Mark MacQueen doesn’t shy away from the topic of strength in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

With two ADCC Trials wins and a powerlifting world title on his resume, he speaks from experience in two demanding disciplines:

There’s no two ways about it.

Anybody that says strength doesn’t matter, it’s just not existing in the real world because if strength didn’t matter, we wouldn’t have gender.
We wouldn’t divide things by weight class.

There’s a reason we do all of those things.

MacQueen’s most recent triumph at the European, African, and Asian ADCC Trials showcased a clear evolution in his skill set.

However, at 30 years old, he’s only been doing Jiu-Jitsu for six years.
Before stepping onto the mats, he dominated the powerlifting world – winning the Commonwealth, European, and World Championships all in 2017, an accomplishment no one else has matched in a single year.

MacQueen openly admits he “absolutely hated jiu-jitsu” in the beginning, frustrated by its complexity and the unfamiliar discomfort.
Then, after dropping roughly 97 lbs (44 kg) and winning a local tournament just five months into training, his obsessive mindset shifted fully into grappling.

And while he respects the importance of skill, he’s firm about strength’s competitive edge:

If skills are equated for, if size is equated for, if experience is equated for, but I’m way stronger out of 10 times I’m probably going to win 80, 90, 100% of them.

To drive the point home, he offers a blunt comparison: picture the best fighter on earth pitted against a silverback gorilla who knows MMA rules but no technique:

There is a certain strength deficit that you just can’t actually overcome because it’s like, what are you going to do to that thing?

It literally could pull your limb off.

The stronger you are and the more muscle that you have and the stronger you are through full ranges of motion, you’re going to be way more robust. You’re going to stay on the mats way, way longer.

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