For Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fans alike, there are certain names that should be rather recognizable. For instance, ask an MMA fan if they know who the Mendes Brothers are, they probably won’t. Ask a BJJ fan if they know who Pat Barry is, there’s a chance they may not know.
However, for guys such as Alan ‘The Talent’ Belcher, his name pops up in both the MMA & BJJ community.
A very experienced fighter—and a long time UFC veteran—Belcher has earned his spot amongst the most exciting fighters in the world. Known for his striking—Thai & Kick Boxing—Alan is often overlooked for his ground game.
Yet, he did have his moment to showcase it on a major stage against Rousimar Palhares, one of the most notorious leg locks masters ever!
But how could an athletic stand-up fighter prepare for one of the best BJJ players in the world?
Simple, by working his butt off!
Laying The Foundation
Before you can walk, you have to know how to crawl. Like many fighters today, Alan began his journey to the cage way back in the day of his youth. As many kids his age, Belcher began taking karate classes. But it wasn’t long until he wanted something more, and found a local gym that taught Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. At the age of 13, Alan attended his first every seminar ran by Royce Gracie!
Soon, Alan began rounding his game out by traveling all over to learn Muay Thai. After spending time in Atlanta and Thailand, Alan finally began becoming a true MMA fighter.
Having instructors well versed in Judo and Sambo, Belcher began wanting to know more about leg locks and BJJ. As he put it, he wanted a more “traditional” grappling game as opposed to “sloppy MMA” grappling.
Alan has released a course called Alan Belcher’s MMA Immunity Course where he shows his top percentage BJJ moves for MMA. You can check out the full review to the course here at Science of Skll!
Drilling Leg Locks Defenses With The Absolute Best
After establishing himself within the UFC, Alan was given a big time fight against Palhares. Known as a lethal grappler, many didn’t give the guy from Mississippi a chance to win, however, Alan knew better.
Knowing what to expect, Alan began to drill leg lock defenses like his life depended on it. Eager to improve, he began bringing in guys like Davi Ramos and Dean Lister to help him prepare for Rousimar.
Bringing in Ramos was vital, as he presented a similar game and build that Rousimar would bring that night in the cage. For Belcher to train with him, it allowed him a sense of understanding and preparation that he otherwise would not have been able to get.
Watch the fight:
As for Lister, Alan felt so confident in him that he allowed him to run his training camp for two weeks in Mississippi. Under the watchful eye of Lister, Belcher began drilling and rolling from poor-positions, knowing that’s what exactly Palhares wanted to do.
“I was challenged by one of the best grapplers ever,” Belcher told me. And he clearly prepared for it.
Not sure how the fight played out? Well, Alan ended on the mat with Rousimar attack his leg relentlessly, and this is how it ended for The Talent. You can check out the full fight in the video below
You can learn some cool leg lock defense for MMA in this article by Evolving Fighter!
Dan Faggella
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.