Wrestling Vs. BJJ In Modern MMA: Which Is Better?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) quickly went from an almost unknown fighting style to one of the most popular combat styles worldwide because of how effective it was during the early days of mixed martial arts (MMA), despite unorthodox techniques like groin strikes, eye gouging, and headbutts being allowed in earlier days.

BJJ looked unstoppable during those days when Royce Gracie dominated the first four UFC tournaments, winning three of them. Other members of the Gracie family, like Rickson Gracie, were just as dominant fighting in promotions like Pride FC.

Since then, BJJ has been widely viewed as one of the best martial art for self-defense, given the success participants enjoyed during the early days of what is now one of the most popular combat sports in the world. MMA is the closest thing to real fighting in modern history, and BJJ emerged as the most dominant fighting style when matched against other styles.

Kazushi Sakuraba, a Japanese wrestler, eventually ended Royce Gracie’s dominance. It remains one of the most historic bouts in MMA history, lasting over 90 minutes before Gracie’s corner finally threw in the towel. The message sent was clear: BJJ isn’t as effective if you can’t take your opponent down.

Since then, wrestlers and BJJ players have battled for dominance in mixed martial arts, leading to the question of which style is better. We’ll explore the pros and cons of each style in modern MMA to answer the question.

Figuring Out If Wrestling Or BJJ Is Better For Modern Mixed Martial Arts

There have been many changes in the mixed martial arts world since Royce Gracie dominated tournaments. For starters, bouts are now broken down into five-minute rounds, and trying to gouge your opponent’s eyes out is guaranteed to get you disqualified these days.

The rolling out of the Unified Rules in MMA made the 10-point scoring system the standard for the sport. Under this system, fights are scored by three judges who score rounds based on three main things: effective striking or grappling, fighting area control, and effective aggression.

These rules favor wrestlers since taking someone down and keeping them on the mat counts as effective area control and grappling. BJJ players looking for submissions on the bottom don’t score points for trying to set up submissions. Submission attempts are only factored into the scoring when they come close to ending the fight.

Implementing the Unified Rules created an environment that strongly favors wrestlers since takedowns and ground control score points. Some would argue that’s why wrestlers have been more dominant in modern MMA than BJJ purists have been.

The Pros And Cons Of Wrestling In Modern MMA

Some of the benefits of being good at wrestling in modern MMA include:

• Easy Way To Score Points And Win Rounds: Scoring takedowns and controlling opponents on the ground allows wrestlers to edge out rounds even if their strikes aren’t effective. Taking opponents down also allows you to steal closely contested rounds. A takedown during the last seconds of a close round is often enough to change how judges view the round.
• Ability To Control The Fight: Scoring points and stealing rounds aren’t the only benefits of being an excellent wrestler in modern MMA. The ability to take opponents down at will and defend against most takedowns that come your way allows you to dictate where fights occur. You can use your takedown defense to keep fights standing against better grapplers or shoot in on better strikers to force them to fight you where you’re at your best. Most importantly, takedowns can help avoid getting finished when you are stunned during a fight.

The downsides of wrestling in modern MMA include:

• Limited Ability To Finish Fights: Wrestlers tend to focus more on ground strikes instead of looking for submissions on the ground, which can lead to trouble later on in fights. Every second you spend fighting leaves you vulnerable to getting finished. BJJ players have the edge here since they can lock in submissions from virtually any ground position and quickly end fights.
• Energy Intensive: Excellent cardio isn’t optional when you have a wrestling-based style. Takedowns use lots of energy, and you sometimes have to chain a few together to get opponents to the ground. Most successful wrestlers in MMA have excellent cardiovascular endurance.

The Pros And Cons Of BJJ In Modern MMA

BJJ players are no longer as dominant as they once were in MMA, mostly because people modern fighters know how to defend against many of the submissions the style teaches. That being said, it’s still one of the best grappling bases for the sport.

Some of the pros of BJJ in modern MMA include:

• The Ability To Change The Outcome Of Fights In A Split Second: This has always been one of the best benefits of mastering BJJ, and it remains one of the most significant advantages of making it your base. A skilled BJJ player can end fights from almost any position on the ground and many clinch positions. You’re always one mistake away from being forced to tap out when you’re rolling on the canvas with a BJJ player.
• Better Complementary Style For Strikers: Elite strikers in MMA typically don’t plan on spending much time on the ground, making BJJ an excellent complementary style. BJJ teaches setups, sweeps, submission defense, and reversals for such fighters to get back on their feet when they’re taken down.
• Effective Grappling: While BJJ fighters sometimes struggle against skilled wrestlers, their grappling abilities are typically enough to dominate fighters from other grappling bases. Additionally, there’s a lot of variety in how BJJ dojos train their students, with many gyms now dedicating more time to takedowns, takedown defense, and positional grappling.

BJJ’s main drawback in modern MMA is:

• Ineffective Takedowns Against Experienced Wrestlers: The main drawback BJJ has had in modern times is how ineffective its takedowns can be against strong wrestlers. This theory was evident during Reinier de Ridder’s title defense of his light-heavyweight belt against Anatoly Malykhin, failing to land all six of his takedown attempts. He went on to lose the middleweight title to Malykhin as well because of his inability to get the fight to the ground. De Ridder is a BJJ and Judo blackbelt, while Malykhin enjoyed great success as an amateur wrestler.

The Best Approach For Modern MMA?

BJJ and wrestling have many valuable techniques for modern MMA. While wrestlers have an easier time dictating what type of fight unfolds, BJJ teaches more submissions and ways to set them up. Both skills are fundamental in modern mixed martial arts.

The best approach is to start with the easiest style for you to learn and cross-train the other. The best grapplers in modern MMA are equally comfortable securing takedowns or submissions and defending against both.

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