According to a survey from Professor X of MMAfightdb.com, who collected data of 90 sweeps recorded in 1438 fights.

He found that there were only 0.06 sweeps per fight, which means that for every 100 fights only 6 will include some kind of sweep. Most sweeps came from half guard (43) with the butterfly guard (19) and closed guard (11) some way behind in second and third place, respectively:

The report also found that the best sweeper in MMA was a BJJ fighter: Rani Yahya. The ADCC champion and BJJ black belt had 4 sweeps (all from half guard), in his four fights in the UFC.

The statistics raise an interesting question about the efficacy of sweeps in MMA. With so few sweeps seen in so many fights, are sweeps low percentage moves in MMA? Why are sweeps so common in no-gi BJJ but not in MMA?

We would argue that sweeps like other moves are products of the different rule sets in either sport. In modern MMA bouts, fighters are given less and less time on the ground in which to work, which undoubtedly reduces the opportunities for sweeps (and submissions) in MMA.

The lower number of sweeps in MMA also in part reflects the fact that points are awarded differently in either sport. In BJJ, sweeps gain the sweeper two points but that is not so in MMA – a sport that continues to use the 10 point must system (despite strong opposition). Under the ten point must system, the winner of a round is awarded 10 points and no individual move, such as a sweep, will receive a score. Scoring 3 sweeps in BJJ may therefore be enough for victory but it may be completely nullified in MMA by other criteria, such as striking or takedowns.

There is also a strong perception in MMA that the fighter on bottom is losing, suggesting that the priority for many fighters may simply to be to get up rather than to try and work from bottom.

In fact, many MMA fighters chose to use the guard in order to stand up rather than to sweep. In BJJ this isn’t rewarded points, as it isn’t considered a scoring technique. This means that is rare to see BJJ competitors use the guard in order to stand rather than to sweep or submit.

In MMA competition, however, using the guard to stand is an incredibly useful technique. It can allow a fighter to change the dynamic of a fight- perhaps increasing the chance of winning by knockout and reducing the risk of submission.