I got that but its like brent said about presidential candidates. Joe Rogan doesnt compete in anything anymore.
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Hi Nathan, it was hard choosing a NWOTY. Everyone mentioned in the poll is deserving of the award. Not everyone is UFC or an MMA fighter though, so how can that be that you and Brian are leading in the polls?
I break it down sort of like a pound for pound mma fight. In mma, I define the pound for pound best fighter as the fighter that not only does well in his weight class but, if moved to all other weight classes and magically added or dropped weight to reflect those classes, and would conceivably still be the best fighter for that class, that person is the pound for pound best.
How does this relate to the poll? Well, I try to imagine who is doing really well for the system, regardless of the stage. Then I put that person in different gyms[hypothetically], and try to predict how they would fair. Through all this, you and Brian are top top.
I've had my share of competition this year, but nowhere near what you guys have been doing. My highlight reels unfortunately aren't as lengthy either. But what you, Brian, and all the warriors mentioned in the polls are doing to rep the system is nothing short of inspiring. In the end we can only choose just one, so I went with my gut... The person that is participating on the board, is competing and dominating in tournament, reps the system with all the tools given him/her, comes down to only 2 people this year.
Nathan, Its too bad people on here only see your highlight reels and don't get to actually see your demeanor at your competitions like I do. You are an extremely modest and respectful competitor and an all-around great guy... all while being a complete bad ass! You, and the rest of the Northwest crew, have always been there for me when I roll to a tournament without a coach. You rep the system hard, you share your knowledge, and you are always looking for ways to enhance the system.
Is it a popularity contest? I don't know. Everyone is going to vote based on their own reasoning. But, either way, there is no doubt that you belong in the running.
Eddie has said many time to be involved in this forum to be part of the 10th planet community!! So if sharing and helping others isn't
a big factor in NWOTYm then yes it is flawed. But if it is, I don't recall seeing some of those names on this forum, ever. Every video you post Nathan, I study and it helps me tremendously!! Some of those others you mentioned are almost non existant to me, so why would I vote for them!! Things you and Brian have done have trickled down thru me to others at my gym, in turn they take bits out into others games, etc. I can honestly say Nothing that Kelvin has done has had that effect on me.
You know, the Heisman has this same debate every year and it's one of the most prestigious awards in athletics. Every voter brings their own bias, experience, and agenda to the table when they vote. Just the way it is.
Also, I'd like to point out that Orchard kept saying "pole" and it made me giggle every single time I read it.
The biggest stage for BJJ these days is not the UFC anymore in my opinion. While cucuy, boogeyman, gastelum, and jessamyn are repping crazy on big stages, from what I gather, people don't really care much about BJJ when watching MMA. Even if you hit a great sub. Even if that sub is textbook 10th planet.
The biggest stage for BJJ right now is the competition circuit. The freakshow bros are some of my favorite grapplers to watch. But there isn't a ton of video for me to reference. Barncat and orchard on the other hand are both active forum members, and very very active competitors. So to me it's about who's making people in the BJJ community respect 10th the most. Who's shutting up doubters. To me, that's orchard and barncat. I understand where orchard is coming from. Literally every member in the poll deserves it for how hard they repped this year. But to me, it really does come down to orchard and barncat. They're showing up hard and representing hard in the BJJ community.
When people (at the gym, tournaments, while watching MMA) ask me about the effectiveness of Rubber Guard because they heard it doesn't work at high levels, etc. I tell them they probably haven't seen it done right or haven't been in the guard of a 10th Planet Bad Ass. I show people your highlight reels and it generates excitement for the system, it makes people want to try and it and experiment with it, regardless of what their instructors and friends may have told them about 10th Planet not working.
A huge part of the 10th Planet mission is to prove the effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu in MMA especially the Rubber Guard. People don't care as much about jiu jitsu in MMA right now because no one is killing with it.
Man, we got 6 days left and it's all Orchard and Barncat. Can Orchard hold off a late surge by Barncat? We'll see :)
Boogie