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Asian martial arts organization ONE Championship has been making major waves in the world of jiu-jitsu and submission grappling as of late. Aside from signing some of the most high-profile legends and promising prospects, ONE is also giving a huge spotlight on the sport.
Just like how they'd market and hype their MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai fights, ONE provides a level of prestige and importance to their submission grappling bouts. This gives casual viewers a good way to understand the sport and appreciate its athletes and the kind of excitement they bring inside the cage.
To put it plainly, ONE Championship is bringing submission grappling into the mainstream.
Though their foray into the grappling arts is just in its early stages, ONE has produced some of the most interesting and exciting matches in the sport today.
ONE Championship's grappling matches showcase the highest level of martial arts and have generated just as much excitement as a bloody fist fight. One interesting dynamic in ONE submission grappling bouts that's unique to them is the presence of the cage. The steel structure creates new hurdles and opportunities that were not present in other organizations before.
Another aspect ONE can add to their submission grappling matches that could make them more interesting is the gi. For the uninitiated, a "gi" is the traditional kimono uniform a jiu-jitsu or judo fighter wears with his designated belt color.
Most if not all the jiu-jitsu world champions in history started and/or made a name for themselves in gi matches. Even the original MMA icon, Royce Gracie, broke through the mainstream while wearing his traditional gi in real-life combat. Like the presence of the cage, wearing such durable and versatile combat apparel can present hurdles and opportunities to make matches even more exciting.
Today, we list down three good reasons why having submission grappling matches in gi can be good for ONE Championship's growth with the sport. These are our honest and most sincere opinions on how this aspect of grappling can benefit the sport now that ONE has brought it to the world stage.
#3. Most ONE Championship grapplers first became famous in jiu-jitsu gi matches
As was earlier mentioned, most of the grapplers signed with ONE Championship today have gained early fame in jiu-jitsu gi matches.
From young prodigies like the Ruotolo brothers, Danielle Kelly and Mikey Musumeci to legends like 'Buchecha' and Andre Galvao, almost all grappling world champions found greatness while wearing the gi.
'Buchecha', considered the most accomplished submission grappler of all time, won most of his world championships in gi tournaments.
It makes sense, too, as almost everyone who trains in jiu-jitsu has started in traditional gi training. What does this all mean, however? If these legendary grapplers have found greatness while wearing gi, it doesn't mean they cannot bring it inside the ONE Championship cage.
Let's let them shine in there while wearing the traditional combat garb that made them famous.
#2. The global audience will be introduced to new techniques and a different kind of action
While no gi submission-only grappling matches are absolutely fun to watch at the highest level, there are just some techniques that aren't possible or as effective without the gi. Just look at ONE Championship's jiu-jitsu genius Mikey Musumeci.
The American grappler is the only four-time black belt gold medal winner in the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation (IBJJF) worlds, and that was largely due to his utilization of the Berimbolo and crab ride positions while wearing the gi.
Look at how Musumeci took his opponent's back using his Berimbolo roll:
One can make the argument that Musumeci wouldn't be able to pull that back-take so smoothly without having a strong grip on his opponent's gi. Apart from the Berimbolo and the Crab Ride, you also got the De La Riva guard, the Worm Guard, the Spider guard and all sorts of exciting positions only present in gi fighting.
The best thing about gi matches, however, is that the garment itself can be used as a weapon. With that said, you'll get to see a myriad of loop chokes, collar chokes, baseball chokes and more in these kinds of grappling bouts.
Just look at this loop choke and tell us it's not the most awesome and brutal submission you've ever seen:
#1. Jiu-jitsu gi matches can be really exciting when fought at the highest level
Whoever said that jiu-jitsu gi matches are boring and tend to make fighters stall has not observed the sport at the highest level. Most criticize the points system as a way for fighters to stall, but even with the points, you'll see grapplers savagely trying to dominate each other on the mats.
Here's a look at one of the epic gi matches at the world championships this year:
To make this point clearer, let's cite ONE Championship heavyweight and 13-time world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida as an example.
The Brazilian icon has had an epic rivalry with Rodolfo Vieira that spanned six matches across different world championship tournaments. 'Buchecha' won the rivalry in what is most considered the greatest BJJ match of all time. And it was a gi match.
Watch the epic 2012 match between 'Buchecha' and Vieira:
If there's any real reason why ONE Championship should showcase gi matches inside a cage, it's this one. The level of excitement and competitiveness presented by these unique techniques and submissions will be through the roof.
Most of ONE's grapplers became world champions in gi, so why not have them showcase this greatness inside the cage?
