Alot of martial arts across the globe never really allow their full potential to be displayed due to being: rule and regulation heavy. Muay Thai has a grappling game we never see, and is not practiced anymore because it doesn't help those who are trying to escape poverty by fighting in all the events and tournaments they can. So the full potential of the art is never on display and will eventually be lost if it isnt already, unless it gets partially rescued like Jiu Jitsu and Judo did after their split, when MMA came about, allowing Jiu Jitsu and Judo specialists to round out their game.
Of course, UFC highlighted Gracie Jiu Jitsu first, but we are talking about after the race to be the most complete MMArtist began.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu is supposed to be a complete self defense system, and effective enough of a well rounded martial art that they are supposed to teach you what works and doesn't work in the context of self defense and MMA competition/sparring. Because Gracie Jiu Jitsu, is more like the original jujutsu which is the art where all forms of modern Jiu Jitsu and Judo come from, in that it does/is supposed to teach you how to strike, the striking (Muay Thai & Dirty Boxing) and grappling grind of the clinch game, and how to grapple on the ground, which also includes wrestling influence, not just Jiu Jitsu.
Didn't Royce throw kicks to the knee from Savate like JacksonWink fighters and others do? If it wasn't that Gracie I'm sure it was some other one or maybe more than one. Maybe not just the side kick, he might've thrown oblique kicks too, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't, you kinda have to see that move work before you think it's worth trying, such a funky kick.
MMA means we should be practicing everything that works, right? We don't practice kneeing grounded opponents in the head anymore, or soccer kicks, or eyepokes unless we are Jon Jones, like we don't practice kicking nuts unless we are Cheick Kongo.
That's because none of those moves (if you want to recognize barbarism as more than simple barbarism) are allowed by our rules.
The soccer kick is only allowed with those new rules on an opponent who only has one glove on the mat, as in getting up and not falling down, right?
Probably not while seating with one arm on the knee or anywhere that isn't on the ground, because if one is seated, then they are counted as a downed opponent or w/e, right?
Regardless, Max Holloway needs to train his Jiu Jitsu some more, he didn't expose Jiu Jitsu as obsolete, everyone needs it and that's why every top fighter is hard to sub and if you think they aren't, you don't know what you are watching. If he had better Jiu Jitsu, he would've had quicker finishes against Aldo when it came time for G&P coffin nails.
You train No-Gi jiujitsu for MMA, and you train it with G&P allowed in order to be able to keep your black belt level ground game strong while under pressure.