Every UFC fight that goes to the ground becomes a ground-and-pound battle. Yet it's one of the least-taught skills in MMA gyms. Most coaches focus on submissions and sweeps, and leave the striking on the ground as an afterthought.
This guide covers ground and pound the way Kru Robert Perez teaches it in the Ground and Pound Bible. Not "get on top and swing." A systematic skill with specific positions, postures, and strike selections. As Kru Perez puts it: "We don't just throw like wild men. We want to pick every shot that we throw."
The GnP Principle
Posture first, strikes second. Every position below starts with establishing your base and posture before throwing a single strike. Lose your posture and you'll get swept, submitted, or stood up by the referee. "We want to be technically sound. And when I say that, I mean we don't want to be wild."
1. Mount Straights: Posture and Power Punching
Full mount with good posture is the highest-percentage ground and pound position in MMA. You have gravity working for you, both hands free, and your opponent's defensive options are limited to covering up or trying to escape.
The key: sit up tall. Most beginners lean forward to punch, which kills power and puts you in triangle/armbar range. Sit up, let your weight pin their hips, and throw straight punches down. Kru Perez is specific about shot selection: "Look for that knockout on the temple. Look to break the nose. Look for the knockout here on the chin. Don't just throw to throw." Corkscrew each punch downward. Be deliberate. Pick your targets.
2. Mount Angles: When They Cover Up
A smart opponent in mount will shell up: elbows tight, hands covering the face. Straight punches down the pipe bounce off forearms. That's when you create angles.
Shift your weight to one side. This opens a lane past their guard. Now your punches come in at an angle they can't block without exposing the other side. Kru Perez teaches a specific angled punch: instead of hooking with your knuckles horizontal, angle the punch upward with the lead knuckle coming in first. "This does a lot of damage." It's the GnP version of cutting angles on the feet, and it works from both mount and the surfboard position (#5 below).
3. Mount Elbows and Forearm Smashes
When an opponent pulls you into close guard from mount, you lose the space for punches. This is where elbows take over. Short range, devastating cuts, and they work in the tightest spaces.
Kru Perez teaches a specific elbow sequence from mount: "Left uppercut elbow, right horizontal, left horizontal, right spike." The spike elbow comes straight down onto the forehead area, simulating pulling someone's head into the strike. Forearm smashes are the underrated weapon here. Driving your forearm across their face creates space, frustrates your opponent, and sets up the elbow. It's about "making them uncomfortable enough to make a mistake."
4. Side Control: Knee Strikes
Side control GnP is different from mount. You have less finishing power but more grinding pressure. "It's very rare, guys, that you see people throw these correctly," Kru Perez notes. Most fighters waste the position.
The technique: control your opponent with two points of contact, then lift your leg "like a pendulum straight up, and blast it" into their ribcage or hip. Flatten back out after each knee. You can also turn your body to attack the head, getting your hips out for leverage and rising onto the ball of your foot for maximum power. Each knee takes a piece of their will to fight and often forces the turn that gives you mount or the back.
5. Back Control: Surfboard Position
Having someone's back is traditionally submission territory. But when the choke isn't there, ground and pound from back control is devastating and often overlooked.
The surfboard position starts with getting your hooks deep inside their thighs. "Once these hooks are really deep, this guy on the bottom is in a really, really bad spot." Then flatten them out: drive your hips forward into the small of their back and raise your heels. This lifts their legs and puts them in a completely vulnerable position. From here, use the angled punches from position #2 above. They can't see the shots coming, they can't effectively block, and the referee is watching closely.
The GnP System
Mount (posture) to Mount (angles) to Mount (elbows) to Side Control (knees) to Back (surfboard). That's not just a list of techniques. It's a progression. As you improve position, your GnP options improve with it. And the striking principles carry across positions: pick your shots, corkscrew your punches, and never sacrifice base for power.