How are so many amazing grapplers unable to take the fight to the ground?

superpunch

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You'd think that someone great on the ground would make it a priority to be great at getting the fight to the ground. But that's just not the case. Ortega, Maia, etc. Why is this weakness so common?

This is the kind of thing that should only happen in TMAs. BJJ is TMAing itself with this kind of refusal to adapt. It's becoming "old".
 
Because the other guy doesn't want it to go to the ground?
 
Based on them failing in their title fights?

Maia has only become a tremendousl wrestler considering he started in BJJ.
 
You'd think that someone great on the ground would make it a priority to be great at getting the fight to the ground. But that's just not the case. Ortega, Maia, etc. Why is this weakness so common?

This is the kind of thing that should only happen in TMAs. BJJ is TMAing itself with this kind of refusal to adapt. It's becoming "old".

Because a lot of BJJ guys either think they don't need extra wrestling training, or underestimate how difficult it is to take people down who know how to wrestle.

BJJ is not wrestling and wrestling is not BJJ. People need both.
 
It's almost as if fighters have been practicing a way to not get taken down...
 
The problem is that BJJ is now table stakes. I don't see a BJJ focused fighter ever becoming champion again. The same is increasingly happening to wrestling... All the top fighters have solid defensive wrestling, its the differentiation of the striking that is making the difference. Khabib is a notable exception.
 
I was thinking the same thing after last night. If Ortega is so good on the ground, I would imagine his coaches drill wrestling and takedowns so he can get any fight to the ground at will. Guess not. Mind boggling really
 
Maia progressed his wrestling a ton over the course of his career. He became a damned good wrestler. Dude is 41 right now so he was pretty old for the recent string of losses to young strong wrestlers with better cardio.

Ortega has never been someone to just consistently try to take people down. It's just not his game. Maybe it should be and he will learn this from his first loss. He's an opportunist, and Holloway has really good TDD.
 
Max Holloway's TDD is really underrated. We should be giving him credit instead of taking credit away from Ortega.
 
Based on them failing in their title fights?

Maia has only become a tremendousl wrestler considering he started in BJJ.

Maia has the 7th most landed takedowns in UFC history. The narrative that he sucks at taking people down needs to stop.
 
You'd think that someone great on the ground would make it a priority to be great at getting the fight to the ground. But that's just not the case. Ortega, Maia, etc. Why is this weakness so common?

This is the kind of thing that should only happen in TMAs. BJJ is TMAing itself with this kind of refusal to adapt. It's becoming "old".

You realize Max is really good on the ground too right? He's the champ for a reason.
 
cause juijtsu ppl are submission artists first, takedown artists 10th and it’s not the 90s. Sometimes they’re fighting the champ. If you can’t take the champ down yur takedowns must suck innit?
 
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Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face


-mike Tyson
 
Ortega even tried to pull guard at one point and even that shit didn't work
 
You can train and practice tdd at 100% effort all day long without much risk of injury. It isn't a secret that strikers need to keep the fight standing so they practice it.


Is it that hard to understand?
 
The problem is that BJJ is now table stakes. I don't see a BJJ focused fighter ever becoming champion again. The same is increasingly happening to wrestling... All the top fighters have solid defensive wrestling, its the differentiation of the striking that is making the difference. Khabib is a notable exception.

Literally all of the champs except Max and Valentina come from a grappling base.
 
5min rounds make the ground game not really worth it offensively unless it's following a knock down.
 
The problem is that BJJ is now table stakes. I don't see a BJJ focused fighter ever becoming champion again. The same is increasingly happening to wrestling... All the top fighters have solid defensive wrestling, its the differentiation of the striking that is making the difference. Khabib is a notable exception.
DC maybe ?
 
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