Rickson: Pure Jiu-Jitsu is not enough at MMA

What would be MMA if Royce Gracie had lost to a “giant’ on the first edition of the UFC, in 1993? MMA legend, Rickson Gracie helped us to answer that question at TATAME Magazine’s edition of June, already available for purchase.

But it was not the only topic asked for the master.

Responsible for bringing MMA up in Japan, one year after Royce got things started in the UFC, Gracie evaluated the evolution of the sport and revealed that, in his opinion, pure Jiu-Jitsu has no space left.

“No, things have changed. Nowadays the rules impose a rhythm to the bout, conditioning and a game plan which imposes Jiu-Jitsu to have a determined shape”, said, explaining how the rules changed fighters’ posture.

“If you take off time and weight (limit) you might add some technique, game plan, conditioning and a way of thinking. From the moment it’s a five-minute three-round fight, you spend some energy, lose 17 to 22lbs to fight and you have a high level training technology”.

To Rickson, great part of Jiu-Jitsu lessons, used at gyms and big Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, are useless in MMA.

“You may use like 30 percent of Jiu-Jitsu”, explains. “You can’t put Royce or any other guy only using it… Technology has changed the sport a lot in terms of how much you train, the capacity of losing weight to fight… It’s completely different. You can use many Jiu-Jitsu things, but the body is your main element”.

Things have changed so much that TATAME asked Rickson to point out athletes who astonish him now, and he did not list any Jiu-Jitsu guy.

“Jon Jones and Anderson Silva”, says Rickson. “They are really controlling the scene. You can’t say anything about them. They are smart, well conditioned and they fight in high level”.

In the veteran’s opinion, however, the number of high level athletes might be even bigger in case the sport could embrace all fighters that wanted to fight.

“There are always newcomers and things are very dynamic. Athletes just emerge from nowhere”, explains. “The filler is too small for the number of people that would like to be there fighting on the events. There’s a bigger demand than we know. If it was an open championship, like in Jiu-Jitsu, there would came many new names”.

http://www.tatame.com/2012/06/06/Ric...-enough-at-MMA

To Rickson, great part of Jiu-Jitsu lessons, used at gyms and big Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, are useless in MMA. “You may use like 30 percent of Jiu-Jitsu”

So cliff notes, take off the GI!!!

Rickson never fought in a Gi (in MMA) he had also competed in amateur wrestling championships in Brazil and had style that worked quite well outside the Gi. He already knew what Jiu Jitsu was useful for MMA and applied it, knowing this and applying it is what made him in my opinion the greatest of the Gracie's.

And fighting fat overweight Japenese pro wrestlers also helped and poor Yuki Nakai who in my book is still a bad mother fucker.

I know Rickson history:) I was just dissing on the Gi! So many full time Gi schools! So I love reading Rickson saying this: To Rickson, great part of Jiu-Jitsu lessons, used at gyms and big Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, are useless in MMA. “You may use like 30 percent of Jiu-Jitsu”

Trust me Jack no one appreciates your passive aggressive attacks on the Gi more than I man, you always give me cool Jiu Jitsu shit to read when I am bored at work :D I like how he is saying take off the Gi without saying take off the Gi though. One day one of the Gracie's is gonna say Ok guys cut the shit, this just isn't working anymore. I hope it's him.

I would say that BJJ with some JJJ and much more Boxing are a great synthesis of techniques to use in MMA; I would like to see Boxing-CACC merge with Jujitsu - because the "kazushi" principle of unbalancing and turning force against an opponent has its place as well as the strategy and tactics in boxing of having a few well drilled techniques and endless combinations as well as defense against angles of attack. CACC also has some superior take-downs and throws as it has evolved without a emphasis on techniques that have focus on traditions in Japanese Jujitsu that incorporate the legacy of wearing armor - i.e a CACC wrestler never turns their back to the opponent, if they can help it, CACC are always trying to take their opponents back. JJJ and some other Japanese systems such as Judo kept the leverage of throws used for taking down armored opponents but just like the gi - was kept for the sake of tradition alone with gi-techniques - many armor-techniques continued - such as shoulder throws (which still have their place but you have to almost knock them out to do it safely, try getting punched or kneed in the lower back or having the RNChoke done to you. So - unless your Judo/ Jujitsu throwing master like Rhonda Rousey of course, I would avoid using those Judo style throws where you turn you back - get to their back or their side and control their head as in CACC, many Jujitsu throws and takedowns are excellent and use this principle so if you want to keep a "pure Jujitsu style" you still can but like Musashi taught I would rather use what works all the time, it may only be a few things but I will know them well) or the under arm straight punch from Karate that leaves you completely open - that is why Boxing is superior as your defense is your armor plate not some tradition of using armor (even western martial arts such as Talhoffer and Samurai re-enactors using armor - have techniques which are specific to wearing armor, whilst there are another system of techniques for use when not wearing armor at least in the Talhoffer system) - just as armor has gone out of fashion, so may the gi (which in some regards is a shame for street defense as Jacket chokes are still useful but not as useful as knowing how to fight in a no-gi system) - so hopefully we can all learn what is apt to MMA & the street (which as the Nick Diaz street fight story, as humorous as it was in his telling of it, shows that even top level fighters have some problems against multiple opponents on the street, even if to be Fair to Mr Diaz they where "weight lifter dudes") - so as Diaz and JDS show Boxing & Jujitsu complement each other well - each fighter though has to choose the style that suits their body type weight and level of aggression (something which is more difficult to train as a character trait than cognitive and muscle memory skills; such as techniques) - the lesson from Sensie Eddies system, Master Ricksons and Coach Hatmakers (boxing / CACC combined style) is that techniques must have combinations (as in boxing and BJJ) and that you don't cross train for MMA - wrestling one day, Jujitsu (stand up JJJ or ground 10thplanetJJJ another day) - for MMA strikes grappling and ground work have to be included together as one technique drill. - that in a sense brings MMA back to its origins in JJJ & Roman Pankration ultimately, although with a very much more advanced methodology. Use what works for now, what is apt for now.

^ Duuuude, paragraphs please?

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Originally Posted by Jay Chow

^ Duuuude, paragraphs please?

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Word. I hate to be that guy I really do but I thought Pankration was Greek?

no new news here. Jiu jitsu will always be effective but to compete with today's mma fighters you simply cant just be really good at one thing.

Very interesting..