Nearly everyone who was a fan of MMA in the late 1990s remembers Kazushi Sakuraba as being one of the greatest fighters of all time. Sakuraba utilized the Kimura grip from the bottom to execute amazing reversals and to finish many top fighters of the time.

My own Kimura game was largely inspired by Sakuraba early on, although my own orthodox BJJ training (and judo!) provided a nice framework for this unorthodox augmentation. Here, we'll take a look at grabbing the Kimura during a guard pass and executing a nice reversal from a turtle position a couple of different ways. If you're unfamiliar with the spinning armbar finish and the ensuing Kimura counters, you may find it useful to familiarize yourself with those before reading any further.