Is Rashad Evans black belt level?

I haven't read past the first couple of posts, but I am gonna post prematurely anyway.

I would not consider some of these guys in the discussion to be black belt level BJJ, I have no idea how good / bad their collar choke offense / defense is, how they are with spider guard / de la riva gaurd, etc. I would think that to be black belt level in BJJ you would have to have a well rounded game, not just be a top position wrestler.
 
Auspex said:
hahah, well said.

Maybe not NO grip fighting, per se, but HOW you fight for grips.

Grabbing my lapel and locking down on my gi is going to cause you a lot more problems than being pliable and adaptive. If you lockdown on my gi you've essentially created MY grips for me. Wherever I move, so do you.

Again, I'm not saying DON"T TOUCH EACH OTHER!, nor am I saying that you shouldn't try to ever establish grips. Just that the current school of grabbing and LOCKING DOWN is poor form.
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At least you clarified but in your above post you say you don't necessarily need hands which I will disagree with.

I'll agree that locking down can be in poor form. I disagree with the assumption that if I lock down on your gi I go where you go. I randoried constantly against this old man before and once he got a grip and locked you in you were his. He was one of many. He controlled you which is what happens when you lock someone down.
 
skey91 said:
I just find it hard to believe that these guys don't work and understand the guard or sweeps very well.

I mean even if they don't utilize it in thier fights they have to know it well enough to shut down the guards of worldclass competition.

I have wrestled and coached wrestling for a long time. Now I am not good and don't do tilts, seep singles etc.. but I had to understand those moves to stop them and I can teach them.

I just find it hard that Randy could sit in Jacares guard and survive without having a very good understanding of it.
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having an understanding of it and being able to do it are 2 very different things, and i feel the latter is required to be black belt level.
 
codemonkey76 said:
I would not consider some of these guys in the discussion to be black belt level BJJ, I have no idea how good / bad their collar choke offense / defense is, how they are with spider guard / de la riva gaurd, etc.
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lol.


codemonkey76 said:
I would think that to be black belt level in BJJ you would have to have a well rounded game, not just be a top position wrestler.
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jealousy kills.
 
I do not believe I have ever saw rashad use bjj. he used to just strike but he does a lot of wrestling since he lost to machida.

but about his BB. From the interview with Renzo it sounded like renzo did not know that rolles was giving rashad a BB.

Then renzo said that rolles gave rashad a nogi BB and the reason was so that Rashad could participate as a black belt in GRAPPLING tournies/matches.

So how many grappling matches has Rashad been in since he got his BB?

None?

Renzo is as legit as the come and I would never question someone he awarded a BB to.

That being said, rolles gave rashad a BB not renzo.

I am no where near a BB so I cannot tell you if someone is at that level or not. But being good at wrestling and mma does not mean that you are a BB BJJ.
 
Joose said:
At least you clarified but in your above post you say you don't necessarily need hands which I will disagree with.
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If I ever get my shit together I'll get a couple min vid together of some fun "no hands" exercises.

It's meant to teach you to get your opponent moving without tugging on the guy. It also illustrates how you can do most hip and foot techniques without your hands.

I certainly don't advocate running onto the mat with your fingers tucked into your pants :)
 
To say Rashad is on the Level of a black belt, one would assume you mean under the stipulations of BJJ submission fighting, since that's what a BJJ black belt would be fighting under.

Do you honestly think Rashad could throw on a gi and hang with top notch BJJ BB fighters? I don't see it.

No.
 
What a lot people seem to get confused about when speaking of being black belt level in BJJ is that to be BB level is not only enough to be a fighter and be able to apply BJJ techniques successfully. Blue belts can do that. It has to do with your understanding of the art as a whole, it's fundamentals, history and what makes it what it is and why the techniques work they way they do. It's not enough to know some tricks. And for the record, you are can only even be considered black belt level if you HAVE a black belt. Just my humble opinion.
 
rashad would be a good marketing tool for rolles gracie deserving or not.
 
Dubious Dom said:
To say Rashad is on the Level of a black belt, one would assume you mean under the stipulations of BJJ submission fighting, since that's what a BJJ black belt would be fighting under.

Do you honestly think Rashad could throw on a gi and hang with top notch BJJ BB fighters? I don't see it.

No.
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No, not against top notch BJJ black belts with a gi. But there are over 5000 BJJ BB's in the world. To be at black belt level, he just has to be able to hang with any of those 5000 with a gi in a BJJ contest. And I suspect he could hang with over half of those 5000 BJJ BB's in a gi in a BJJ contest ... and that makes him BB level.

Unless you want to say that any BJJ BB who can't hang with Roger Gracie or Marcelo isn't really BB level?
 
georgejjr said:
No, not against top notch BJJ black belts with a gi. But there are over 5000 BJJ BB's in the world. To be at black belt level, he just has to be able to hang with any of those 5000 with a gi in a BJJ contest. And I suspect he could hang with over half of those 5000 BJJ BB's in a gi in a BJJ contest ... and that makes him BB level.

Unless you want to say that any BJJ BB who can't hang with Roger Gracie or Marcelo isn't really BB level?
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Please define "hang with them".
Do you mean put on a gi and roll with them and not die, beat them in competition?
I see no way Evans could do well in a gi. Does he train daily in a gi? A gi adds so much more variants than no-gi which I'm sure being a MMA fighter is what he focus on. I'm sorry but I just don't see it.
 
I did not read this whole thread bc i'm lazy.

To ask if someone is "black belt level in BJJ" and to ask if they deserve a black belt in BJJ are two VERY different things.

Most if not all upper tier MMA fighters are "black belt level in BJJ" in their grappling abilities. Anyone in the top twenty in any division is going to be able to go in to a BJJ tourney gi or nogi and put a good fight in the black belt division.

Do they deserve BJJ black belts?? Well that is different and if they are given one by a respected instructor then it is safe to say there ARE BJJ black belts.
 
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whipyourasstyle said:
Most if not all upper tier MMA fighters are "black belt level in BJJ" in their grappling abilities. Anyone in the top twenty in any division is going to be able to go in to a BJJ tourney gi or nogi and put a good fight in the black belt division.
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Sorry but I fully disagree with that statement.
 
whipyourasstyle said:
I did not read this whole thread bc i'm lazy.

To ask if someone is "black belt level in BJJ" and to ask if they deserve a black belt in BJJ are two VERY different things.

Most if not all upper tier MMA fighters are "black belt level in BJJ" in their grappling abilities. Anyone in the top twenty in any division is going to be able to go in to a BJJ tourney gi or nogi and put a good fight in the black belt division.

Do they deserve BJJ black belts?? Well that is different and if they are given one by a respected instructor then it is safe to say there ARE BJJ black belts.
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dude, i guess you didn't hear about how askren did in the purple belt level nogi tourny he was in a few weeks ago where he lost in what, the first round?

also, beating a black belt does not make you a black belt

you could have a BB level A game for tournies, but that still does not make you a BB
 
Would you want a vet to get his medical license just because he can pretty much do all the same stuff as a regular doctor? Probably not.
 
I agree with him, but they way he said it made it seem incredibly nonsensical.
 
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