Well-Rounded Grappler

There is so much discussion among the MMA fans about well-rounded fighters. You have guys that can strike and have a ground game. I myself however hear little about well-rounded grapplers.

In MMA these guys are Shinya Aoki and Fedor Emelianenko. Guys that have great judo and upper body takedowns and at the same time have strong submission games on the ground. Aoki truly is a wizard but if you take the elite bjj players, there are several that continue to shine.

First of all you have Ronaldo Jacare Souza. A guy that it considered one of the best grapplers ever. Not only is his ground game amazing, he also has terrific takedowns which he takes from Judo. Only Jacare and Xande Ribeiro were able to stall Roger Gracie's game enough to win on points at the Mundials.

I've already had a post about the importance of Judo but I think it cannot be under emphasized. Judo gives you a chance to practice your top game and improves your jiu jitsu. All BJJ fights start from standing and that is why it is pivotal to practice Judo. All the top guys do it: Roger Gracie, Xande Ribeiro, Shinya Aoki (Judo Black belt), Fabricio Werdum (Brown Belt in Judo) and Saulo Ribeiro (Brown Belt in Judo). Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro is a judo black belt.

Flavio Canto, an Olympic Judo medalist and a newaza pracitioner does not differentiate between bjj and judo. It is really one sport with different rules but according to Flavio they should be trained together.