Demian Maia has left the world of mixed martial arts behind to focus on his grappling career. Speaking on the Trocação Franca podcast, Maia opened up on the major differences between straight-up grappling and the fight game of MMA.
“There’s something MMA fighters have but jiu-jitsu guys don’t, and it’s the ability to do an anti-game very well. MMA guys, if they don’t have to go in your guard, they won’t. They don’t accept positions, they explode out of positions like crazy. Meanwhile, jiu-jitsu guys will sometimes think about it for a moment, which makes things a little bit easier. MMA guys will simply explode out of a position like crazy — sometimes they will fall into a trap, but many times they make things more difficult.”
Demian Maia On The “What If” of Jiu Jitsu in MMA
Maia continued, discussing the differences in options available in an MMA fight compared to jiu-jitsu. “There are certain positions you don’t do in MMA because it leaves yourself too exposed, especially if you’re off your back.
It’s too dangerous to do in MMA, and you can do in jiu-jitsu. It gives you different possibilities when you don’t have a punch coming your way.”
Even gym culture and the entertainment value of events can feel different, he said. “In jiu-jitsu, you only depend on yourself.
MMA is different. MMA is a show business, it’s not just a sport, and it depends on you pleasing the promoter so they put you in an interesting fight. Is there a sportive side of it? Yes. Can you earn it? Sure. But it’s not only up to you. In jiu-jitsu, I don’t depend on someone liking me so I can compete in the Worlds or Pan-American, for example.
They are fighters who ended up not doing it because they were doing so well in jiu-jitsu, [and] with a life structured around jiu-jitsu with gyms, seminars and classes, that it’s just so hard to drop it and do [MMA].
They were great champions in jiu-jitsu but ended up not giving the sport a chance because they were like, ‘I’ll have to drop everything to train MMA, stop making money and teaching seminars and classes, leave my gym aside, and the promoter ends up liking me or not?’”
Demian Maia appeared to appreciate the pure, unadulterated thrill of sport in his newfound career path. “If you’re doing just for fame and money, it doesn’t work, because you have to like [fighting] first. If they like it, I’m sure that, God willing, I still can give them a little help.”
What do you think of Demian Maia’s comments on grappling vs MMA? Let us know in the comments.
