Olympic wrestling champion Mark Schultz recently shared a fascinating story about his grappling encounter with Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie.
The wrestling icon recounted how he received an unexpected call from Steve, who informed him that “the greatest jiu-jitsu fighter in the world” was in town and wanted to grapple with him.
When Schultz inquired about the rules, he says Gracie attempted to intimidate him.
“There are no rules,” Schultz recalled being told, before it was clarified they would do submission grappling with tap outs.
The match began with Schultz immediately securing a takedown and maintaining control with a cradle position for approximately 20 minutes.
“That’s a very long time to hold somebody in a cradle,” Schultz noted.
Schultz, unfamiliar with jiu-jitsu at the time, explained,
“All these moves that are in jiu-jitsu are against the rules in wrestling. Matter of fact, if you open up a wrestling rule book and you look at all the moves that are illegal, it’s like a jiu-jitsu instruction manual.”
The Olympic champion’s grip eventually gave out, allowing Gracie to make his move.
“He threw both of his legs over my head,” Schultz described. “I let him do it because I didn’t know what he was doing. It’s the weirdest thing ever.”
The maneuver turned out to be a triangle, which forced Schultz to submit. Reflecting on the experience, Schultz admitted,
“I thought, wow, that is really cool.”
This encounter represents a historic moment between two martial arts legends, showcasing the contrast between wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques.
