Single-Leg Takedown

The MMA wrestler's preferred entry

The single-leg takedown attacks one of the opponent's legs rather than both. The attacker shoots in, captures one leg with both arms (or with a body lock and one-hand grip), and finishes via running, tripping, or lifting.

In modern MMA the single-leg is more common than the double-leg as a primary entry, for two reasons. First, the single-leg is harder to sprawl on — the defender can't simply throw both legs back when one is already grasped. Second, the single-leg chains naturally into other attacks: if the finish fails, the attacker can switch to a body lock, a knee tap, an outside trip, or a head-outside double.

Mechanics

There are two primary single-leg positions: head-inside and head-outside.

Head-outside single

• Setup: hand fight or feint to draw attention up.
• Level change: drop the hips with knees bent and back straight.
• Penetration step: lead foot steps deep, head positioned on the outside of the opponent's captured leg.
• Lock: both hands clasp around the back of the captured knee (or just above it).
• Finish: drive the shoulder into the opponent's hip while running them backward, or use a knee tap on the standing leg to drop them.

Head-inside single

• Same penetration, but the head ends up on the inside (between the opponent's legs).
• Higher risk: exposed to the guillotine choke if the opponent locks around the neck.
• Faster finish options: the head-inside position allows a quick lift-and-trip rather than a long drive.

What the single-leg is for

• Primary takedown entry in MMA: the single-leg is harder to sprawl, chains into multiple finishes, and works against fighters who have not deeply trained takedown defense.
• Counter to a thrown strike: catching the kicking leg of an opponent's round kick is a single-leg in disguise. Run them backward and finish.
• Round control: a fence-pressure single-leg finished with a knee tap is the single most common takedown sequence in modern UFC wrestling exchanges.
• Setup for back-take: a stuffed single-leg can be converted to a body lock from behind, then to a back-take with hooks in.

Defending the single-leg

• Sprawl with whizzer: throw the captured leg backward while overhooking the attacker's shoulder. The classic sprawl-and-brawl defense.
• Limp leg: relax the captured leg and pull it out, often combined with hopping back to create distance.
• Hop to the fence: hop the standing leg to position the attacker against the fence, where they lose the open-space drive.
• Front headlock to guillotine: against a head-inside single, frame the attacker's head and step over for the front headlock; convert to a guillotine choke.
• Pull guard: if all else fails, sit down and pull the attacker into guard rather than giving up top position.

Common errors

• Locking the hands above the knee: a high lock (around the thigh) lets the opponent slip the leg out easily. Lock around or below the knee.
• Head dropping during entry: drops the eyes off the opponent and exposes the back of the neck. Keep the head up and outside on the head-outside version.
• Not running through on the finish: a single-leg that stops mid-finish lets the defender recover their base and create the whizzer reversal.
• Wrong head position: head-inside single without a follow-up plan is a guillotine waiting to happen.

Variations

• Snatch single: a quick reach for the leg without a full penetration step, used in clinch range to catch the opponent's knee on a movement.
• Body lock to single: transitioning from a body lock to a single by dropping levels and capturing the leg as the body lock breaks.
• High crotch single: a head-inside variant where the lead arm reaches between the opponent's legs from behind, lifting them up. Used by Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier.
• Trip finish: instead of running through, hooking the standing leg with a foot and pulling backward.
• Suplex finish: lifting the opponent and arching backward to drop them on their shoulders. Rare but devastating (Khabib vs Edson Barboza, UFC 219).

Exemplified by

• Khabib Nurmagomedov — the head-outside single from chest-to-chest fence pressure that defined his title reign.
• Henry Cejudo — Olympic freestyle single-leg entries with chain follow-ups.
• Aljamain Sterling — the chain-wrestling single-leg game that produced his bantamweight title win over Petr Yan (the famous illegal-knee-DQ aside, the takedown attempts in round 4 were textbook).
• Daniel Cormier — high-crotch and chain singles that wore down opponents in five-round light heavyweight title fights.
• Khamzat Chimaev — explosive single-leg entries that have dropped welterweight and middleweight opponents in the opening seconds of fights.

Drills

• Solo entries: 50 penetration steps per side, building muscle memory for the head-outside and head-inside positions.
• Partner shots, no resistance: cooperative reps focused on hand placement, lock, and finish sequence.
• Partner shots, half resistance: defender sprawls and whizzers; attacker chains to the next attack (high crotch, body lock, knee tap).
• Live wrestling rounds: 5 × 3 min wrestling-only with both partners attacking and defending.
• Fence wrestling: partner backs to the cage; attacker drives a head-outside single and finishes with a knee tap on the standing leg.