Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that has become a staple of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition due to its effectiveness. So is bjj the best martial art for MMA?
Origins of BJJ
BJJ originated in Japan as Jiu-Jitsu, a self-defense method for samurai warriors, and was later brought to Brazil by the Gracie family, who developed their unique style known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Helio Gracie, one of the most famous members of the Gracie family, is credited with developing the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style, which relied on technique and leverage rather than brute strength.
UFC 1
UFC 1 featured the Gracie family’s BJJ style as they sought to showcase their unique grappling techniques which were unknown to most at the time. Royce Gracie, a highly skilled practitioner, represented the family and demonstrated the effectiveness of the techniques in a real-life fighting situation. Royce was the smallest of all competitors in the open weight tournament. This was proof to all that watched the event, technique beats size and weight advantages. Royce went on to win all three of his fights in the tournament, establishing BJJ as a dominant martial arts style in the UFC.
Today, BJJ is practiced all over the world, with many top MMA fighters incorporating BJJ into their training. As the popularity of jiu-jitsu increases the level of fighters abilities increases with it. Here is a video of Joe Rogan discussing Demetrious “mighty mouse” Johnson Technique.
Why is BJJ is so successful
BJJ’s success in MMA can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, its focus on grappling techniques makes it essential in close-quarter situations where fighters need to gain leverage and control over their opponents. Secondly, BJJ’s emphasis on ground fighting enables fighters to use their legs and hips to control their opponents and force them into submission. Thirdly, BJJ is highly versatile, allowing fighters to adapt to their opponent’s style and weaknesses, and use a wide range of techniques both offensively and defensively.
Popularity
BJJ’s popularity in MMA is evident through the success of top BJJ practitioners like Gordon Ryan, who has won numerous competitions and is arguably considered the best in the world within the sport. Gordon has done much to elevate the sport. He has a brash personality and love him or hate him he draws huge reactions and gets millions of eyes on the sport – Which can only be a good thing. He takes no prisoners via his instagram account where he has over 750,000 followers.
Also another contributing factor to the the popularity of jiu-jitsu is Joe Rogans podcast (JRE). Joe is a black-belt in jiu-jitsu himself and raves about the sport whenever possible on his podcast. Having the worlds most popular podcast sure helps push the sport to the masses.
Conclusion
BJJ will remain an essential part of MMA training and competition as it continues to evolve and new techniques are developed. The legacy of the Gracie family and other pioneers of the sport will continue to inspire new generations of fighters. It seems that no MMA fighter is complete without a strong knowledge of BJJ.