Technique Spotlight: The Triangle Choke

Ah, the triangle choke; one of the most effective chokes in MMA today and the offensive weapon of choice for grapplers fighting off of their back.

The triangle choke is a figure-four chokehold in which the attacker wraps their legs around an opponent’s neck and one arm, forming a shape similar to a triangle. The triangle first appeared in MMA at UFC 2, but the most gained real notoriety came at UFC 4 when Royce Gracie used the triangle to defeat the much larger and more powerful Dan Severn.

While Gracie had already showed the world the power of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it was this victory over the world class wrestler in Severn that really made people realize that being on your back doesn’t mean you are losing a fight.

There are many ways to secure a triangle choke and many variations of the choke, but the most common is the standard triangle that is applied from the guard. The triangle is a counter attack from the bottom used when an opponent is on top looking to unleash ground-and-pound.

Being on your back is not an advantageous position, especially in today’s MMA, but the triangle choke continues to be an effective weapon from the bottom position.

You might not see the triangle choke as often anymore in the UFC because fighters are aware of the technique and better understand how to defend it, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.

When a triangle is locked on, it is truly a thing of beauty.