If you’ve been watching Conor McGregor’s build up to his title fight with Jose Aldo, you may have noticed these movement drills he’s working on. What he is working on is possibly the future of MMA. Movement fluidity and having movements in every single position makes you unpredictable. The great thing about mixed martial arts is that it’s evolving and there is no right and wrong. Jose Aldo has traditional style and it makes it easier to read a traditional style instead of someone that is moving in all different directions and switching from South Paw to conventional, throwing spinning kicks etc…
This is not the first time that MMA fighters have gone in search of ‘alternative’ methods. GSP trains gymnastics, and Alistair Overeem works with adventurer and movement specialist Wim Hof. It looks like MMA fighters are now returning to what martial arts is all about: timing, precision, movement, and mindset.
Conor McGregor began to concentrate more on balance and flexibility and freeing his body to move in new ways. He mimicked alligator crawls and chimpanzee walks. He watched videos by Ido Portal, a martial artist turned movement teacher.
McGregor started using the services of Ido Portal a few months before his UFC 194 title unification bout against Jose Aldo.
Thanks to Portal’s work, McGregor’s has been showing nimble footwork in taking evasive action to avoid being hit.
Who is Ido Portal?
Ido Portal was born in Israel, and started training Capoeira when he was 15. Capoeira. A Brazilian martial art, combines element of dance and acrobatics and involves high-energy kicks and spins.
Portal stated:
‘I was in a romance with Capoeira for 15 or 16 years,’ he has said. ‘What struck me was the fancy stuff and not what it really is which is a social interaction.
‘The fancy movement got me in there then I stayed because of the more intricate movements.
‘My nickname was the ‘The Missionary’. I had an extreme following, people lived with me and ate with me. Everything was Capoeira.’
Ido Portal on Conor McGregor:
“Yes, we’ve been aware of Connor McGregor’s following for a while now and are happy for our positive influence.
The fighting game is first and foremost a movement game, hence – with specialization and refinement of existing knowledge- you can only go a certain distance. (it can be all the way to the top but not beyond)
In order to be great in any field – one must not only regurgitate existing, prior knowledge flawlessly but ADD TO THE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE in his field.
I am impressed with McGregor’s contributions to the MMA scene. He is doing things differently.
More pro fighters training with Ido Portal:
