Will Roger Gracie’s Jiu Jitsu fighting style inhibit his MMA career?

So have you heard that Roger Gracie is looking to change up his competition game? Quoted by Gracie Magazine at the 2012 European Championship in Lisbon, Portugal, “I’m changing my game. For my whole career as a black belt I got used to starting out slow and calm in my matches. I never felt the need to go all out against my opponents during the first two minutes, since a match lasts ten. I always started out slow and brought up the rhythm progressively, hitting max intensity towards the end. However, ever since losing in MMA [to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal by knockout at Strikeforce in September 2011] it dawned on me; if I don’t change my way of fighting, I’ll lose again.”

It seems obvious to agree with this Gracie prodigy, that being a very calm Jiu Jitsu fighter is counterproductive to the style needed for MMA fights. Roger will now put more focus on his MMA career, where despite his recent lose, will offer him more competition. In the end, Roger Gracie had said he did not sign up for the European Open because he is looking to compete in only one Jiu Jitsu tournament this year, which will most likely be the Worlds in California

What is Jiu Jitsu?

Competitors at an IBJJF Championship Tournament

With the rise of mixed martial arts, and MMA organizations such as the UFC, Strikeforce, and others...the buzz is going around about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills that many Brazilian MMA fighters are bringing to the ring. What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? And can American wrestlers compete with the submission skills of BJJ fighters? Even among other fighting disciplines, like muay thai, karate, or boxing, the importance of ground fighting cannot be ignored.

But for many serious BJJ students, Jiu Jitsu is not all about MMA fighting. Quite the contrary, many of these students are focused on the art of Jiu Jitsu alone, and it is controversially one of the most difficult martial arts disciplines to master. Traps, sweeps, submissions, take-downs, and a combinations of techniques that take years of focus and discipline to master. This is all a part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Join me on my Jiu Jitsu jaunt, as we take on this adventure from beginning to end, (hopefully an end that will lead us to a black belt in Jiu Jitsu!). We will discuss the trials and tribulations of training on the mat, give tips and advise (and we will be opening to hearing yours too!), show some of the best BJJ moves, preparing for bjj tournaments and competitions, dieting and cutting weight, and more!

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