Bottom Game

What is the bottom game?

The bottom game covers everything a fighter does when the opponent is on top, or when they choose to fight from their back. It sits opposite the top game, which is built on pins, weight, and passing the guard. Most of the work happens inside the guard, the position where the bottom fighter uses their legs and hips to control the person above them.

Two ideas hold it together. Being underneath is not the same as losing, and a skilled guard player can defend, attack, and reverse from there. The position also rewards technique over size, which is a big part of why Brazilian jiu-jitsu built so much of its identity around fighting off the back.

A complete bottom game has a few moving parts: guard retention to stop the pass, sweeps to get back on top, and submissions to end the match outright. In MMA, the same base exists, though strikes change the math. There, returning to the feet becomes a priority alongside sweeping and submitting.

How the bottom game works

Everything starts from the guard. By keeping legs and frames between themselves and the opponent, the bottom fighter buys time and creates angles to work from. The game then moves through a handful of aims, roughly in order of urgency.

Survival comes first. If the opponent is passing or posturing up to strike, the job is staying safe and rebuilding a barrier with the legs. Guard retention is the skill that keeps that barrier intact, forcing the top fighter to keep working instead of settling into a pin.

Once the position steadies, offense opens up. A sweep flips the top-bottom relationship so the bottom fighter ends up on top, and under IBJJF rules, a completed sweep scores two points. Submissions can arrive at any stage, since chokes and joint locks such as the triangle and armbar work well from underneath.

The guard is a family of positions, including closed guard, half guard, butterfly, De La Riva, and X-guard. Each one controls the opponent differently, and most guard players build their bottom game around two or three they trust rather than trying to master all of them.

Bottom game vs top game

Most people look up the bottom game while trying to work out how it differs from the top game. The split runs through strategy and, in a lot of gyms, philosophy too. Older schools tend to prize the top for its control, weight, and the steady pressure of a good pin. Guard-focused players counter that the bottom has just as many ways to win, with more room for creativity.

The practical differences are easier to see side by side.

Factor	Bottom game	Top game
Position	Underneath, usually in guard	On top, pinning or passing
Main scoring path	Sweeps and submissions	Passes, mount, back control, submissions
Energy cost	Higher; managing an opponent’s weight is tiring	Lower; gravity helps
Risk in MMA	Exposed to strikes from above	Can land ground and pound
Typical mindset	Reverse or submit	Advance and hold

In sport BJJ, the gap is narrow. Sweeps score, and the guard is a respected offensive base rather than a last resort. Grappling standout Tye Ruotolo has said he and his brother Kade lean on the top game partly because playing guard is tiring and the bottom fighter is always working against gravity. In MMA, that cost climbs higher, which pushes most bottom players toward getting up or getting on top.

The bottom game in MMA

Strikes change everything about fighting from underneath. In pure grappling, a fighter can sit in guard and hunt a sweep for as long as they like. Add punches and elbows, and that same patience turns dangerous, because the top fighter can pour on ground and pound while the judges reward the control.

So the MMA bottom game runs on a different priority list. Getting back to the feet, often by framing and wall-walking up the cage, sits near the top of it. Active guard players still sweep and submit, but they try to do it quickly, before damage piles up.

The style still wins fights. Grappling-heavy fighters like Charles Oliveira, Demian Maia, Ryan Hall, and the Diaz brothers have all built careers on threatening submissions from their backs, and a well-timed triangle or armbar can end a bout against a much bigger opponent. The guard stays a real weapon in the cage. It is just a riskier one than it is on the competition mat.

Common guards used in the bottom game

The bottom game is a collection of guards, each suited to different bodies and situations. These are the ones a newer fan will hear named most often.

Guard	What defines it
Closed guard	Legs locked around the opponent’s waist; the classic control position
Half guard	One of the opponent’s legs trapped between the bottom fighter’s legs
Butterfly guard	Seated, with both shins hooked inside the opponent’s thighs
De La Riva	An open guard built on a hook wrapped around the outside of the opponent’s leg
Spider guard	Feet on the biceps with sleeve grips, common in the gi
X-guard	The bottom fighter under the opponent, legs framing one of their legs

Each guard opens the door to its own set of sweeps and submissions, which is why guard players tend to specialize in a couple rather than dabble in all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the bottom game the same as playing guard?

Nearly, but not quite. Playing guard is the act of controlling an opponent from underneath. The bottom game is the wider strategy that uses the guard to stay safe, reverse the position, and hunt submissions.

Is fighting from the bottom a bad position?

Not on its own. In BJJ, the guard is a legitimate offensive base, and both sweeps and submissions start there. The bottom only becomes a problem when a fighter cannot retain guard or, in MMA, cannot avoid strikes.

Can you win an MMA fight from the bottom?

Yes. Fighters can submit opponents off their back, and a sweep turns a defensive spot into a scoring one. The catch is that judges favor the fighter on top, so bottom players usually work to reverse or stand up.

Do you score points for playing bottom in BJJ?

Not for the position itself. Points come from what the bottom fighter does with it, mainly the two points awarded for a completed sweep under IBJJF rules.

Is the bottom game better for smaller fighters?

It often suits them. Guard work leans on leverage, timing, and flexibility more than raw strength, which lets a smaller grappler neutralize and attack a bigger opponent.

---

Sources

1. International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). “Rule Book” (two points for a sweep). Accessed August 2026.
   https://ibjjf.com
2. Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. “Mastering Jujitsu.” Human Kinetics, 2003. (print)
3. JiuJitsu.com. “Top vs Bottom Position In BJJ: Which is Better?” Accessed August 2026.
   https://jiujitsu.com/blogs/jiujitsu/bjj-top-vs-bottom-position
4. BJJ World. “Choose Your Jiu-Jitsu Game: Pass Or Play Guard?” Accessed August 2026.
   https://bjj-world.com/jiu-jitsu-game/
5. Fight Encyclopedia. “BJJ Sweeps from Guard: The Complete Guide.” Accessed August 2026.
   https://fightencyclopedia.com/blog/blog-bjj-sweeps-from-guard-complete-guide
6. Sportskeeda. “Tye Ruotolo reveals why he and Kade prefer attacking from top position.” Accessed August 2026.
   https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/news-tye-ruotolo-reveals-kade-prefer-attacking-top-position-it-s-tiring-playing-guard

Related MMA Terms