Collegiate wrestler Chase Saldate expressed disbelief when watching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu representative Jordan pull guard against a simulated knife attacker during a demonstration att the Ultimate Self-Defense Championship.
“He pulled guard. What the f***?” Saldate exclaimed while watching the footage. “He literally sat on his back and pulled guard. When the whistle blew and he lied down on his back, all of us were like, no way.”
The USDC pits six martial arts experts against each other in various self-defense challenges, testing their techniques in simulated real-world scenarios. In this particular demonstration, the BJJ practitioner opted to pull guard.
Saldate was initially highly skeptical of the approach: “A knife attacker, you’re pulling guard. I’m slitting this dude’s Achilles if I’m the knife attacker.”
However, to his surprise, the technique appeared to have some merit in the demonstration. “Oh s***, it’s working. He’s just giving up some leg cuts,” Saldate admitted. “To everyone’s surprise, Jordan managed to pull… Pulling guard works against a knife attacker. Who would have thought that? Not me.”
Despite his criticism, Saldate clarified that he isn’t against BJJ as a martial art: “I’m not even a BJJ hater. I like BJJ. But I didn’t think that was going to work.”
Jordan, the BJJ practitioner in question, defended his approach in the demonstration: “I can wrestle. I can strike. But I thought keeping my torso so far away would be a very smart strategy.” The technique allowed him to survive the first round of the demonstration as the simulated cuts weren’t considered lethal.
The demonstration has sparked debate within martial arts communities about effective self-defense techniques against armed attackers, with Saldate challenging BJJ practitioners to defend the tactic: “Where’s all the BJJ fanboys in the comments? Let’s hear them.”
The USDC continues to generate discussion about the effectiveness of different martial arts in self-defense situations through its reality competition format.
