Marcelo prevents a pin and finds a finish: If your opponent is able to tackle your hips and bring you down to the mat, they still need to make a shift from your lower-body to your upper-body in order to establish pinning pressure. Befo...

Marcelo recovers from a throw and counterattacks with an Arm-Lock: If your are thrown to the ground and held down in Side-Control, keep your legs raised above the mat to block them from direct access into mat while you manevuer your ha...

Marcelo neutralizes a dominant landing against a Double-Leg Take-Down: If your opponent manages to take you down to the ground and bypasses your legs, immediately look to apply a set of foream frames against their upper body and preven...

Advanced Lesson -- Master Fabio Gurgel explains a crucial detail for comfortably escaping pressure from Side-Control: Turning onto your side and hiding your near-side elbow and shoulder is vital to buying yourself much needed time and ...

3 Part Lesson -- Marcelo escapes from Side-Mount: When you opponent is holding you down in Side Control with a balanced approach, i.e. they are not laying too heavily/tightly over your centerline and therefore susceptible to a Bridge S...

2 Part Lesson -- Marcelo recovers his guard after his opponent breaks through several defenses: If your opponent passes your legs, and shimmies off of your framing hands, immediately pummel your near-side arm in between your head and t...

2 Part Lesson -- Marcelo recovers his guard: If your opponent is running around to your side and closing the distance for a chest-to-chest connection, you may not have to he room or flexibility to wipe your foot in between and lasso ou...

2 Part Lesson - Combine bridges and frames to create space between you and the opponent. That space is your opportunity to escape down towards the opponent's legs and snatch the Single Leg or Recover Guard.

3 Part Lesson — Marcelo recovers from Side Control and a transition to Mount: [I] Twist your body from side to side as you pump your feet against the ground in alternating bridges to open up enough space for framing. Use the frame to m...

2 Part Lesson - Intercept the opponent's oncoming hand towards your head and parry his arm across your body. Push at his elbow and sit up-right or instead, push against his upper body if he retract his arm and switches his base.

2 Part Lesson — Marcelo breaks down his measures of guard recovery: [I] If you can Hand-Fight to avoid letting your opponent make a grip to push you flat for a pass, do so; otherwise, work to break off his grip before he passes around ...

3 Part Lesson - Block the opponent's clinch to your upper body by building a frame with your arms and bridge to find an Under Hook or direct yourself into guard.