B Team’s Owen Jones shared his perspective on the distinct challenges between gi and nogi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during an appearance on the Grappler’s Perspective podcast.
Jones highlighted the accessibility of nogi for athletes when rolling with higher-ranked practitioners, noting that physical attributes can create opportunities even against black belts.
“If you roll with a black belt nogi you can do stuff there if you’re big and strong you’re athletic and you push him around,” Jones explained. “You like he’s trying to secure something and you do a big explosive movement where you jump on a leg or you jump an arm you could actually get something.”
However, Jones emphasized that the same opportunities don’t exist in gi training, using fellow grappler Adam Wardzinski as an example. “If you fought Adam Wardzinski for example if you train with him in the gi you’re going to do nothing he’s just going to beat you up for 10 minutes like you won’t be able to get anything going.”
The observation aligns with recent comments from renowned black belt Keenan Cornelius, who described nogi as a “simplified version of gi for people with less brain power.” Cornelius compared the two styles to different board games, suggesting that nogi success can sometimes come down to more explosive movements rather than technical complexity.
Jones went on to explain why many practitioners gravitate toward nogi training: “That’s another reason why people will find it more enjoyable and like to train and more like to watch him because matches become more competitive when they probably shouldn’t be.”
This insight into the technical differences between gi and nogi jiu-jitsu adds to the ongoing discussion within the grappling community about the evolution and future of both disciplines.
