Jiu-Jitsu is helping to break barriers and taboos all across the globe.

What Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has done in some Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE and many more is almost immeasurable.

The greatest gift BJJ offers is sometimes off the mats and in the Middle Easts’ case, it couldn’t be more true.

In this clip from @thejitsguy (Middle East’s number 1 BJJ podcast) with Thabet Al Taher, Founder of Entropy Jiu Jitsu Dubai, they talk about the impact Jiu Jitsu has had in Jordan, where Thabet was one of the first few individuals that adopted the lifestyle before most.

Read the story about the two Jordanian BJJ champion sisters that have changed the scene in the region:

Jordanian Women Shamed Father By Loving Jiu-Jitsu, Winning Changed All

Another great example of Arab women’s MMA is Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the ruler of Dubai.
She rose to the occasion on her Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship debut, winning silver as the UAE secured 12 medals on the penultimate day yesterday.

For UAE MMA/BJJ Journalist Mohammed Al Hosani, Sheikha Maitha is a great example for UAE women BJJ players:

“Leadership by Example”. Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum participating in her first Jiu-Jitsu event, which came as a surprise to many people who never knew she started training in Jiu-Jitsu. Her participation is important not in terms of what medal she received, but in the effect it will have on the UAE female population and their acceptance of the martial art/sport.

Sheikha Maitha is part of a long list of UAE royalty that train Jiu-Jitsu. Some of the most famous ones are BJJ black belts Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (founder of the ADCC) and Sheikh Tariq Bin Faisal bin Khalid Al Qassimi of Sharjah.