JRE MMA Show #187 with Robert Whittaker

“If you want to learn jiu-jitsu, I'm a big believer in gi. I'm a big believer in gi. It's obviously it's different, but you can trans a lot of gi guys can transition from gi to no gi.”

“It's very hard the other way around. Yes. You know, so it's, and I think Damien Maia was a big believer in gi work. Well, a lot of the Brazilians are. Yeah. It's a religion. Yeah. Jiu-Jitsu is all about the gi, my friend.”

“Like for MMA? Yeah. It would have been like 2015. Right. So in like 2001, 2002, 2000-ish was when people started doing no gi, and a lot of the Brazilians did not like it.”

“Like, what is this guy? This guy abandoned the gi. It was like, it was a real problem, man. That sounds crazy now because there's so many elite Brazilians that are in no gi. They've kind of just like they abandoned the idea that leg locks are bad.”

“Yeah, and you'll get beat up afterward probably. Right. Heel hooks, people would be furious at you. You know what's great about the gi in terms of like a jujitsu side of things, especially like in trend, like for MMA as well, is that you can't make as many mistakes in the gi.”

“Because let's be honest, if you're an athletic guy, you can get pretty far in no gi. You can explode out of it. You can explode over a lot of things. I've jumped into beginner classes and a really strong guy will still shove me from Mount or from his half guard because I'm just not ready for him to just bench press me.”

“It's just like these crazy beginner sort of stuff. Right, but if you're grabbing a hold of his gi, he's not doing any of that. Yeah, well, you can't make mistakes because if you make a mistake, it gets capitalized on and you get into a bad position. Then you're working from that bad position.”

“Like you're actually punished for errors. I feel like a lot more so. Obviously, in no gi, there's plenty of that as well, especially at the highest level. I think there's definitely something to it. Jean-Jacques Machado's approach was very interesting because, you know, Jean-Jacques was born with only a thumb on his left hand.”

“His technique was overhooks and underhooks. So when he went to Abu Dhabi, his technique right into no gi immediately translated because he was using wrestling-based holds. A lot of it was overhooks and underhooks. Same systems. Yes, same system.”

“So when I learned from him, I did that. I did his style. And that was like, because I'm still going to do no gi with Eddie. So I was doing no gi at 10th Planet and I was doing Gi at John Jacques. So I just decided to do it Jean-Jacques style. Jean-Jacques style was like, the gi is great defensively because you have to have excellent position and you have to have good defense.”

“things that I do no gi and ignore the gi and just except a clock choke. I can't pass up on a clock choke. If I can get the best, if I can get that grip inside and I get that hand on the under, I can spin under. Oh, I love that.”

“That's a ninja move, man. I love me a clock choke. But other than that, I felt like offensively, in terms of like controlling people, I was going to ignore the gi. I was just going to only use grips that were wrestling-based grips.”

“I worked out. I worked out. I hit the bag. I punched the bag, kicked the bag, had his great work on it, got in a sauna for 20 minutes, stretched out, feeling great. Got in the shower, taking a shower before the podcast. Went, ah!”

“in sweats which i did that's how i started it's how everyone cut weight in the beginning right you put on your sweats you go for a run right but but i did i did sauna the the problem with the sauna is if i stay too long in there my esophagus dries out sometimes and like i it like burns if if it's hot enough.”

“Well, I think with proper training and with all the different sports science modalities today, like, particularly people that are using hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, saunas, cold plunges, massage, all these different training methods that they're doing to strengthen all their tissues and make sure they don't get injured and increasing their cardio scientifically and all the nutrition.”

“And it's a balance though. I don't think, like whilst it has a place, and I do it as well, I use the assault bikes and treadmills and everything else. I think though, if you want to break yourself doing something, it needs to be in the craft you're doing.”

“stuff. Not treadmills, sorry, concept twos, assault bikes. Too many ski irks, too many camps have ended this way. And it just takes a mental toll on you, having to push yourself to red line in those sessions.”

“Well, Hickson was a true pioneer, too, with physical training. So Hickson was like the first jiu-jitsu guy to adopt extreme flexibility, yoga, cold plunges. He was doing these cold plunges in the glacial rivers in Japan before he fought in Japan Valley Tuto.”

“Well, I think with proper training and with all the different sports science modalities today, like, particularly people that are using hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, saunas, cold plunges, massage, all these different training methods that they're doing to strengthen all their tissues and make sure they don't get injured and increasing their cardio scientifically and all the nutrition.”

“He was doing shit that nobody was, nobody had figured out. SNC years ahead of the game. Way ahead of the game. Balance work, balance beam stuff where he's doing a standing split on a balance beam. Yeah, well, you know, and that sort of stuff is so vital for MMA because you're just, there is no controlled position.”

“Well, I think with proper training and with all the different sports science modalities today, like, particularly people that are using hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, saunas, cold plunges, massage, all these different training methods that they're doing to strengthen all their tissues and make sure they don't get injured and increasing their cardio scientifically and all the nutrition.”

“And it's a balance though. I don't think, like whilst it has a place, and I do it as well, I use the assault bikes and treadmills and everything else. I think though, if you want to break yourself doing something, it needs to be in the craft you're doing.”