Was Bj Penn really that good at Jiu jitsu?

[SnowBlynd]

Because 3 years after he began training BJJ he won gold at Mundials in the blackbelt division.

ehh..anybody could do that

 

[markg171]

I know they call him the prodigy because he evolved so fast. He's really good, don't get me wrong. But I think his BJJ was overrated. I've been skimming a few vids and what impresses me the most is his flexibility. I think people may have mistaken that as great BJJ, when in fact, it's just great flexibility.

Nick Diaz's BJJ impresses me more than BJ's.

Thoughts? Why were people so impressed with Bj's BJJ?

I'm in no way trying to knock him, btw. He's was one of my favorite fighters.

 

[Jermei]

Do your homework ts.

 

[JayElectra]

Isn't GSP a wrestler?

Nope. He never wrestled competitively. He applies skills that could fall under the umbrella of wrestling in MMA very well, though. He also applies skills that could fall under the umbrella of BJJ in MMA very well. So no, GSP isn't merely a wrestler.

 

[El Chimpo]

Matt Hughes. I don't want to turn this into an argument. LOL

matt hughes does not equal GSP

 

[dontreallycare]

TS should go watch the Pulver fight after TUF.

BJ straight trolls Pulver with his BJJ, like he did all season. No respect for Pulver at all.

Pulver is a boxer more than anything, imo. I can respect him though.

 

[dontreallycare]

matt hughes does not equal GSP

He did make gsp look like a white belt for a minute, though.
And vice versa

 

[Fantastic_Man]

He is terrible at BJJ.. The worst ever..

 

[dontreallycare]

In MMA, he has fought a ton of fights at 170lbs and higher.

In BJJ, he fought at 135.

This should help you understand, as I'm sure you have felt the difference that strength and size makes when wrestling and doing BJJ.

AHHH. Makes perfect sense. Thank you.

 

[dontreallycare]

Nope. He never wrestled competitively. He applies skills that could fall under the umbrella of wrestling in MMA very well, though. He also applies skills that could fall under the umbrella of BJJ in MMA very well. So no, GSP isn't merely a wrestler.

Dude, he's a wrestler. That's what he does. Cmon.

 

[countswagula]

See, i would expect somebody called /known as the BJJ prodigy, to be able to sub a wrestler.

GSP was a black belt before he started training with wrestlers

 

[CubicleGangster]

Bj is a beast

 

[ALAN PARTRIDGE]

yes

 

[lts5025]

That's impressive. I did not know that. I mostly watched his UFC fights.

I suppose it depends on which fights you've watched. Penn in his prime was absolutely amazing. Getting beat up at 170 vs. GSP, Diaz and Rory Mac aren't the defining moments of his career.

BJ is incredibly flexible, but his jiu-jitsu is pretty basic, too. Yes, he does some high guard stuff, and had an incredible jailbreak on GSP

Spoiler

In reality, his style of BJJ is one of the best for MMA. He's not a big guard player, and instead from guard will seek to sweep or escape and take the back to look for an RNC. You don't see him throwing up triangles or armbars from guard. This reliance on sweeps can be a problem, and you've seen it against bigger stronger wrestlers like GSP, Hughes and Fitch, where if BJ can't get out of guard and work his game, his opponent will just sit there and punch him.

Escaping Fitch's top game:

Taking Matt Hughes' back:

Beautiful transition to mount on Renzo Gracie:

Body triangle and RNC on Gomi:

Back take from full guard on Hughes:

 

[Damianj]

He did make gsp look like a white belt for a minute, though.
And vice versa

No he didn't you tard. Even a very green and intimidated GSP gave Matt Hughes one hell of a first fight until he made that mistake at the end of the round and Hughes ripped his arm off.


Anyway, yes BJ was that good. He's done himself a grave injustice over the years by refusing to accept his natural weight class and has therefore always dealt with bigger/stronger opponents that make his BJJ look slightly less impressive than it really is.

If BJ would've stayed his ass at 155 or dropped to 145, he would have a much longer highlight reel of tooling people on the ground.

 

[wookie brawl]

I know they call him the prodigy because he evolved so fast. He's really good, don't get me wrong. But I think his BJJ was overrated. I've been skimming a few vids and what impresses me the most is his flexibility. I think people may have mistaken that as great BJJ, when in fact, it's just great flexibility.

Nick Diaz's BJJ impresses me more than BJ's.

Thoughts? Why were people so impressed with Bj's BJJ?

I'm in no way trying to knock him, btw. He's was one of my favorite fighters.

You'd have to be into the older scene to trul appreciate how good BJ Penn was. In today's context, he'd be surpassed by a lot of BJJ athletes & fighters, but that's how life is

 

[dontreallycare]

GSP was a black belt before he started training with wrestlers

Only seen him use it a couple times though. His wrestling is what made him champ for 6 years

 

[dontreallycare]

You'd have to be into the older scene to trul appreciate how good BJ Penn was. In today's context, he'd be surpassed by a lot of BJJ athletes & fighters, but that's how life is

I hear you

 

[dontreallycare]

I suppose it depends on which fights you've watched. Penn in his prime was absolutely amazing. Getting beat up at 170 vs. GSP, Diaz and Rory Mac aren't the defining moments of his career.

BJ is incredibly flexible, but his jiu-jitsu is pretty basic, too. Yes, he does some high guard stuff, and had an incredible jailbreak on GSP

Spoiler

In reality, his style of BJJ is one of the best for MMA. He's not a big guard player, and instead from guard will seek to sweep or escape and take the back to look for an RNC. You don't see him throwing up triangles or armbars from guard. This reliance on sweeps can be a problem, and you've seen it against bigger stronger wrestlers like GSP, Hughes and Fitch, where if BJ can't get out of guard and work his game, his opponent will just sit there and punch him.

Escaping Fitch's top game:

Taking Matt Hughes' back:

Beautiful transition to mount on Renzo Gracie:

Body triangle and RNC on Gomi:

Back take from full guard on Hughes:

Thank you.

 

[countswagula]

Only seen him use it a couple times though. His wrestling is what made him champ for 6 years

Yeah there are no double legs in BJJ