I
spent my Saturday night watching the UFC pay-per-view. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
is the fastest growing sport in the world, and it is truly the only sport I
find entertaining. It is not necessarily the violence which has drawn me in,
rather the freedom which a fighter has when fighting in the ring. This does not
exist in combat sports like boxing, muy thai, or collegiate wrestling. One must
be a well-rounded fighter in MMA: one must be able to strike with hands, elbows,
feet and knees; grapple like a wrestler; and have the submission expertise of Brazilian
jiu jitsu (BJJ). It was BJJ that had really drawn me to MMA. It is essentially
the art of ground fighting, and has been proven highly effective many times
over.
BJJ
has also been known by the name Gracie jiu jitsu, after the legendary Brazilian
family of fighters. It was Helio Gracie who would come to develop the system of
jiu jitsu circa 1930, which would become known as BJJ. Helio was a frail man,
and could not apply martial-arts moves which required strength and power,
despite his knowledge of technique. He wanted to develop a system which did not
rely on one’s size, rather one’s technique. The system is based on joint locks
and chokes to neutralize an opponent. Of those which are most prevalent in MMA,
the rear-naked choke, the arm bar, and the triangle choke are highly effective.
The triangle and arm bar can both be applied while one is on their back with an
opponent laying on top of them. This gives the fighter a great advantage to be
able to attack while in a position that is not dominant.
arm bar
triangle choke
rear-naked choke
The
Gracie family knew it was not enough to think their style of fighting was
better, it must be proven. The Gracies have proven its superiority a countless
number of times, accepting all challenges and issuing many of their own (Helio
challenged boxer Joe Lewis to a fight, but Lewis declined). Helio challenged the
world champion of jiu jitsu, Masahiko Kimura, to a fight. This was a man who
had an 80 lbs. advantage over Helio. Kimura said if Helio could defeat Yukio
Kato, ranked number two in the world, he would fight him. Helio choked Kato
until he went unconscious. Kimura would finally fight Helio, and Helio would
lose, but after a 13 minute bout. Kimura had stated before the fight that if
Helio lasted longer than 3 minutes, then Helio should be declared the victor.
The
Gracies were aware of what they were capable of, yet still wanted to convince
the world. Rorion Gracie and friends created the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) in 1993 to prove the BJJ style was superior to all. They chose Royce
Gracie to represent the family in the 8-man tournament, not because he was the
best among them, but because he was the smallest weighing 175 lbs. Size was not
to determine the winner of this tournament, technique would. Royce won this
tournament, and also the second and forth tournaments (he had to forfeit after winning
a long and tiring fight in the third tournament, because his fatigue was too
great for him to carry on). It was official, BJJ reigned supreme.
Royce Gracie at the first UFC
It
was through these early tournaments that MMA became a sport. Fighters began to
realize they must be able to fight on the ground effectively if they were to
excel in fighting. Taking elements from many different arts became known as
mixed-martial arts, a sport which evolved, rather than being created. It
continues to evolve to this day, and the application of BJJ is as important as
it ever was. The next time you hear someone complain about all the “hugging and
humping” in MMA, just know that they know nothing of the importance of ground
fighting.
