Jahmyr Gibbs is mixing MMA training with football, which worked great for Tua Tagovailoa
· Yahoo Sports
Jahmyr Gibbs is entering 2026 as the Detroit Lions' undisputed lead running back for the first time in his career. David Montgomery, Knuckles to his Sonic, is now a Houston Texan. The platoon behind him includes Isiah Pacheco -- a non-factor for the Kansas City Chiefs the last two seasons coming off his worst year as a pro -- and converted college safety Sione Vaki, who has seven regular season carries in two years. Gibbs played a career-high 737 offensive snaps last season and could blow past that number this fall.
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That's going to require some extra prep work this summer. That includes sparring and rolling with well known MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro to hone his reflexes and endurance.
"He now has the vision that the fighters have inside the octagon. He can see. When I say something, it makes sense for him," Cordeiro told ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "So, we work on a lot of specific drills that will have him prepared for all situations -- long distance, short distance, how to move, how to control, how to keep his hands up and the kid understands very, very fast."
Gibbs' short-range explosiveness has helped him tune in to combat sports effectively. Cordeiro is already impressed with his growth after only about 20 training sessions in Huntington Beach, California. Gibbs feels it, too.
"I feel like my body's gotten in better shape, like physically it looks better. And conditioning-wise, that conditioning is way different from here because you use nonstop movement in every muscle of your body," GIbbs told Woodyard. "[In football], you get more breaks and much more using your legs. But there [in MMA], it's just constant shoulders, knees, elbows, you go to the ground and all that so out here I barely get tired."
GIbbs isn't the first player to mix in MMA cross-training in hopes of building a better body for the gridiron. Tua Tagovailoa took to the jiu jitsu mats to help understand how to better fall to the turf and roll with contact to avoid injury. That led to the first 17-game season of his career in 2023 and generally decent health in the years since, even if his performance fell off considerably in the two years since.
A healthy Gibbs will power the Detroit Lions' quest to make 2025's trip to the NFC North basement a quick one. He'll also be under a microscope when it comes to fantasy owners, who'll be salivating over his impact in the running and receiving games as a full-time RB1 who could be an easy first overall draft pick this summer. The pressure is on, and the fourth-year running back is building his body to carry that weight -- this time with body kicks and armbar defenses.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jahmyr Gibbs' MMA training is prep to live up to RB1, fantasy star standards