Craig Jones argues that IBJJF scoring misreads what control means in grappling.
In his Power Ride instructional, he says the system was built around positions assumed to be strong for ground and pound, yet those positions rarely produce finishes in modern MMA.
His main criticism is that side control, mount and back control ignore where an opponent’s movement comes from: the legs.
A bottom player who can plant their feet can bridge, hip escape and explode out, regardless of what the top player holds.
Jones points to Khabib Nurmagomedov as evidence, noting that he stays on top of the legs from half guard or closed guard, positions that score nothing in the IBJJF but give him stronger control:
If our point scoring system in the sport was built around ground and pound positions, then why are those positions so terrible in modern day MMA for ground and pound?
If the most dangerous part of an opponent’s body is his legs, why is that not the thing we focus on when we focus on control?
Khabib really doesn’t try to pass people’s guards. How often do you see Khabib in side control?
If we can control the opponent in such a way that he cannot move without conceding something else, that to me is what we should truly be aiming for when we talk about pinning our opponents.
He sees the same pattern among non-grapplers. Kelvin Gastelum, Jones notes:
Quite often lets people pass because from side control, he has a great ability to turtle away and shake people off.
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