The Importance of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA
The first steps of MMA were given in the 1920’s Brazil and this
events were called “Vale Tudo” (anything goes). They were unsanctioned
bouts with no rules (eye gouging and strikes to the groin were allowed)
no gloves, no weight categories and most of the times they did not have a
time limit either. It was in these bouts that the Gracie’s made their
mark and created a name for themselves throughout the nation. As the
sport progressed, a few tweaks were made to these Vale Tudo matches, but
nowhere near what the sport is today.
 |
| 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt Professor Rodrigo Teixeira Teaching No Gi BJJ at BJJ India |
In the early days, when these matches started occurring, Jiu Jitsu’s
greatest opponent was Luta Livre, a style of submission grappling used
in Brazil. As the popularity of Vale Tudo grew, so did the rivalry
between these two opposing styles, so much that many street fights
between students of both martial arts and even Dojo storming were common
practice.
 |
| Arun Sharma Training Under His Master, Professor Rodrigo Teixeira |
In the 1984 an attempt to settle the affair was made with the “Jiu
Jitsu vs Martial Arts” event being held where several important figures
of Jiu Jitsu were put up against fighters of other trades (but mainly
Luta Livre). The result was inconclusive and the unfriendly Banta
continued, until 1991, one of the most important events in the history
of Vale Tudo/MMA was held to decide once and for all which was the best
martial art in Brazil, the name of the event was “Desafio – Jiu-Jitsu
vs. Luta Livre” (BJJ vs Luta Livre Challenge). 3 fighters were chosen
from each style to compete against each other in a Vale-Tudo match with
no time limits, the fighters from BJJ were Wallid Ismail, Murilo Bustamante and Fabio Gurgel
against Eugenio Tadeu, Marcelo Mendes and Denilson Maia from Luta
Livre. Jiu Jitsu won all three fights, a major feather on the cap of
BJJ’s community who became broadly considered the stronger style.
While the Brazilian Vale Tudo panorama was roaring, the same was not happening in the United States. It was again through the Gracie family’s efforts that the sport was put in its place. The Gracie’s had seen a market for their Jiu Jitsu style in America, and they established an academy in California. In trying to prove that their style was the best martial art available, the Gracie’s developed a No Holds Barred event, the concept being designed by Rorion Gracie, this event was named Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and it had the same principle as the Vale Tudo events back in Brazil. The first champion to emerge from this event was Royce Gracie, who later became a UFC Hall of Fame. The brand name and the event itself would suffer severe changes to the rule set, such as the inclusion of gloves, the Kimono (Gi) being stripped, the time frame and striking limitations added and so on and so forth. With time the fighters became more well rounded learning all facets of the game. Today, though less relevant than it was in the past, Jiu Jitsu is still one of the most important disciplines in the sport.
If the sport started in the US in the early 1990’s, the same seemed
to happen in Japan around the same time. Considered the birth nation of
Martial Arts, Japan would seem to have a head start when it came to No
Holds Barred; the Japanese were serious about striking martial arts and
ground fighting with their Karate and Kosen Judo schools. Still, when
MMA (Vale Tudo) emerged in Japan, another Gracie name rose above all
others, the name of Rickson Gracie.
Considered by many the greatest BJJ competitor of all time, Rickson
remained undefeated throughout his career, and once again cemented the
Gracie name and the Jiu Jitsu style in that country.
BJJ IN MMA VIDEO