Josh Barnett: "BJJ is not a Fight, Boxing is"

it wasnt actually a attack on MMA, Barnett was commenting on BJJ...BJJ is good to know and definitly needed in mma (or at least some kind of submission grappling..even if its just knowing enough to avoid submissions and take downs and get back to your feet)..but when you go and do BJJ..it really isnt like a fight...it can be tough, but it just doesnt feel like a fight. For one, you only go to tap...if you are going to use BJJ in a fight..you really have to choke a guy out, or break a bone (clearly if the guy taps in a street fight...and you let go, there is nothing to keep him from trying to hit you back).

 

I went to a BJJ school in my area for the first time a couple years ago and heard someone say "are you fighting in the tournament tomorrow?" and refer to tournament matches as "fights". It felt odd to me coming from a wrestling background. I could never imagine calling a wrestling match a fight. But I guess in some perspectives it makes sense.

Like if a fight in the UFC ended with a flying armbar at 10 seconds into the first round and no strikes were thrown, would Josh consider that a "fight"?

 

Not what he's saying at all is it?

 

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Lynchburg

 

i kinda agree actually. BJJ is like a supportive skill to amplify the more punishing fighting skills. even watching a person get a quick sub victory is anticlimactic, i don't really feel like the other guy won a "fight". Though he did indeed win.

 

Good for Josh.

 

Barnett means pure BJJ only. If you sub someone when that person is allowed to strike you then you've been in a fight!

 

Actually, it is. BJJ is not a sport grappling competition, it is a complete martial art. Submission grappling tournaments allow competitors to perform without worrying about being struck. The rules of a fight are altered to allow people to perform the positional and submission aspects of BJJ. He should have said sport bjj, or submission only grappling events, or rolling without striking are not really fighting.

BJJ is about fighting.

 

Funny that you worded it like that, because I was just getting ready to bring up Combat Jiu Jitsu. It looks like an interesting way for grapplers to test their ground skills when punches are involved. Or maybe a step people with grappling only experience can take without jumping all the way into mma.

Would any of you classify this as fighting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbfngqfFwJg


Personally, I don't feel like I was watching a fight; but I'm sure the competitors hearts are pumping a little harder than they do for a sport bjj match.

 

does anyone here actually call grappling contests "fights", i heard it a few weeks back for a no gi ADCC tourny coming up and it made me cringe

 

Remove the etiquette of people releasing a submission when someone taps...then is BJJ not a ****ing fight?

Torn knees, broken arms and being choked out are just as brutal as strikes imo...thats why there is a mutual respect that when someone taps its over...y'all forgetting that

There's no 8 count in BJJ is there? It's the same thing isnt it?

 

That's like saying Olympic fencing is a fight if they used unabated swords.

Sliced off arms...pierced hearts. atsch

Get the **** outta here!

 

True..but if you apply the rules which are in place to prevent a guy getting hurt in one skill set as a reason as why it doesnt compare to a real fight, then to be objectionable you should apply it too all...Muay Thai, Boxing, MMA whatever...

You are obviously picking the most extreme example here possible to make a point when you are missing a very simple point Im bringing up. Every combat sport has restrictions. these restrictions are applied to ensure that the promoters can draw the most money with thier best fighters as ofter as possible...

How would Muay Thai guy do against a fully armed member of the local archery club...that is a total strawman my friend :bbb

 

This really isn't even a subject of controversy and something worth debating.

If grapplers want to call their contests "fights" then go ahead if it makes them feel good.

however, anyone with any sense whatsoever recognizes the difference. And it wouldn't take more than a second in the squared circle to know the difference.