"There is room for both"- UFC veteran contradicts Aljamain Sterling's view on competitive grappling events, sheds light on jiu-jitsu's origin

Aljamain Sterling's viral grappling match on Dec. 30 has caused a good deal of mixed reactions on social media as fellow fighters chimed in with their opinions.

Following the Fury Pro Grappling 8 main event match, Sterling immediately protested the result in his post-fight interview with MMA reporter John Morgan. Sterling claimed that his opponent, Kevin Dantzler, did 'nothing' other than having 'another man drag his a** cheeks on the mat.

Upset after the loss, Sterling said:

"I don't know how they scored that. Another man can't drag his a** cheeks on the mat and think that's a win. Yeah, the sport is jiu-jitsu, but I guarantee you if this was a real fight my man would never do that s***. So why are we turning this sport into some type of weird spectacle where you can win a match off of your back doing absolutely nothing?"

While many fans and supporting fighters agreed with Sterling's opinion of a faulty decision, Matt Brown disagreed with the former champion's post-fight statements. Brown tweeted a response and said:

"I’m going to disagree with aljo here… BJJ is originally intended as an art for self defense but when you make it a sport then that’s what it is, a sport. Grappling/BJJ has become a true sport and doesn’t resemble self defense in many ways, and that’s ok.

"If you prefer the self defense aspect of it then there are rule sets that resemble that more closely (ADCC) but a “sport” itself has nothing to do with self defense it’s a game within a rule set. Point is, there is room for both imo."

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Brown has not competed in grappling matches as often as Sterling. At 42 years old, Brown could entertain the idea after his MMA retirement.

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Who did Aljamain Sterling face at Fury Pro Grappling 8?

The result may not have been what he desired at Fury Pro Grappling 8, but Aljamain Sterling gained significant traction on social media for his Dec. 30 match.

In the main event of the UFC Fight Pass event, Sterling took on Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Kevin Dantzler. Though his showboating would win over the crowd, Sterling would lose to the grappler by points.

Following the loss, Aljamain Sterling will return to MMA at UFC 300 in his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar. The former bantamweight champion expressed concern about his physical condition ahead of the bout but vowed to enter the fight in his typical elite condition.