What We Can Learn About Self-Defense From Chris Weidman

Looking for Chris Weidman? Chances are, you'll find him on his feet.

There are many differences between fighting as a sport, as in the UFC, and self-defense. UFC? Controlled environment. Self-defense? Chaos. Fighting in a cage with a referee? You have rules to follow. The # 1 rule in self-defense? There are no rules.

But I believe we can still draw some valuable self-defense lessons from professional pugilism. I checked the UFC fight stats over at Fight Metric, to see if I could find any differences between the Champion, Chris Weidman, and his recent contenders.

In other words, I wanted to find the difference between being #1 and being #2.

UFC Fight Stats

I found one striking difference between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, and even Anderson Silva. It's a statistic that the UFC and Fight Metric call "Takedown Defense" (the percentage of opponents takedown attempts that did not land).

Here's how each of these fighters have averaged over their careers:

Belfort:  51%

Machida:  77%

Silva:  69%

Weidman:  100%

Chris Weidman has successfully defended against every one of his opponents' attempts to take him down. He's the only one who has never been beaten.

Learning Self-Defense From Chris Weidman

Fight pundits the world over could explain away all sorts of reasons for this stark contrast between the best and the second-best. They'll argue that stats can only go so far, and they'll spin stories about "why" and "how" for each of Weidman's victories.

And they're entitled to their informed opinions. If you'll pardon the pun, "Knock yourself out" guys. Have at it.

But I'm removing us from the cage match and referee scenario so that we can look at how a person wins a fight so that those of us who aren't sponsored by Hayabusa and Bad Boy and the rest can learn something that will keep us safe on the street.

How To Live To Fight Another Day

Weidman stays on his feet. Until he decides not to.

That's the biggest lesson I've learned from his winning streak. Every time his opponent tries to take him down, he stays up. Therefore, on the street, stay on your feet.  If you go to the ground, make sure it's your choice, not your attacker's.

Do whatever you can to stay on your feet. Watch any of the many surveillance videos leaked that show muggers and stick-up thugs attacking an innocent person. What you'll see in most cases is the attacker taking the victim to the ground so that he and his friend can strike, strike, strike.

So plant feet. Squat slight for balance. Take the form that every basketball player on defense takes when guarding their opponent. Watch a baseball infielder as the pitcher hurls a pitch too. Or a football cornerback lining up to cover a wide receiver.

That's your stance.

Chris Weidman has gone to the ground only on his terms. He's undefeated and he's the Middleweight Champion. Keep that in mind when your insides are awash in fight-or-flight on the street.