So I started training lately again (moved to a new area as a result of my impending jail term coming up there) and to get ready for jail and punks coming to my face asking about my charges i've been doing some muay thai again and some bjj as well (very new to it) and although at first I almost forgot everything and was fish out of water my skill came back relatively quickly. In fact I believe due to new coaches and diff methods and techniques added onto my previous experienced (like combining styles) I am even better now. I had a relevation -- the key to beocming a master in muay thai is being able to control range.

I noticed that the stuff I now know and utilize is a lot more diverse than you see in mma fights on tv, you hardly see any muay thai in there. In fact you dont even see them circling msot of the time but fighting in a linear pattern which is easy to block kicks. The second key to muay thai is to throw those leg kicks while moving in a circular pattern around your opponent from angles as you move back toward their other side so its almost like a skip but the foot is planted. Also what is needed is to throw some hand fakes or punches first and its best with the opposite hand to the kick. than they wont be able to see them coming and block them. In fact I was able to match my muay thai coach a few times in sparring because of this.

When i was just fighting how I used to fight in a linear back and forth pattern he would dominate but when I started moving in circles and say throwing a right thai kick and coming back with a left hook and a left switch knee to body while grabbing the neck with the opposite hand than I realized I am utilizing true Muay Thai.

And again the key is combos and controlling ranges. I can now throw some far kicks and lunge jhabs and quickly grab the opponents hand and left side of the body or head with a jumping in-knee to clinch. I also realized most ufc fighetrs dont know how to clinch without it first kind of happening naturally. To force a clinch anytime in the fight you simply grab onto (depending if you have gloves or not) their leading jab hand and go underneath their other arm with the other hand to grab the back of their neck or you can grab the front in a cross pattern while the other is still holding onto the arm jamming it. You can even switch back and forth depending on their reactions form cross pattern neck grab to regular and always spin them unlike you see in the ufc spin them and turn them to get aa head knee and dont just try to throw the knee real high with their head and neck upright.

the other thing is now I know neck crancks and things you never see in the ufc as well. For example grab your opponents neck in a one arm thai clinch but dont push your opponents face into your body yet like usual for kicks but quickly grab their tricept and throw it over to their other side and over your right arm holding the other side of their neck than close in to the other side with the other hand locking them in place and you can force them to the ground easily and finish them from there or knee them. There is almost no getting out of this yet you never see it in the ufc unless its on the ground from a top position. There is also the thai clinch but with the sides of your arms or bones digging into their neck tight while your head is pushing onto their face, you can after a while off balance them form this and throw them or put one arm high and force them diagonally sideways with the pressure to the side of their neck forcing them down. Again you never see this stuff in mma, you only see a fraction whats possible in terms of muay thai. Its really an artform. In jail they will even be less prepared for it when i start cranking their necks and throwing them to the ground for any signs of disrespect.