We know very well that height and reach do not matter in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because it is all about neutralizing the reach and height advantages of an opponent. See a detailed article here.
BJJ is specially designed to nullify those advantages and focuses on Ground and Pound and finally choking the opponent to finish the matter as soon as possible. So the next question raises here:
Does Strength Matter in Jiu-Jitsu?The answer varies from situation to situation. Sometimes, it is Yes, and sometimes, it is No.So in this article, I will explain how sometimes it matters, and sometimes it does not.
Let us see where Strength Matters in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and where it does not.
Strength Matters in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
In every combat sport, there are different weight classes. And the fighters fight with each other within the same weight division.
When two fighters of adjacent weight classes are to face each other, one of them comes to the other’s weight. And when two fighters of non-adjacent weight challenge each other, a catchweight is settle for both, which means the heavier won will cut down and the lighter one will put some weight.
Why this? Because the extra weight causes a strike to become more powerful, lethal, and devastating.
Furthermore, when a fighter is failed to make weight, either he is fined, or the fight is canceled. And in the championship bouts, if a defending champion fails to make the weight, then two things happened :
- If the weight is too much heavier than the required weight, then he is fined, the belt no more belongs to him, and he would be out of the fight. And the challenger will fight against someone else for the vacant belt.
- If the weight is near the desired one, the champion will fight after paying the fine, but the title will be in line for the challenger only. If the challenger wins the fight, he gets the title, if the challenger loses, the belt becomes vacant.
These rules are never applied at reach and height, there is no different classes for height and reach. What’s the reason? The reason is weight matters a lot and is a cause of the strength in every strike thrown.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, power and strength matter.
Think about a scenario, when a fighter gets out of a lock or a fighter lifts the opponents with his strong arms and slams him despite he himself was under a choke or a situation where a fighter does not give up or when a fighter turns a lock into a reverse lock with his power. Let us see four examples.
1-Mathew Hughes slams Carlos Newton despite suffering from a Triangle Choke:
Matt Hughes won his first UFC World Welterweight title at UFC 34: High Voltage on November 2, 2001.
In a come-from-behind fight, Hughes was caught in a triangle choke by then-champion Carlos Newton, but he lifted Newton in the air and slammed him to the mat, causing Newton to hit his head and lose consciousness just as Hughes was himself on the verge of blacking out from the choke.
The result was officially announced as a KO at 1:27 of the second round. The slam is considered to be one of the greatest in MMA history. Power and physical strength Matters in BJJ.
2-Khabib comes out of a very tight Von Flue Choke:
During the UFC 242 event in Abu Dhabi, Khabib faced Dustin Poirier. Khabib the Eagle got out of the danger zone when Dustin Poirier captured him with a Von Flue choke, and this happened twice. But Khabib managed to break the lock and then finished the bout in 3rd round with a rear-naked choke. Power and physical strength Matters in BJJ
So the first point is the powerful one gets out of the locks with physical strength and conditions, and we have seen it in many bouts.
3-Tony Ferguson did not give up:
There is another example, in December 2020, Tony Ferguson faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 event.
Though Ferguson lost a unanimous decision during the bout, Charles caught him with a very tight armbar but Ferguson did not submit and stayed there until the round was ended.
So another example that Power and physical strength Matters in BJJ.
One more point, have you ever seen a BJJ lock is overturned by a fighter? Yes, it happened many times when a stronger one turned a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lock and into his own.
4-Charles Oliveira turned a lock into his own:
For example, at the UFC on Fox event in Illinois, Charles Oliveira and Eric Wisely faced each other at the featherweight non-title fight. While pounding each other, both the fighters were trying for a Calf Slicer. Eric Wisely got a chance and attempted the Calf Slicer but, Oliveira turned it into a Reverse Calf Slicer and forced a tap. How? Because Eric could lock it properly, and Oliveira turned it into a reverse lock with his power. Power and physical strength Matters in BJJ.
5-Chad George vs. Mark Vorgeas: Chad won the double lock:
Chad Savage George debuted at Bellator at event number 136 and faced Mark Vorgeas.
The fight ended in the very first round when they choked each other.
Mark applied a Von Flue choke, and Chad countered it with Shoulder Choke. Apparently, it was like Chad was going to be unconscious or going to tap to get rid of the situation, but suddenly, it appeared that Mark had been unconscious with Shoulder Choke.
Chad got up and instead of beating Mark, started talking with the referee until the referee came to know that Mark Vorgeas was done already. Power and physical strength Matters in BJJ.
Hense these five fights described that strength matters in Jiu-Jitsu.
So is there a point where:
Power and physical strength does not matter for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter?
The Answer is Yes!
And the situation is when BJJ trained faces a bully or goon who is more power full and has a strong body structure but is not a martial artist.
Then the BJJ-trained one will hold him easily by gripping him with a strong lock, and all the power of the goon or bully will be neutralized, due to the severe pain.
A trained fighter knows what is going on and what lock the opponent is looking for, which jab landing opportunity was bait for the next devastating move.
He also knows, how to counter when caught in a trap. He is also aware of how to reverse most of the locks with strong resistance and body movement.
A well trained BJJ fighter can handle a situation like being bullied or goons attack or robbers trying to rob. In situations like this, a fighter can tackle and cop with very ease. That’s what they mean when saying power does not matter in BJJ.
The bottom line is, the untrained person does not know where the things are going, and he gets into the trap of having a chance to land a punch or slap. And then he would be unknowingly and unwillingly caught into an elbow-breaking armbar lock. But in a professional BJJ fight, where the two trained ones face each other, power and strength matter.