In a candid interviewafter his UFC victory over BJJ legend BJ Penn, Ryan Hall opened up about his feelings towards the modern jiu-jitsu culture and scene. The accomplished grappler and UFC star did not mince words when sharing his views.
“I feel very fortunate to have come up in a time in jiu-jitsu where mixed martial arts was the end goal, was the thing that you looked to,” Hall stated. He fondly recalled training at times when there was no disrespect between the “jiu-jitsu side” and those oriented towards MMA competition.
However, Hall expressed his discontent with the direction jiu-jitsu has taken in recent years. “Culturally, I find jiu-jitsu obnoxious at this point,” he said bluntly. He finds the mean-mugging attitude and tough guy posturing from “grappling nerds” at modern tournaments to be “embarrassing.”
The 50/50 guard and iminari roll specialist believes the increased professionalization of jiu-jitsu, with more money in the sport from events outside the IBJJF circuit, is a positive development that allows grapplers to make a living. But he laments the drift away from the roots of jiu-jitsu as a martial art.
“As the rule sets change, people respond to the incentives that are there,” Hall explained. “Intelligent competitors will always try to find their way through the holes.” But he would like to see more “cross-pollination” between the jiu-jitsu and MMA worlds to prevent the completion game drifting too far from combat realism.
The 39-year-old black belt, who competed extensively in ADCC before transitioning to MMA, made it clear he has moved on from the jiu-jitsu competition scene himself. “I really still love jiu-jitsu very much. But there was always an understanding of, hey, don’t get it twisted. There’s fighting, and then there’s this other thing, grappling.”
While he appreciates the talent of modern jiu-jitsu stars like Gordon Ryan and the Ruotolo brothers, Hall seems to view much of the jiu-jitsu competition culture as misguided players imitating being “the toughest accountant on the road.”
