Defending the Bullfighter Pass requires understanding that this is fundamentally a speed and angle pass, meaning your defensive strategy must prioritize hip mobility and connection maintenance over static frames. The passer’s goal is to create separation between your legs and their body through explosive lateral movement, so your defense centers on following their movement with your hips, maintaining at least one control point (grip or hook), and preventing them from clearing your legs to one side. The critical defensive window is narrow: once the passer clears your legs and drops their weight, recovery becomes exponentially harder. Effective defense therefore focuses on early recognition and immediate hip adjustment rather than late-stage recovery.
The most common defensive failure against the Bullfighter Pass is allowing the passer to control both legs simultaneously without contesting their grips. When both your knees are gripped and pushed together, your hip mobility is severely compromised. Prioritize grip fighting to deny bilateral leg control, and use your feet actively on their hips and biceps to create distance barriers that must be addressed before the pass can begin.
Opponent’s Starting Position: Open Guard (Top)
How to Recognize This Attack
- Opponent stands up in your open guard and grips both of your pants at the knees or shins with thumbs facing inward
- Opponent pushes your knees together and toward your chest, compressing your guard and limiting hip mobility
- Opponent shifts weight laterally onto one foot while their upper body drops lower, preparing for the explosive lateral step
- Opponent begins circling your legs to one side with a sweeping arm motion while stepping in the opposite direction
- Opponent breaks your foot-on-hip frames by pushing your feet to one side rather than engaging forward
Key Defensive Principles
- Never allow bilateral leg control without contesting grips - fight to strip at least one hand from your legs immediately
- Follow the passer’s lateral movement with your hips, keeping your knees pointed at their chest at all times
- Maintain at least one connection point (collar grip, sleeve grip, or foot on hip) to prevent free lateral movement
- Keep your hips off the mat and mobile - a flat back with hips pinned to the ground cannot track lateral passes
- Use your feet as active barriers on their hips and biceps rather than passively extending legs
- Recognize the pass early from grip and stance cues and begin defensive adjustments before the explosive lateral step
- If legs are cleared, immediately turn toward the passer and insert frames before their weight drops
Defensive Options
1. Hip follow and knee shield recovery: as passer steps laterally, rotate your hips to track their movement and insert your near knee across their hip line as a shield
- When to use: When you recognize the lateral movement early and still have hip mobility. Must be initiated within the first half-second of their lateral step
- Targets: Open Guard
- If successful: Passer’s lateral movement is blocked by your knee shield, forcing them to reset or change passing strategy. You recover to a structured guard position
- Risk: If you rotate too slowly, the passer clears your legs before the knee shield is established, and you end up in a worse position with your back partially turned
2. Grip strip and foot re-insertion: use a two-on-one grip break on their controlling hand while simultaneously placing your opposite foot back on their hip or bicep
- When to use: When the passer has established bilateral leg control but has not yet initiated explosive lateral movement. This is the grip fighting phase before the pass launches
- Targets: Open Guard
- If successful: Breaking one grip destroys the bilateral control needed for the toreando. The re-inserted foot creates a barrier they must clear again before re-attempting
- Risk: If the grip break fails and you commit both hands to it, you temporarily lose upper body frames and the passer may capitalize with an immediate pass
3. Inversion to reguard: when legs are thrown to one side and the passer begins dropping weight, invert underneath them by rolling over your shoulder toward the passer to reguard or threaten berimbolo
- When to use: Last-resort option when the passer has already cleared your legs and is dropping weight. Requires good flexibility and inversion skills
- Targets: Open Guard
- If successful: You recover guard beneath the passer or establish a De La Riva or reverse De La Riva hook during the inversion, creating a new guard structure
- Risk: A failed inversion exposes your back and may result in the passer taking back control instead of just side control
4. Sit-up to single leg: as the passer attempts to control your legs, sit up explosively, swim an underhook, and attack a single leg takedown
- When to use: When the passer is standing upright with high posture and has not yet compressed your guard. Best used before they establish deep grips
- Targets: Open Guard
- If successful: You transition from guard bottom to a wrestling exchange or takedown, completely nullifying the passing attempt and potentially gaining top position
- Risk: If the passer sprawls effectively or has a front headlock ready, you end up in a worse position underneath their sprawl pressure
Best-Case Outcomes for Defender
→ Open Guard
Strip the passer’s grips early through aggressive two-on-one grip breaks and immediately re-establish feet on hips or insert De La Riva hooks. Force the passer to restart their grip sequence. Maintain active hip movement and feet as barriers throughout, never allowing them to settle into bilateral leg control. Chain grip breaks with guard transitions to stay one step ahead of their passing attempts.
→ Open Guard
If the passer commits heavily to lateral movement, use their momentum against them by inverting underneath or executing a technical standup to disengage. A well-timed sweep during their lateral step exploits their compromised base. When they shift weight onto one foot for the explosive step, a hook sweep or scissor motion targeting the planted leg can off-balance them and reverse the position entirely.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the earliest cue that tells you a Bullfighter Pass is being initiated rather than another standing pass? A: The defining early cue is bilateral grip establishment on your legs (both hands gripping at the knees or shins) combined with compression of your knees toward each other and toward your chest. This grip pattern is specific to the toreando family. Other standing passes like the long step typically use asymmetric grips or single-side control. When you feel both knees being pushed together, you know the lateral throw is coming and should immediately begin contesting one grip before the explosive step launches.
Q2: Why is it more effective to strip the passer’s grips than to frame on their shoulders when defending the Bullfighter Pass? A: The Bullfighter Pass requires bilateral leg control to function. Without grips on both legs, the passer cannot create the opposing force that separates your legs from their passing path. Framing on their shoulders does nothing to address this core mechanic. Even a strong stiff-arm on their shoulder will not prevent them from throwing your legs to the side if they maintain leg grips. Stripping even one grip immediately halves their control and forces them to re-establish before attempting the pass. This buys you time to reset your guard structure.
Q3: Your legs have been thrown to one side and the passer is dropping weight - what is the correct emergency response? A: Immediately turn your body to face the passer rather than allowing them to flatten you. Use your near-side elbow and forearm to create a frame against their approaching shoulder or neck. Simultaneously work your near knee between your bodies to create a barrier. If there is any space, insert a butterfly hook with your bottom leg. The goal is not to fully recover guard in this moment but to prevent the consolidation of side control by keeping at least one barrier between your torso and theirs. From this half-recovered position, you can work to re-establish full guard structure.
Q4: How should you adjust your defensive strategy when facing a passer who chains directional changes left and right? A: Against a passer who changes directions, static hip following will always be one step behind. Instead, focus on maintaining a centered position with your hips directly underneath your torso rather than committed to one side. Keep both feet active as independent barriers rather than moving them together. The key adjustment is grip fighting: if you can strip one grip during their directional change, the chain is broken and they must re-establish control. Time your grip strip for the moment they reverse direction, as their hands are lightest on your legs during the transition between directions.
Q5: What role does your collar or sleeve grip play in defending against the Bullfighter Pass? A: A collar or sleeve grip creates a connection point that limits the passer’s ability to create lateral distance from you. When they step to the side, your grip acts as a tether that either pulls them back toward you or pulls you with them, maintaining the guard engagement. A strong cross-collar grip is particularly effective because it controls their posture and prevents them from generating the upright, explosive lateral movement the pass requires. The grip also provides a vector for pulling yourself toward them or loading sweeps if they commit too heavily to the lateral step.