Sayif and sound: How UFC breakdown gig is enhancing an MMA coaching mastermind

Sayif Saud has risen to prominence in recent years as one of the top coaches in mixed martial arts. To date, the Fortis MMA leader has seen his team achieve well over 50 victories in the UFC alone.

His resume as a lead cornerman spans from championship fight to main events to the first fight on the card, and everything in between. Doing the job at the highest level requires an abundance of knowledge breaking down fights, which Saud is now sharing with the public.

In recent months, Saud has expanded his horizons into an analyst role for the UFC’s YouTube channel. The detailed videos can be up to an hour long, and over that time Saud applies the tactics of tape study and analysis that are essential for a premier coach.

The video series, which focuses on UFC pay-per-view headlining title fights, has been met with strong engagement. The majority have hundreds of thousands of views, which is a promising start to a venture Saud never expected for himself.

“It was super organic. It’s not something I ever thought I was going to do,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “I never really had a plan to do any kind of analysis or commentating, but I had done a piece with the UFC that was about the gym. … I talked to the producers and spent some time with them, and we just kind of clicked. Then I got an e-mail like six months later and they said, ‘Hey, I think you could do this. Would you come and try out and do a pilot?’ I was like, ‘All right, why not?’ That’s how it started.”

Saud is called “The General” for a reason. Anyone who’s heard him cornering fighters on a UFC broadcast is aware of his direct, cutthroat style of coaching. His passion to push fighters where he knows they can be successful is evident, and that’s because of the preparation.

He puts the same level of effort toward breaking down fighters whom he has no association with. Whether it’s Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes, Islam Makhachev or anyone else deemed the cream of the crop in the sport, it’s Saud’s duty to analyze the best attributes and potential flaws, then present them in a way that’s digestible for the common fan.

“I kind of really just fell in love with the process of it because I study film and do all these things anyway,” Saud said. “This is what we do. We study tape. That’s what we do. We have a pretty good idea how things are going to go, and we’re like, ‘This is 60-40 going the opponent’s way. This guy’s stronger than my guy, or this guy has better grappling and wrestling than my guys.’ I try not to make predictions. I try to show the strengths of both athletes.”

‘It’s like a real immense study session’

Saud’s preparation is nothing short of diligent. He said it’s “kind of like being back in college again and getting ready for final exams,” and he feels the pressure to deliver a high-level product. Breaking down one title bout can entail 50 to 60 hours of film study, Saud said, then it’s on him to pick specifics sequences of tape that he can highlight for the audience through video touchscreen technology.

Some of the athletes Saud breaks down have an abundance of tape to sift through – some of it relevant, some of it not. A person like Charles Oliveira, for example, has been in the UFC for nearly 13 years and has more than 30 octagon appearances across multiple weight classes. Deciphering what pieces of footage are still meaningful in present day, and could be applicable to a given upcoming matchup, is also part of the challenge.

“Look at Jan Blachowicz,” Saud said. “The guy was 2-4 (in the UFC) at one point then he really turned his career around. People hit a prime, and they hit different parts in their career. I try to look at what’s relevant or where I think they’ve taken that championship turn. Probably the last five to seven fights. It’s a lot of film, though, especially if you have a lot of decisions in there. It’s a lot of film, but I try to give a general scope of what they do and what they’re probably going to try to do in this matchup.

“It’s like a real immense study session. I don’t use any teleprompters or Q-cards. It’s just studying all the film. I put it on template and send it to the producers. It’s all stuff I’ve got to pick out, because I’ve got to explain it. I don’t have someone cutting it or sending me stuff, and that way I really know the material because I look at it through a coach’s perspective. It’s very intense work, but it’s been super rewarding.”

A worthy tradeoff

Although sharing his wealth of knowledge to the world is gratifying, Saud thinks he’s getting more back from the process than he’s giving. The owner and founder of Fortis MMA in Dallas has a strong crop of UFC fighters under his wing, from flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who defends his title against Alexandre Pantoja in Saturday’s UFC 290 co-headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, to welterweight contender Geoff Neal, surging light heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu, women’s bantamweight staple Macy Chiasson, and many more.

Saud’s success as a coach hasn’t gone unrecognized, either. Fortis MMA was named MMA Junkie’s Gym of the Year for 2022, and Saud will certainly be shooting for a repeat in 2023. Coaching remains his No. 1 priority, and he said the UFC breakdown gig has directly benefitted the work with his own athletes.

“This gave me an opportunity to look at all these other fighters that I didn’t coach, and in that process I continued to learn and expand my own horizons,” Saud said. “When you’re studying just champions all the time – you’re studying Izzy, Islam, Volk, all these unbelievable athletes, it just gives you a different insight, and I can help my own fighters with some of those little tricks of the trade, the things I don’t see.

“I just did sign a new contract with the UFC for 12 more episodes. So that’s great news. I don’t really talk about it because I don’t see myself as an analyst or a commentator. I’m just doing this and taking it show-by-show. There’s a lot of value for me as a coach in the film work, and it’s making me a better coach. The sacrifices or the time it takes away, I look at it as a good tradeoff. And as long as it’s a good tradeoff, I’ll do it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.