Do Top 10 Athletes Compete In All Rule Sets?
Exploring the view points...
Gordon Ryan recently posted the following on his Facebook, “The biggest names in BJJ definitely do NOT compete under all rule sets. Which top 10 athlete has competed gi/no gi points with time limit, gi/no gi no time limit, ADCC rules, EBI rules? I literally can't name a single athlete that has done all of these rules even one time each. The closest is Keenan and Felipe Pena. Keenan having the no time limit match with me and the BJJ Kumite matches but never doing EBI rules and Pena doing a 1 hour EBI OT match with me but never doing no time limit gi/no gi to my knowledge. Point blank. Top 10 athletes DO NOT COMPETE IN ALL RULE SETS. They compete in whatever suits them best.”
Gordon should need no introduction for most of us. He was recently announced to face Fabrico Werdum in a CJJ match. Ryan is a member of the famed Danaher Death Squad. He first won the Eddie Bravo Invitational Championship in 2016. He has won the EBI Championship on 3 more occasions. Some of his other notable accomplishments are defeating Dillon Danis, Romulo Barral, Xande Ribeiro and Keenan Cornelius in the -88 kg division of ADCC Championships and took gold. He also displayed a dominate performance in Quintet's 2018 Tournament for team Alpha Male. He defeated Craig Jones, Vitor Ribeiro, Josh Barnett and Marcos Souza to earn a victory for his team.
Rafael Lovato Jr was quick to respond with the following, “I saw @gordonlovesjiujitsu talking about how the guys at the top only compete in the ruleset they are most comfortable with & it got me thinking about all the different events & forms of combat I’ve competed in during my martial arts life/journey. It’s a pretty extensive list so I decided to share it with you guys, there are a couple that might surprise you…😁 I don’t think there are too many people out there that can say they’ve tested themselves in more combat arts than me. I’ve never stayed in my comfort zone & never will. Challenge yourself & grow.“
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Rafael is no stranger to the grappling community. He is a black belt under the legendary Carlos Machado (instructor of The Classic Butterfly Guard). He has been extremely successful in many high level competitions. One particular accomplishment is being the second American to win the World Jiu Jitsu Championship as a black belt. BJ Penn was the first to achieve this distinction.
In addition to his grappling credentials, Rafael has had an impressive run in Mixed Martial Arts. He currently boasts a 9-0 record. He holds wins over UFC veterans Mike Rhodes, Gerald Harris, and John Salter. Out of his 9 wins, two have been via knockout while 9 have been via submission.
What do you think about Gordon and Rafael’s statements?
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