & Switch
I respect most grappling arts, not just BJJ. Freestyle and collegiate wrestling, in particular, have a lot to offer to submission grapplers and BJJ practitioners. Obviously we can get a lot of good throws and takedowns from wrestling, but we can also ‘steal’ some very powerful moves on the ground as well. (more…)
The Double Leg Takedown in MMA
I recently had the opportunity to meet up with my friend and professional fighter Denis Kang. I wanted to pick his brain about some MMA techniques. He shared a lot of stuff, and because I had a video camera with me I can now pass that information on to you. (more…)
Knee Slide Guard Pass
Many Brazilian jiu-jitsu guard passes can be adapted for use in mixed martial arts. Here the cross knee slide guard pass is used to achieve side mount control. (more…)
This guard pass requires commitment and some athleticism, but is quick and can take an opponent by surprise. (more…)
Denis Kang: Double Leg Tackle Counter to Neck Lock
This may seem like a flashy technique, but it definitely works. It can be used standing or on the knees to get to a match-ending neck lock submission. (more…)
Denis Kang Cartwheel Guard Pass
The cartwheel guard pass is most often seen in the Japanese lightweight MMA divisions, but it can also be used in Submission Wrestling and BJJ. Here’s how to do it correctly… (more…)
A Sneak Peek Into a Fighter's Conditioning Routine
Most of my text message communications to my friends are pretty short and mundane. Recently, however, I had a very interesting conversation with MMA fighter Denis Kang, partially over the phone but mostly using text messages. (more…)
Refusing to Concede the Sweep
I trained with Denis Kang for the first five or six years of his MMA career. At some point during that time he became very, very difficult to sweep. Partially this was due to his increasing technical knowledge, but it was also more than that. (more…)
Congratulations Denis Kang
My friend and training partner Denis Kang recently fought in the Pride Grand Prix, in the Yokohama Arena, Japan. To get to this point in the world’s most prestigious welterweight tournament he had already knocked out Brazilian fighter Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua (more…)
Denis Wins in Pride
I am very happy to announce that my once-training-partner Denis Kang has advanced further in the Pride ‘Survival’ Middleweight tournament! To move to the semi-finals he decisively took out Amar Suloev, no mean feat given that Suloev had dispatched veteran BJJ fighter Murilo Bustamante in the first round of the tournament. (more…)
On June 4th Denis Kang did it again. Fighting in the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix he took on feared striker Murilo “Ninja” Rua from the Chuteboxe Academy. The fight did not go long: he KO’d Ninja in 12 seconds! (more…)
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