In a recent conversation with Lex Fridman, UFC President Dana White shared his perspective on the effectiveness of no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for self-defense situations compared to training with the traditional gi.
White, who has been training BJJ himself for years, explained that in a real-life self-defense scenario, the no-gi approach is far more practical and transferable. “If you’re in your first year, you’re in a gi, you better hope the guy’s got like winter jackets on or something,” he said, highlighting the challenges of using gi grips against an attacker wearing standard clothes.
The UFC boss firmly believes that training without the gi prepares individuals better for realistic combat situations. “In my opinion, no-gi is way better than gi,” White stated bluntly. He argued that the no-gi style looks more like actual fighting compared to the more sportive nature of gi BJJ.
White also pointed out the surprisingly dominant performances of smaller grapplers like Royce Gracie in the early UFC events, which showcased the effectiveness of BJJ against larger, stronger opponents. “If you look at the way the Gracies played that, you couldn’t have a better advertisement for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the time,” he said.
Furthermore, White highlighted the universal applicability of BJJ, particularly for women’s self-defense. “It’s not about size or strength. It’s about technique,” he explained. “You give your daughter a bunch of jiu-jitsu and a little bit of Muay Thai. She becomes dangerous.”
The UFC President’s strong endorsement of no-gi BJJ for self-defense purposes aligns with the growing popularity of this pragmatic approach to grappling. As the lines between sports grappling and real-world applications continue to blur, White’s perspective reflects the evolving mindset within the martial arts community.
