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DeBlass:’ It’s Not Your Style of BJJ But It Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong’

DeBlass:’ It’s Not Your Style of BJJ But It Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong’

 

In a recent Facebook post, BJJ black belt Tom Deblass refers to some online criticism of Gordon Ryan who at the Onnit Invitaional last weekend let his opponent mount him voluntarily. Deblass makes a good point that Jiu-Jitsu has many different styles and that we shouldn’t be judging someone’s style just because it is different than ours. Some people like to pull guard, some people like takedowns. It’s all part of Jiu-Jitsu.

DeBlass is the 2015 No Gi Open Weight World champion at Master 1 black belt. He is a former Bellator and UFC fighter with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jisu under Ricardo Almeida.

A few years ago the BJJ community criticised Andris Brunovskis’s inverted guard game (which ended up in a victorious triangle choke).

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A few years ago, Ryron Gracie also let his opponent mount him in a Gracie Worlds tournament. He was ‘keeping it playful’.

DeBlass stated:

“I see numerous comments saying Gordon Ryan was disrespectful in his match last night on the Onnit invitational?

Why? Because he allowed his opponent to mount him?

Do you not realize that was in his game plan?

After Gordon submitted his opponent he did not cheer obsessively, he shook his opponent’s hand.

Just because it’s not your style of Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Watch he and Garry Lee Tonon you will realize they do things much different then most, so what!

If you ever train with Sha in the city he will let you mount him repeatedly, then he will leg lock you repeatedly.

I don’t understand how that was disrespectful by any means; it was part of the game plan.

If I’m training with Gordon and he lets me mount I will either totally avoid it or try and smother him.

Different styles for different individuals.

Ease up.”

Here is the Gordon Ryan match in question:

 

 

Tom DeBlass was a County Champion Long Jumper in High School graduating from Central Regional High School in 2000. He went on to Graduate Monmouth University in 2004 with a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. Tom DeBlass was known primarily as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor winning such titles as Pan American and World Championships. He then fought Professionally in Ring Of Combat. In only a year and a half DeBlass captured two titles and got called up to fight in the UFC. DeBlass opened his own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, in 2006, Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His Academy host’s 300 students. He has produced his own World Champion students, such as Garry Tonon, Tom’s first student to compete in ADCC, October 20, taking place in China.