So, here’s the scoop. Dricus Du Plessis’ coach, Niel Geyser, has something to say. He reckons Sean Strickland was kinda right to ditch his jiu-jitsu black belt in the trash.
Now, the role of jiu-jitsu in MMA is a hot topic. It’s been questioned by several fighters, even big names like Derrick Lewis. Strickland is the latest to poke fun at BJJ. He posted a video of him chucking his black belt into the garbage.
“Over 10 years of my life wanting a piece of fabric,” the UFC middleweight champion wrote. That’s one way to put it.
Strickland is gearing up to defend his title against Du Plessis. The main event at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20. Geyser sort of agrees with Strickland’s stance. He says pure gi jiu-jitsu is a whole different ball game than MMA grappling. A black belt could likely get a beatdown in an MMA bout.
But, Geyser also thinks there’s a chance Strickland might be doing this for the attention. “I think to a certain extent he’s got a point,” Geyser said on the Hack Check podcast. “Because pure jiu-jitsu, gi grappling is very different from MMA. And I think you can have a black belt in jiu-jitsu but you will still get your ass whipped in an MMA fight. So there’s certain aspects you need to be aware of, it’s very different. So I can understand in some context why he’d make such a comment, although I don’t necessarily think it’s a 100% correct.”
He continued, “On the other side, and this is where context comes in, you gotta understand that Strickland is a guy that’s gonna say a lot of things to get a lot of traction in the media.” So, there you have it.