Welcome to the MMA Drills section of The Islam Makhachev Workout. These MMA-style drill circuits are designed to develop conditioning, endurance, and efficient movement under fatigue — reflecting the physical demands of Islam’s relentless, pressure-based approach.
Table of Contents
🥋 MMA Drills & Fight Skills
🧩⚙️ Breakdown
This training block develops clean striking mechanics, sharp timing, disciplined defence, and seamless strike-to-wrestle transitions. Across three striking sessions, two grappling-conditioning day, and one defensive striking session, you’ll build the core attributes of Makhachev’s style: pressure, efficiency, and technical precision.
- 3 x striking drill circuits (Angles → Pressure → Body Attacks → Strike-to-Wrestle).
- 2 x wrestling conditioning sessions (Entries → Scrambles → Control).
- 1 x defensive striking session (Slips → Frames → Escapes → Counters).
- Structured 5-minute combinations for timing, rhythm, and conditioning.
- Progressive takedown integration through one combo per striking drill.
This is where you develop Islam-style stand-up: clean, efficient, high-percentage striking layered with grappling threats, defensive sharpness, and the confidence to pressure without wasting energy. 🥋🔥
Warm up
Do 3 x 1-minute rounds of the following:
- Jumping jacks
- Reverse lunges
- Ice skaters
- Burpees
- Inchworms
- Duck Walks
- Run-on the spot with punches
MMA Basics
🔥 MMA Drills 1
Straight-Line Dagestani Pressure
Station 1:
For time.
- Jump rope x 2 minutes
- Double-unders x 1 minute.
- Shadowboxing x 1 minute.
- Sprawls x 1 minute.
Station 2:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Jab – Rear Cross – Lead Hook – Rear Uppercut – Rear Low Kick – Overhand Right.
Station 3:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Body Hook – Head Hook – Rear Cross – Lead Hook – Slip Right, – Right Uppercut Counter.
Station 4:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Teep Kick – Jab – Cross – Jab – Cross – Flying Knee.
Station 5:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Parry Jab – Jab Counter – Cross Counter – Head Guard Defence – Body Guard Defence – Uppercut – Body Hook – Low Kick – Cross.
Station 6:
Combination: Check Lead Kick – Rear Low Kick Counter – Cross – Slip Right, Jab – Rear Uppercut.
Finisher:
5 minutes of ‘Smash the Bag’ – Jog whilst carrying a sandbag on your shoulder for 25 metres, slam, 10 x ground and pound punches, sprint and back. Repeat.
🔥 MMA Drills 2
Angle Cutting & Short Power
Station 1:
For time.
- Jump rope x 2 minutes
- Double-unders x 1 minute.
- Shadowboxing x 1 minute.
- Sprawls x 1 minute.
Station 2:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Inside Elbow – Lead Hook – Knee to Body – Elbow – Overhand Right.
Station 3:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Right Hook – Left Uppercut – Step-In Knee – Cross – Hook – Low Kick.
Station 4:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Teep Kick – Check Hook – Rear Cross – Left Straight – Cross – Rear Kick to Body.
Station 5:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Lead Sidekick – Cross – Hook -Cross – Slip (left/right) – Overhand Punch.
Station 6:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Check Kick – Low kick x 2 – Straight – Hook – Uppercut.
Finisher:
Freestyle on the heavy bag – Different combinations, move around the bag. Punch knee, elbow, kicks, keep moving, and don’t forget to dodge and weave incoming blows. 3×3 minute rounds. No rest.
🔥 MMA Drills 3
Body Attacks & Pressure Entries
Station 1:
For time.
- Jump rope x 2 minutes
- Double-unders x 1 minute.
- Shadowboxing x 1 minute.
- Sprawls x 1 minute.
Station 2:
Punching Drill: 30s lighter punches and combo, then 30s heavy Bag Power Punches. Continuous full-force striking for endurance and power output. Repeat intervals for 5 mins.
Station 3:
Power Combo: Lead Teep, Jab-Cross, Rear Knee (Alternate sides). Repeat continuously for 5 mins.
Station 4:
Hook & Uppercut Combo: Lead Hook, Rear Uppercut x5, then immediately switch sides (Rear Hook, Lead Uppercut x5), repeating this alternating pattern continuously for 5 mins.
Station 5:
Elbow & Overhand Combo: Lead Elbow followed by Rear Overhand (x5), then switch sides (Rear Elbow into Lead Overhand x5). Repeat the sequence continuously for 5 mins.
Station 6:
Undertake the following combination for 3 minute round.
Combination: Lead Sidekick – Cross – Hook -Cross – Slip (left/right) – Overhand Punch.
Finisher:
5 minutes of ‘Smash the Bag’ – Jog whilst carrying a sandbag on your shoulder for 25 metres, slam, 10 x ground and pound punches, sprint and back. Repeat.
🤼 MMA Wrestling Conditioning
This section focuses on wrestling-inspired conditioning, not technical grappling. The sessions develop the physical qualities that underpin a wrestling-heavy MMA style: lower-body endurance, grip strength, postural control, and fatigue resistance.
Using movement-based drills and loaded conditioning, these workouts train how wrestlers work — staying low, changing levels, recovering from the floor, and maintaining pressure under fatigue — without requiring mats, partners, or wrestling experience.
🤼♂️ Wrestling Session A — Dagestan Fundamentals
- 🎯 Goal: Build agility, level-change speed, hip power, and scramble conditioning that form the athletic base of Dagestani wrestling — without needing mats or technique training.
- ⏱️ Time: 30–40 minutes.
- 🔁 Format: 5 × 5-minute rounds (60–90 seconds rest).
🥇 Round 1 — Shadow Wrestling
Shadow wrestling is the wrestling equivalent of shadowboxing. You move through basic wrestling movement patterns without a partner, staying low, light on your feet, and constantly changing levels. The focus is on stance, footwork, and continuous movement — not technical execution or takedowns.
For the full five minutes, stay in a low stance and move continuously at your own pace. Let the movements flow naturally, keeping tension in the legs and posture intact as fatigue builds.
Use the following movements to keep the flow continuous:
- Penetration steps.
- Level changes.
- Shadow shots (single or double motion).
- Backpedals and re-shots.
- Sprawls.
- Ankle-pick motions (reach only, no drop).
- Circle steps left and right to cut angles while staying low.
- Stance switches with a brief lead-leg change, then reset.
Transition smoothly from one movement to the next, staying balanced, controlled, and light on your feet throughout the round.
What it builds: explosive legs, sharp movement, and takedown-style conditioning.
🥇 Round 2 — Sprawl & Get-Up Flow
This round focuses on repeated down–up transitions, teaching the body to recover quickly from the floor while maintaining balance, posture, and movement quality under fatigue.
Rotate continuously for the full 5 minutes, moving smoothly from one drill to the next:
- Sprawl → Stand: 30 seconds.
- Hip Heist: 30 seconds.
- Sprawl → Penetration Step: 30 seconds.
- Fast Feet → Sprawl: 30 seconds.
- Reverse Burpees → Return to Stance: 30 seconds.
Repeat the sequence until 5 minutes are complete. No rest. Stay light on your feet, regain posture quickly after each sprawl, and reset to a strong, athletic stance every time you stand.
What it builds:
Reactive movement, hip mobility, leg endurance, and the ability to recover quickly from the floor without losing balance or control.
🥇 Round 3 — Scramble Mobility & Hip Power (5 Minutes)
This round is performed as a 5-minute AMRAP. Complete 10 reps of each movement in sequence, then loop back to the start and continue until time expires.
- Sit-Outs: 10 reps.
- Cossack Squats: 10 reps.
- Shrimp Squats: 10 reps.
- Frog Jumps: 10 reps.
- Reverse Plank Kick-Outs: 10 reps.
Move smoothly between exercises, prioritising control, range of motion, and steady breathing as fatigue builds.
What it builds:
Scramble-style conditioning, hip mobility, rotational strength, and full-body endurance without teaching or practising fighting techniques.
🥇 Round 4 — Stand-Up Strength & Postural Endurance (5 Minutes)
Format: Upright posture, slow strength, controlled breathing.
5 mins, 1 minute per exercise:
- Wall Sit.
- Kneel-to-Stand (Alternating Lead Leg).
- Swiss Ball Hamstring Curls.
- Tall-Kneeling Lean-Back Hold.
- Upward Dog Hold.
Why this works:
This round stays vertical and controlled. The upward dog introduces upper-body and anterior-chain loading without speed, complexity, or injury risk.
🥇 Round 5 — Upright Grind & Fatigue Control (5 Minutes)
Format: Time-under-tension, grind, and mental composure.
5 mins, 1 minute per exercise:
- Duck Walks (Slow and Controlled).
- Side Plank Hold (Switch Sides after 30 secs).
- Slow Commandos (10 Seconds High, 10 Seconds Low).
- L-Sit Hold.
- Bear Crawl.
Why this works:
This round stays slow and controlled. The movements load the legs, core, and shoulders under constant tension without speed, impact, or complexity.
🤼♂️ Wrestling Session B — Dagestan Grind
- 🎯 Goal: Grip strength, sandbag power, top-pressure conditioning, and chain-wrestling endurance — the gritty attributes that define Dagestan wrestling.
- ⏱️ Time: 30–40 minutes.
- 🔁 Format: 5 × 5-minute rounds (60–90 seconds rest).
🥇 Round 1 — Sandbag Control & Transitions
Format: 3 rounds.
- Sandbag Shouldering (L→R): 20 reps (10 per side).
- Sandbag Clean and Press: 12 reps.
- Hip-to-Hip Sandbag Lunge with Rotation: 20 reps (10 per side).
- Sandbag Bear Hug Carry: 50 m.
- Sandbag Zercher Squats: 12 reps.
What it builds:
Pressure endurance, upper-body power, grip strength, and sustained control under load.
🥇 Round 2 — Sandbag Ground-and-Pound Flow (5 Minutes - AMRAP)
Format: 5-minute AMRAP.
Complete the sequence below and loop continuously until time expires.
- Sandbag Ground-and-Pound (Mount Position): 20 fast, controlled strikes.
- Sandbag Drags (Forward + Backward): 10 seconds forward, 10 seconds backward.
- Sandbag Lateral Drags: From a push-up position, drag the bag laterally under the chest, alternating sides, for time.
- Sandbag Push-Ups → Chest Press: 10 push-ups with hands on the bag, then roll it onto the chest and perform 10 chest presses.
- Sandbag Ground-and-Pound (Repeat): 20 fast, controlled strikes.
Move efficiently between positions and maintain steady output throughout the round.
What it builds:
Reactive strength, trunk stability, upper-body endurance, and change-of-direction conditioning under fatigue.
🥇 Round 3 — Dagestani Pressure Flow (5 Minutes)
Format: 5-minute continuous rotation.
Rotate through each station for 1 minute, then move immediately to the next. Continue cycling through the sequence until the full 5 minutes are complete.
- Tire Flips: AMRAP for 1 minute.
- Sled Push (Heavy): AMRAP for 1 minute.
- Sled Pull (Backward): AMRAP for 1 minute.
- Double Kettlebell Front Rack March: March continuously for 1 minute.
- Kettlebell Dead Clean → Switch: AMRAP for 1 minute, alternating hands.
Maintain steady pressure throughout. No rushing, no bouncing — just constant output under load.
What it builds:
Heavy grind endurance, trunk bracing, grip strength, and sustained pressure capacity under fatigue.
🥇 Round 4 — Grip, Core & Carry Endurance
(1 minute rounds – AMRAP).
- Farmer’s Carry / Hold.
- Single-Arm Bottoms Up KB Carry.
- Kettlebell Gunslingers.
- Glute Bridge Hold.
- Gorilla Rows.
What it builds: grip endurance, anti-rotation strength, strongman-style durability.
🥇 Round 5 — The Dagestan Grind Complex (5 Minutes)
Complete the following sequence continuously for 5 minutes:
- Sprawl →
- Sandbag Shoulder Hoist and Carry → Carry 10 Steps.
- Good Mornings x 5 reps.
- SB Racked Squats x 2 reps.
- 10 x Ground-and-Pound Strikes 5 x Each Side.
- Core Finisher Mountain Climbers → x 40 reps.
Then loop straight back to the sprawl and repeat until time expires.
This station separates tourists from killers. Welcome to Dagestan.
🛡️ MMA Defensive Drills
- Duration: 30 Minutes.
- Focus: Striking Defence and Counters.
NB: These drills are ideal with a partner to simulate realistic fight scenarios and refine technique under pressure. However, they can still be effectively practised solo by visualising an opponent and focusing on precision, movement, and execution.
Station 1: Circle and Pivot Drills (5 mins)
- Imagine an opponent in front of you and move around them in circular patterns.
- Practice pivoting on your lead foot to create angles for punches while maintaining a proper guard.
- Focus: Creating openings, improving angles, and maintaining balance.
Station 2: Slipping Drills (5 mins)
- Pair with a partner and take turns leading. One person initiates strikes (slow and controlled) while the other slips and mirrors footwork.
- Incorporate defensive counters (e.g., slip and jab or slip and hook).
- Focus: Reading opponent movements, quick reactions, and countering effectively.
Station 3: Shadowboxing with Defence Focus (5 mins)
- Incorporate slipping, bobbing, weaving, and stepping offline while shadowboxing.
- Add counters such as hooks, uppercuts, or straight punches immediately after defensive movements.
- Focus: Integrating defence into fluid movement and transitioning to offence.
Station 4: Defensive Muay Thai Drills (5 mins)
- Checking Kicks: Practise lifting your lead leg to check low kicks.
- Parries and Counters: Drill parrying incoming jabs and countering with a jab or low kick.
- Clinching Defence: Simulate defending against clinch attempts by framing and pummelling.
- Focus: Blocking, parrying, and defending common Muay Thai strikes.
Station 5: MMA Defensive Sparring (10 mins)
– Light, controlled sparring with an emphasis on defence and counters.
– Alternate offence and defence roles with a partner, focusing on:
- Boxing Defence: Slips, rolls, and counters (e.g., slip–cross).
- Kick Defence: Checking, stepping offline, and returning kicks.
- Elbow and Knee Defence: Guarding against clinch strikes and framing for control.
– Focus: Building comfort under pressure while maintaining defensive technique.
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Warning!
Please be aware that I am not a professional fighter or instructor. This MMA workout is intended for fun and general fitness, not expert training. Prioritize safety by using proper techniques and gear. Practice moves cautiously and avoid excessive force, especially with throws and striking. If you’re looking for more intense training, consider seeking guidance from a professional MMA gym. Remember, this workout carries inherent risks, and you assume responsibility for any potential injuries.
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