Mark MacQueen doesn’t mince words when it comes to the role of strength in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The two-time ADCC Trials winner and former powerlifting world champion has a perspective forged through years of elite-level competition in both sports and his stance is unequivocal: strength matters enormously.
“There’s no two ways about it,” MacQueen states plainly in Grappler’s perspective podcast appearance. “Anybody that says strength doesn’t matter, it’s just not existing in the real world because if strength didn’t matter, we wouldn’t have gender. We wouldn’t divide things by weight class. There’s a reason we do all of those things.”
The Scottish grappler’s recent victory at the European, African and Asian ADCC Trials represents a significant improvement over his first trials win. Training full-time at Kingsway under the guidance of John Danaher and Gordon Ryan, MacQueen has refined his game considerably. His standup looked sharper, his pinning more effective and most importantly he felt his competition performances finally reflected his abilities in the training room.
MacQueen‘s journey to grappling excellence took an unconventional path. At just 30 years old he’s only been training jiu-jitsu for six years. Before that he was a powerlifting phenomenon, winning the Commonwealth, European and World Championships all in 2017—the only person to achieve that feat in a single calendar year. At his peak he weighed 330.69 lbs (150 kilograms) and could squat 804.69 lbs (365 kilos), bench 462.97 lbs (210 kilos) and deadlift 771.62 lbs (350 kilos) in competition.
The transition from powerlifting to grappling wasn’t easy. MacQueen admits he “absolutely hated jiu-jitsu” initially, finding it confusing and uncomfortable. But after losing nearly 97 lbs (44 kilograms) and winning a local competition after just five months of training something clicked. His obsessive personality—the same trait that drove him to the top of powerlifting—redirected entirely toward grappling.
Now competing at around 275.58 lbs (125 kilograms), MacQueen brings a unique physical dimension to the +99kg division. While he acknowledges that technique remains paramount he’s adamant that strength provides crucial advantages at the highest levels. “If skills are equated for, if size is equated for, if experience is equated for, but I’m way stronger out of 10 times I’m probably going to win 80, 90, 100% of them,” he explains.
His analogy is characteristically blunt: imagine the world’s best MMA star against a silverback gorilla who somehow knows MMA rules but no martial arts. “There is a certain strength deficit that you just can’t actually overcome because it’s like, what are you going to do to that thing? It literally could pull your limb off.”
Beyond competition performance MacQueen emphasizes strength training’s role in longevity. “The stronger you are and the more muscle that you have and the stronger you are through full ranges of motion, you’re going to be way more robust. You’re going to stay on the mats way, way longer.”
For most practitioners he recommends just two lifting sessions per week, focusing on fundamental movements: squats, deadlifts, horizontal and vertical pushing and pulling with some accessory work for arms and core. Rep ranges should typically fall between five and eight for compounds and six to twelve for accessories. The key is consistency over intensity—compliance over ten years matters more than heroic six-month efforts.
MacQueen‘s current focus is singular: ADCC 2025. Having spent six months in Texas this year training at Roka and then Kingsway he’s now awaiting visa approval to relocate permanently. The coaching from Danaher and Ryan, combined with daily training alongside elite competitors like Luke Griffith, Dan Manasoiu and Giancarlo Bodoni, has elevated his game considerably.
His technique continues improving, his experience grows and his confidence builds. But he’s not naive about what gives him an edge. At the highest level where everyone is skilled, fit, experienced and strong even small advantages become magnified. In MacQueen‘s case that advantage is anything but small.
