Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu consistently stands out as a key player in discussions about MMA and its progression. Honestly, discovering a UFC fighter who doesn’t train in BJJ is like searching for diamonds. The discipline is closely linked to achieving submissions within the cage. In the realm of recent masters, Charles Oliveira and Demian Maia stand out as two of the most formidable competitors in UFC history. But do you know the origins of it all?
Well, the origin of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is as complicated as the other historical topics. However, the Japanese influence in the discipline is widely recognized by the experts. Especially due to Mitsuyo Maeda or one of his students teaching Helio Gracie and other Gracies the art of Jujutsu back in 1917. Since then, Jiu Jitsu became a part of Brazilian culture, and it’s still evolving as time goes on. Which Paulo Costa firmly believes to be true.
Paulo Costa recognizes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s evolution
Paulo Costa himself has been a BJJ practitioner since he was 16 years old. The middleweight superstar is also a black belt. However, even after practicing the martial discipline for many years, he’s still involved with the sport. He firmly believes that Jiu-Jitsu is indeed related to Japan. And not only that—he accepts that the most popular martial arts discipline is still ever-growing.
At Jake Shied’s podcast, on YouTube, ‘Eraser’ said, “I don’t see this on bad eyes. I think everybody is adapting. So, it’s not like putting your name, you can put American. It’s yours.” Which Shields jumped in, and replied, “But, I have some Brazilians a little while ago get mad about me. Theft is like ‘Why are you stealing our things?’ Like, ‘You stole it from Japan, what are you talking about? Jiu Jitsu is Japanese.”
Image Credits: Imago
Costa understands that it’s more about the evolution of the sport than outright stealing. So, he responded by referencing his own experience: “I adapted Jiu-Jitsu to myself, and it needs to be that way. You can show me something, but we have different bodies.” Well, the former middleweight champ has a point. BJJ does require a lot of self-study for it to grow. Even today, many practitioners are still discovering new things about the discipline.
However, the motivation can be different for everyone. For Paulo Costa, it was all about getting better at the art itself. But for Joe Rogan, it was a humiliating experience that pushed him to take up the sport. So, let’s take a look at how UFC’s color commentator built his relationship with BJJ.
Joe Rogan details how he started doing Jiu Jitsu
Nobody does it better than Joe Rogan when it comes to explaining what Jiu-Jitsu can do to your body. The podcast king was an amateur kickboxer in his early days, but later switched to the complex art of Jiu-Jitsu, and he’s been in love with it ever since. And yeah, there’s a pretty intriguing backstory behind how it all started.
In one of his podcast episodes, Rogan stated, “I was helpless at Jiu Jitsu. I could’ve easily said f– this, I would just go to kickboxing and feed my Ego. But I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m helpless.’ I just started out. I was a white belt, and I think he was a purple belt. And this dude mauled me! This Brazilian kid. And, he wasn’t being mean. He destroyed me. I mean, it was so humiliating. Cause I thought I knew how to fight, so that would apply to jiu-jitsu. It didn’t apply all.”
For the unversed, the UFC color commentator can choke most people out with his Jiu-Jitsu accolades. He received a No-Gi black belt under Jean Jacques Machado in 2010. And after so many years of quitting other martial arts practices like kickboxing, Joe still trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, even at the age of 57 years old. That dedication definitely has to be appreciated.
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