REVERSE MOUNT

Reverse mount is the rare control position in which the attacker is mounted on the opponent's chest but facing the opponent's feet rather than the opponent's head — a 180-degree rotation from conventional mount. The position is structurally awkward (it gives up the upper-body control of conventional mount) but unlocks a distinctive set of submissions and transitions that conventional mount cannot access, particularly straight-ankle locks, toe holds, and footlocks on the opponent's lower body.

The mechanics involve the attacker sitting on the opponent's chest in a mounted position but with the attacker's body rotated 180 degrees so that the attacker's hips face the opponent's feet. The attacker's hands typically grip the opponent's pant cuffs (gi) or ankles (no-gi) for footlock-position control. From this configuration the attacker can transition to straight-ankle lock by sitting back into a leg-lock position, to toe hold by gripping the opponent's foot, to a kneebar by isolating one of the opponent's legs, or back to conventional mount by rotating 180 degrees while maintaining the control position.

Reverse mount has been used as a setup position by various leg-lock-focused competitors, particularly Eddie Cummings and the Danaher Death Squad / New Wave generation of leg-lockers in the late 2010s and 2020s. The position is rare in higher-level competition because the structural disadvantage is significant — competent opponents recognize the rotation and counter immediately. However, the position remains a viable specialty tool for competitors with strong leg-attack systems. Defensively reverse mount is countered by hip-escaping out before the leg-attack consolidates, by reaching up to grip the attacker's far leg to disrupt the position, or by attacking the attacker's exposed back during the rotation.