Seminars, TV shows, documentaries, always spreading Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I'm an instrument of this art more than a character myself.
I'm a two-time world champion in jiu-jitsu. I can try to submit you.
I'm a vale-tudo fighter.
I believe in my jiu-jitsu.
There was a time when guys just had a specialty, like boxer or wrestler or jiujitsu guy. Then came guys who could blend taking you down with also being able to kick your head off.
MMA has evolved. When you look at an MMA fighter's skill set, boxing has to be a big piece of it. All of them have a boxing coach now and strive to have a good stand-up game, knowing that to be a complete fighter, you have to tend to your striking skills.
Coming from a standing background in striking, I couldn't catch up to the guys with 20-plus years of training on the ground. I had to learn submissions. I found out it wasn't an easy road. I had six losses in a row, but I still felt I was the best fighter in the world.
I don't know any real jiu-jitsu or judo or anything. I do movie kung fu. With that, you can fake a punch, but you can't really fake a judo throw. You can get help from the person who you're throwing because they can kind of launch themselves.
Everybody that I fight always avoids jiu-jitsu.
Jon Jones, grow up, bud. We're going to fight regardless of how you feel. And when we do, and I'm cutting the line, and you might as well pull the guard because I'm taking you down.
If we fought like the old days, with no time limit, it would be better to work. We only have five minutes to work per round so it's complicated, especially because everybody knows that my ground game is good.
I work on armbars, triangles, anaconda chokes, guillotines and rear-naked chokes. Basic, simple stuff. I just wanna go there and win the fight, I don't wanna invent too much and try doing fancy things.
I've got good jiu-jitsu skills, good wrestling, good ground and pound, good power on my feet, good strikes.
Jiu-jitsu fighters usually have an advantage in longer fights even though MMA has breaks between rounds.
I need to improve my striking and my wrestling, but I always be best at jiu-jitsu.
Do this rubber guard stuff and I'll punch you in the nose.
My strength is my wrestling, but I don't focus on it as much. I try to focus on a lot of different things like knees, elbows, submissions, and submission defense - just a lot of different things.
I think it's stupid to say a guy who has trained in jiu-jitsu for as long as I have is just a stand-up fighter. I have trained with some of the best black belts in the world. I am comfortable on the ground. I can fight wherever the fight goes and not be concerned.
I just don't see where Chris Weidman is going to threaten me. He's a tough guy, but I'm better on my feet, better on the ground. He's not going to threaten me with his wrestling.
I'm usually looking to wrestle and grapple, but I guess the knockouts just happen.
I'm a professional fighter. My game plan is to fight standing up and to fight on the ground.
I'd like to be remembered for being the one responsible for adapting Brazilian jiu-jitsu for modern MMA. For what I've learned from fence work and some ground positions. Lots of details I developed after years and years studying them, testing what worked on the mat, against the fence, what kept opponents on the ground, control situations.
Most other schools train no-gi part time, or maybe even half the time. We train no-gi all the time.
Wrestling has made me very mentally strong, conditioned me really well for MMA, and given me phenomenal balance.
Wrestlers tend to do good in MMA because they tend to be just some tough guys. It's not a karate situation where they grew up their whole life punching the air; in a wrestling situation, you grab a hold of another human being every day.
