Mixed martial arts giant Demetrious Johnson recently took a step back from the sport on which he built his reputation.
Though he still holds the ONE Championship flyweight title, he is now fully focused on competing in jiu-jitsu towards the end of his career, something he has always wanted to do.
Although Johnson had never focused on the discipline before, learning to put on a gi and compete in grappling tournaments was something he found motivating.
He has already achieved great success at the brown belt level and has recently been promoted to black belt as a result of his dedication to martial arts.
In fact, Johnson hasn't just switched his MMA training for Jiu-Jitsu, he believes the new endeavor will be even tougher…
Demetrious Johnson says technique and special preparation make mixed martial arts easier than jiu-jitsu
Recent Unsubscribe from a podcastJohnson explained why he thinks mixed martial arts (MMA) is easier than jiu-jitsu.
“Mighty Mouse” believes that the complexity of training and competing in a gi makes it very difficult to adapt to or avoid certain tricky positions, especially those that require a lot of practice.
“MMA is a lot easier than jiu-jitsu… it's a lot harder in a gi. In my opinion, it's way easier without a gi,” Johnson said. “Let's say I'm fighting Cody and he's in a gi and he's trained in some way. If he grabs me, I have to release his grip. He's attached to me, we become one. Without a gi, I can push him, create space, and I can move.
“If I put him on a lasso or a worm or a squid guard, he'll be like, 'What the hell is this?!'” because he's never touched them before.
Johnson also cited the difference in how fighters have to prepare to compete in the two sports.
He believes that in MMA, studying and preparing for a specific opponent makes it much easier to plan and predict everything, compared to competing in a tournament against multiple unknown competitors.
“The unknown is the worst. It's like, 'OK, I'm going to go to a tournament with 30 motherfuckers.' I don't know what I'm going to do. That's the reality, give it a go and see how it goes. (MMA) is like, 'OK, I'm fighting you. I have three months to prepare for you. I've watched all your videos. I know your tendencies, I know your mistakes, I know what you're good at. OK, easy work, easy win.'”
