Striking Defense

“Protect yourself at all times”—it’s the first rule of any combat sport. And nowhere else is this more important than in the UFC, where the best-trained athletes in the world compete at the highest level.

You’d better learn everything you need to know about defending yourself before that cage door closes!

High Block

Blocking is the most basic and effective form of self-defense. Whenever you’re not “on offense,” you should be holding the High Block trigger to protect yourself against strikes aimed at the head. Blocked strikes inflict very little damage, so effective blocking is critically important.

Low Block

Defending your head is both wise and effective, but it leaves your lower half vulnerable. Hold the Low Block trigger to defend against body shots and leg kicks, but beware—your head is now exposed!

Expect seasoned strikers to initiate combos with blows to the body or legs, hoping to get you to drop your hands and expose your vulnerable head.

Swaying and Countering

While holding the High Block trigger, flick the Movement stick in any direction to sway in that direction. Like blocking, swaying is another important defensive technique for strikers to master.

With practice, swaying can help you “stay in the pocket” and avoid strikes altogether, then counter with your own punishing blows. Swaying is a great way to score a surprise knockdown or KO!

Major Counters

Swaying is great, but you don’t need to sway to counter your opponent’s strikes. Connecting with a strike just as your opponent begins an attack triggers a major counter, causing considerably more damage than the strike normally would.

In addition, all major counters have a small chance to instantly KO the opponent, regardless of the amount of damage they might have sustained thus far. This makes it possible to achieve instant one-hit knockouts through the use of major counters!

Minor Counters

Minor counters occur when you land a strike just as the opponent’s strike is ending. Minor counters therefore commonly occur when you’re quick to respond after the opponent misses.

Step or sway to avoid your rival’s attacks, then throw out fast counter strikes to light them up with minor counters!