Royce Gracie: “Jiu-Jitsu is not a points game” Article

[Eric Perez]

Its a smart marketing and strategic business plan for the Gracies, and it has worked well for them. You don't have to agree with them, but calling someone a fool that really put Jiu Jitsu on the map, and opened the eyes of thousands if not millions of people to the effectiveness and necessity for ground fighting is a bit extreme. Most of us wouldn't be training Jiu Jitsu if it wasn't for Royce.

I apologize maybe fool wasnt the right choice of word and he did do a lot for the sport.

[K Madden]

Hes saying that now adays they teach them to win tournaments not end fights

this.
and, i think this is what Frank was getting at. i personally hate point tournaments...

someone mentioned something about it in this past Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis fight (dont get me wrong with this, i think BOTH are badass fighters, and Clay is an AMAZING fighter who i respect professionally and personally)
but i seriously think Pettis SHOULD have won that fight. he put guida in a bunch of dangerous situations....guida held him down.
big difference between the two.

i read an article not long ago about "is wrestling ruining MMA?" and I couldnt agree more. for me, its boring, stalling and lame to know you can win via decision. obviously its sport, so those kinda rules are needed, but...

we (jiu jitsu practitioners) tend to have a long standing feud with wrestlers. we spout submissions, they spout control. both are crucial, but JUST control doesnt win fights in any realm- youre not gonna get a guy to tap out, quit, or pass-out due to control.
when points matter, control matters. combine the two- HELL YEAH.

I think thats what Royce may have been getting at too- points take away from the REAL winner sometimes.
i mean really...when is the last time you said "ohhh man, this fight is going to be awesome. i cant WAIT to see it go to the judges!" Ill consider a guy MORE of a champ who can finish a fight, much more than someone who can win via points. and lets face it- some people DO fight that way, in both MMA and tourneys. burns my noodle and makes for boring fights.

watching fights go back and forth for technical agility on the behalf of both fighters, THOSE are fun. just so happens that a LOT of wrestlers hold people down- and almost nothing else, just hold. watching one guy essentially sit on someone elses chest... well... Homer can you take this for me?
http://youtu.be/i8LOLswfTkQ

[Eric Perez]

this.
and, i think this is what Frank was getting at. i personally hate point tournaments...

someone mentioned something about it in this past Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis fight (dont get me wrong with this, i think BOTH are badass fighters, and Clay is an AMAZING fighter who i respect professionally and personally)
but i seriously think Pettis SHOULD have won that fight. he put guida in a bunch of dangerous situations....guida held him down.
big difference between the two.

i read an article not long ago about "is wrestling ruining MMA?" and I couldnt agree more. for me, its boring, stalling and lame to know you can win via decision. obviously its sport, so those kinda rules are needed, but...

we (jiu jitsu practitioners) tend to have a long standing feud with wrestlers. we spout submissions, they spout control. both are crucial, but JUST control doesnt win fights in any realm- youre not gonna get a guy to tap out, quit, or pass-out due to control.
when points matter, control matters. combine the two- HELL YEAH.

I think thats what Royce may have been getting at too- points take away from the REAL winner sometimes.
i mean really...when is the last time you said "ohhh man, this fight is going to be awesome. i cant WAIT to see it go to the judges!" Ill consider a guy MORE of a champ who can finish a fight, much more than someone who can win via points. and lets face it- some people DO fight that way, in both MMA and tourneys. burns my noodle and makes for boring fights.

watching fights go back and forth for technical agility on the behalf of both fighters, THOSE are fun. just so happens that a LOT of wrestlers hold people down- and almost nothing else, just hold. watching one guy essentially sit on someone elses chest... well... Homer can you take this for me?
http://youtu.be/i8LOLswfTkQ

Awesome, very well said

[David Rosado]

what Royce is saying is that the PURITY of the martial art is being diluted. I agree. You see it a lot in MMA how BJJ guys aren't as vicious as they once were because 90% of they time it's being used for tourney purposes. It's hard to break those habits when you start as a black belt entering MMA. I mean, that's what, 10 years of habits? What if BJJ was trained with a fight approach? I'd think it'd be a bit more dominant in the UFC than it is now.

Tae Kwon Do can be vicious if trained for actual harm vs scoring points. But you look at muay Thai....why's it so effective? Because it kept a part of it to actual combat.

Royce is right. The purity of all martial arts tends to get diluted by competition.

[Emir Mehovic]

if we brought back pride rules all this boring/stalling would not be happening anymore!

[Ron Almeida]

the ibjjf has some of the strictest rules in the game. they should be submission only, round robin or double elimination.

[bobby rivers]

Boy, Frank really was a super dusche. That fuckin internet.