Oh Teh Noes!

Ronda Rousey won her MMA bout this past weekend. That is not surprising. What is surprising is that in 10 MMA bouts (3 amateur, 7 professional) she has won them all in the first round and all via juji gatame - the straight arm lock (or arm bar in some circles).

Now, the funny thing is that there are a number of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners out there that are whining that Rousey has yet to meet a real Black Belt (I guess they forget that Rousey's first professional win came against Ediane Gomes, a BJJ black belt. Gomes' fate was the same as the others, thus far... juji gatame, first round.

I have seen a number of posts by BJJ folks saying that Rousey is "sloppy" on the ground, and makes mistakes. This is true in the sense that we all make mistakes.

I cannot count how many times I've seen BJJ people write things about how Rousey does juji gatame incorrectly by crossing her feet. That argument is actually getting old. 

Of course, a lot of the vitriol is due to the fact that Rousey's primary martial art is Judo - and not BJJ.

It seems to me that these BJJ enthusiasts are starting to sound like the karate guys did in the days of the first few UFCs. Again, more proof of the McDojo tendencies these days in BJJ.

How about this as a possibility?
Rousey is a world-class Judo player that has transitioned well into MMA. She trains better and is a better fighter than anyone she has faced yet. It is not about the art primarily, it is about the fighter. When someone decides to train harder than Rousey, then she will be able to defeat Rousey - just that simple!


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