Mount: Top Ground Control Position Over the Opponent
Mount is a top ground control position where one fighter sits on or straddles the other fighter's torso, establishing a dominant position with gravity and body weight working in their favor. The mounted fighter has access to strikes, submissions, and transitions while the bottom fighter is limited to defensive escapes. Mount is universally recognized as one of the two most dominant positions in ground fighting, alongside back control.
Origins and Usage
The mount has been a recognized dominant position across fighting cultures worldwide, from medieval wrestling to modern grappling arts. Its effectiveness is intuitive: being on top with the opponent pinned beneath you provides natural advantages in leverage, striking power, and control. Brazilian jiu-jitsu formalized the mount's value in its positional hierarchy, awarding maximum points for achieving and maintaining the position.
From mount, a fighter can rain down punches and elbows, attack armbars and chokes, and transition to even more dominant positions like technical mount or back control. The bottom fighter's escapes require significant energy, and failed escape attempts often expose them to further attacks.
In Underground Fighting
In underground fighting, achieving mount is often tantamount to winning the fight. On hard surfaces without mats, the bottom fighter absorbs ground strikes with their head bouncing off concrete or packed earth, multiplying the damage exponentially. Many underground fights are stopped or conceded once mount is achieved.
The mount is a particularly important position in no-rules underground formats where headbutts from top position may be legal. The combination of ground and pound with the inability to escape makes mount one of the most dangerous situations a fighter can find themselves in during unsanctioned combat.
Related Terms
- Full Mount -- The complete version of mount with both knees down
- Ground and Pound -- The primary striking attack from mount
- Guard -- The defensive position that opposes mount