Coral belt Sylvio Behring is the first BJJ instructor of UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
In an interview with Tatame, he was asked who he thinks is the main “defender” of the essence of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in MMA these days. Without hesitation, Behring pointed to Fabrício Werdum.
According to Behring, Werdum is not only the best ambassador for BJJ in MMA, he is also the best example of self defense. For Behring, his student, who has his base in Jiu-Jitsu, uses all the concepts of self defense, and that can be seen during his fights in MMA.
Sylvio Behring with Werdum, back in the day.
The heavyweight is the current owner of the main belt of the world’s largest MMA organisation. Behring says that the self defense aspect is best demonstrated in an MMA fight.
“A great reference of self-defense in the world of today for me is the Fabricio Werdum. The preparatory base of Werdum was shaped from self-defense, which is the base of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. My students who were the front lines of competition, like Werdum, have more understanding of self-defense. Today he’s there, showing what he has learned.”
This is contrary to what many self defense specialists believe.
Nick Drossos on the difference between Self-Defense and MMA:
