Image Credits: Demian Maia (Instagram) & Marcelo Garcia (Instagram)
Demian Maia recently shared his thoughts on the top Jiu-Jitsu athletes of all time – both in gi & no-gi.
The conversation took place during a recent Jaxxon Podcast episode.
And Maia was quick to highlight two legends of gi Jiu-Jitsu:
Roger and Buchecha are far above the rest.
It’s hard to compare across eras, but those two stand out.
Surprisingly, when it came to the no-gi realm, Maia pointed to someone many may not expect in today’s landscape.
Although he acknowledged Gordon Ryan’s current reign over the no-gi scene, Maia still holds Marcelo Garcia in higher regard:
Gordon is amazing and on his way to being the greatest, but Marcelo did incredible things at a much lighter weight.
What Marcelo accomplished competing at around 170 pounds was something different.
Throughout the interview, Maia also shared insights into the critical differences between Jiu-Jitsu in sport and in MMA:
In MMA, you can’t play the same middle distance game as sport Jiu-Jitsu.
You have to adapt everything for punches coming at your face.
It’s a totally different game.
Watch the entire podcast episode for more insights from Demian Maia:
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
