Before she was a promising UFC strawweight, Mackenzie Dern was a multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion. Dern eyed the elite grappling landscape in MMA in a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, declaring that Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira, the dethroned UFC lightweight champ has the best jiu-jitsu in MMA.
“In my opinion the best jiu-jitsu in the UFC is Charles ‘Do Bronx.’ Because of his jiu-jitsu in MMA. In jiu-jitsu, he wasn’t a black belt world champion or ADCC world champion or anything so it wasn’t like in the jiu-jitsu world he’s the most famous guy in jiu-jitsu but in MMA, for me, he has the best jiu-jitsu in MMA.
Mackenzie Dern: Charles Oliveira Has “The Best Jiu-Jitsu in MMA”
[He has] the most submissions, knows how to play on his back, knows how to play on top. If you want to know the best jiu-jitsu in MMA, Charles ‘Do Bronx.’”
Charles Oliveira’s submission game speaks for itself. He boasts the most submissions in UFC history, the second-most submission attempts, and one of only two fighters to claim submission victory via six different techniques. Dern described Oliveira as a “black belt in MMA”.
“He’s definitely matured as a fighter. He’s been almost 10 years in the UFC. You can definitely tell he’s really hit this maturity as a fighter, intelligent, confident, strategic, it’s all kind of connected now. He’s gotten to be the black belt in MMA.
Always as we’re going up in belt — white belt, blue belt, purple belt — sometimes we’re good at our guard game and then we start working on our passing game maybe at purple belt and then at brown belt we’re working a lot of submissions. By the time we’re black belt, we’re able to be good at everything and I feel that’s where he’s really good. I don’t see him losing the belt for a while.”
Oliveira is currently ranked the no.1 lightweight on the UFC roster, and will face Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title at UFC 280 next month.
“[It took] 10 years [for him] to get to this point — now he’s there. He’s the best in the world. There’s no doubt about it. Even just his story, his journey, it’s definitely inspiring for me. Be calm, take your time, each fight learn. Sometimes Charles he gets rocked a little bit and he pulls guard. That’s something that I’m learning to play smart. OK, if I get rocked, don’t stay standing and try to give it back. You can pull guard. See if they come into your guard.
All that’s time and experience you get. 100 percent, I can connect and be inspired by Charles ‘Do Bronx.’” Do you agree with Mackenzie Dern’s assessment? Let us know in the comments.
