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How bad is Sport Jiu-Jitsu for MMA?

How bad is Sport Jiu-Jitsu for MMA?

 

 

Rising interest in Brazilian jiu-jitsu over the last decade also created vast differences in styles between different schools. But are these style differences detrimental to potential MMA crossovers? Is this why the MMA scene features more elite level wrestlers crossing over?

Wrestling has been deeply ingrained in the culture in America. Folkstyle wrestling has been present in schools since around 1905. From there it just kept growing on both college and high school levels. When we add up the fact that only 1% of high school wrestlers go on to compete in a Division 1 school we get the sense that that’s the cream of the crop. But is it so simple? Is wrestling crossing over into MMA better just because it’s the athletes who are at their absolute best or are they just gluttons for punishment?

It’s hard to argue with the evidence that suggests the wrestlers have a very high work ethic, athleticism as well as the ability to deal with stress that comes with competing. But there’s also the fact that wrestling is hardly profitable, especially compared with other collegiate sports in the US. There’s no tangible future for an elite level wrestler at college level so many of them cross into MMA. They don’t have a career in Wrestling after all, there’s nothing to lose. This has adversely impacted popularity of wrestling and will probably plague it for some time in the future.

Jiu-jitsu is a very different story. Rise of popularity of Mixed MArtial Arts can only be paralleled with the rise of BJJ. This is what the market share research suggests and to be blatant – that’s where the money is at and it stands to increase.

Submission only scene has been heating up for a while now and while many prospective athletes in search of financial validation still try their hand at MMA there is a rising number of athletes who are mainly in it for jiu-jitsu. They could cross over into MMA, but they don’t have to.

Even the IBJJF is buckling and introducing some innovations in the form of an 8 man invitational with 50.000$ of prize money. Quite a change from organizing tournaments where the competitors actually pay to compete!

Eddie Bravo Invitational started modestly but the last addition made it onto the UFC fight pass and that partnership has yet to grow. Purse for EBI 6 offered a chance to earn upto 50.000$. Not to mention bragging rights and seminar fees post success. When we add that up with the fact that they want to throw at least 4 EBI events per year we get a hefty sum earned without all the complications that come with being hit on the head repeatedly.

And of course there’s also Polaris, Fight 2 Win Pro, struggling Metamoris and of course the ADCC.

Some argue that success of jiu-jitsu in early MMA is overstated because it’s not a black or white result but what result is absolute? This is exactly why there is so much excitement over many MMA and grappling matches. Even before MMA boomed all the money was in ADCC, so if Wrestling provides so much more athleticism how come the ADCC winners list is predominantly Brazilian?

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You could say that there’s a decline of BJJ in the UFC but you could also say that Jiu-Jitsu can now sustain its athletes on its own – providing an entirely different but no less interesting event. This is why there’s a disparity in the way submissions are distributed over in MMA and grappling events. While the Leg Locking is very dominant elsewhere most submissions in the UFC are RNC type chokes.