Learning any martial art is a beneficial and valuable choice because of the many mental and physical benefits you’ll receive, such as increased confidence. For that reason, many folks start learning a fighting style. Of course, the variety of them is vast. So, which is better, BJJ or MMA?
Mixed Martial Arts is better than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because it’s more dynamic and thus more applicable to real life and self-defense. Nonetheless, BJJ is one of the most effective martial arts of all time, which means it’s also suitable for fighting and self-defense. Yet, MMA is more effective.
Of course, both martial arts are fantastic choices for anyone trying to better themselves or learn self-defense. Doing both is also viable. Meaning, you can learn how to fight while losing weight and bettering your self-esteem.
Doesn’t that sound just great?
And yet, it seems like most people aren’t interested in investing the minimum time and effort to notice the slightest of results. Consequently, they won’t start learning the art of fighting, although they may want to notice results.
I do encourage you to read another article of mine on BJJ vs. Muay-Thai. Reading this piece and the one I linked to will broaden your knowledge, and will help you reach a better choice.
Before diving in, let’s define both MMA and BJJ to understand the fundamentals better. Thus, to ensure we can move forward, let’s begin from the start.
What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)?
Traced back to the times of the Samurais in Japan, Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based fighting style. The Samurais learned it in case they found themselves afoot and weaponless. In such instance, they needed to know how to defend themselves. So, here’s what this means:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ, is a martial art that teaches ground grappling, a highly effective fighting technique. As a result, it’ll naturally be practical and applicable to self-defense and other dangerous situations. In fact, you can use ground grappling movements to disable an opponent in under a few seconds!
Few martial arts aren’t compatible for fighting purposes, such as Tai chi. Therefore, if learning to fight is one of your goals—consider learning a style which purpose is to teach others how to fight.
Since this section is about BJJ, it’s one of the many martial arts which are effective and practical. If you find it interesting, I have no doubt you should at least try it out for a couple of sessions. I know you won’t regret it.
Take a look at how enjoyable and practical Jiu-Jitsu training can be:
Grappling is one of the most effective fighting techniques since it allows you to disable opponents swiftly. As a result, if you want to study such a martial art—do consider Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
What is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)?
This fighting style is the ultimate martial art because it teaches and points to all fighting techniques. In fact, if you want to become the best fighter in the least amount of time, MMA should be your choice.
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is a martial art that can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where it was used both for entertainment and for the army. It’s the most effective martial art worldwide because it teaches everything out of everything.
Hence, MMA fighters are the most capable out of all fighters, as they can adapt to and for any upcoming opponent or attacker. Additionally, it preaches various values that will in a real fight, such as being aggressive and violent.
Of course, it improves your mental self, like increasing your confidence and lowering your stress levels. As a result, many trainees try it out to learn effective fighting while bettering themselves.
It’s no secret that it’s also a part of the top five most popular martial arts worldwide. Follow the link to see the full list!
Have a look at how practical and effective MMA can be for yourself:
You can now see just how effective martial arts can be. If you’re truly interested in becoming a competent fighter capable of using any fighting technique, do ensure to consider MMA.
Learn more about MMA and the best fighting styles for it by following the link!
The differences of BJJ and MMA
Because we’re discussing two highly effective martial arts, it’s common sense that they’ll be different. Naturally, these differences define them and should be a guiding light to anyone trying to figure which to learn.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the differences and what makes each fighting style unique and effective.
#1 – Fighting techniques
The first difference, also the most important one, is—the fighting technique each martial art teaches. If you’re looking for the most significant characteristic to decide which fighting style to learn, it’ll be best to decide on this factor alone.
While MMA teaches every fighting technique, including grappling, striking, and kicking; BJJ is the art of ground grappling. As a result, if you want to study and master the art of chokes, submissions, and grappling, it’ll be best to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
If, however, you want to study many fighting techniques and approaches, you’ll be better off choosing Mixed Martial Arts.
It all depends on your goal. For example, if John want to study self-defense and learn how to use striking and kicking to create distance while also knowing basic grappling moves, MMA is the best choice for John.
However, many folks get excited about learning to maneuver their opponent while standing up and being on the ground. In that case, learning the art of ground grappling, hence Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, would be best.
Again, this difference should be what you follow when deciding which martial art to learn. It’ll be best if you, of course, follow your heart. But, if you want to master the art of grappling, which is the most effective fighting technique in the world of martial arts, do consider selecting an appropriate martial art for that purpose.
#2 – Origin
The second difference is their origin. While that doesn’t sound like it would make any difference, it’s best to be familiar with the history of the fighting style you’re about to learn.
That way, you’ll be able to make a deeper and stronger connection with the martial art you’re learning. Meaning, it’ll be easier to stay consistent and dedicate yourself to training; leading to a boost in your progression rate.
BJJ originates from Japan and MMA to the Ancient Olympic Games, Greece. Both martial arts have rich histories, filled with wars and purposes. Because of that, today, their popularity is bigger than ever, with more and more trainees enrolling into their classes.
Nevertheless, such popularity didn’t come easily. The Gracie family, who adopted Jiu-Jitsu and made it their own, had to work extremely hard for their current legacy. They’ve essentially made BJJ a prevalent martial art in a world filled of similar instances.
That required their complete attention and patience to make it work. As you can see today, it had paid off, as BJJ is one of the best and well-known martial arts worldwide.
Eventually, whether you decide to learn BJJ or MMA, you’ll be learning how to fight fiercely. After all, the purpose of both is to teach other people effective fighting.
#3 – Violence
Jumping to the last difference, the violence levels each advocates—isn’t the same. Actually, one is much less aggressive and violent compared to the other; which means that if you want to learn a violent fighting style, it’ll be best to stick with one of these.
Mixed Martial Arts is much more violent than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, since it’s essentially a free fight where fighters can use many ethical techniques. On the other hand, BJJ isn’t as violent because it only includes ground grappling, which won’t cause as much bleeding as the former one.
It’s not uncommon to see MMA fights ending up in a bloodbath. If you like watching the UFC, you have likely seen numerous fights where one fighter was bleeding from one’s nose or face. Such a phenomenon is caused by fierce strikes and kicks to these spots.
Nevertheless, BJJ, which translates to The Gentle Art, uses ground grappling. While you’ll be aggressive against your opponents, you won’t see nearly as many people bleeding, as it doesn’t involve striking.
So, if you want to learn a martial art that advocates strikes and aggressive fighting, MMA is more suitable. On the other hand, if you want to study the gentle yet effective art, consider BJJ as your primary selection.
The similarities of BJJ and MMA
Thus far, we’ve discussed the differences between MMA and BJJ. So, we’ve gone through what makes each unique, which is fantastic to know if you’re struggling to make a choice as to which to learn.
That said, knowing their similarities will also help you in making a wiser choice, as you’ll get to know each martial art better. Then, you’ll be able to know what you’re getting into, which is always fantastic in the long-term.
The reason you see most trainees quit, or, worse, not even start their training, is because they don’t have a purpose for training. They’ve begun training because somebody recommended it to them, but they don’t really want to.
So, if you want to be different, ensure you are familiar with their similarities, and thus you’ll know them better. Let’s dive into the first similar trait.
Before diving in, if you want to learn about the best BJJ fighters from around the globe, ensure you follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
#1 – Purpose
The first similar trait is purpose. From my perspective, it’s also the most important one, as it’s the force driving everything. Eventually, the martial art will mostly be influenced by its purpose, the reason it exists in the first place.
Some martial arts have different purposes, such as Aikido and Tai chi. And still, MMA and BJJ have the same purpose, which repeats itself in other fighting styles, such as Muay-Thai and Judo.
BJJ and MMA’s purpose is to teach others how to fight fiercely. They were first created for the same reason, to witness what the human body is capable of producing in values of fighting. As a result, all changes these fighting styles will go through will correlate to their purpose.
Because their purpose is to teach others self-defense and how to fight aggressively, they’ll inevitably teach techniques that do that. As a result, if learning self-defense is your primary goal, it doesn’t matter which you’ll choose to learn, as you’ll achieve your goal in both.
If we examine their histories of both martial arts, we notice repeating themes. There was one group that wanted to learn self-defense (The Greek army and the Samurais), so they constructed a new fighting style, which evolved throughout the years to be a martial art.
#2 – Effectiveness
The second similar trait is how effective these martial arts are. Eventually, their purpose is to teach others how to fight properly. So, they’ll naturally teach practical and applicable techniques for real life; meaning that if you want to learn self-defense, you can choose both.
MMA is the art of many fighting techniques. As a result, its fighters will come out to be the most dynamic ones, as their tool box is vast. Adapting to situations is the key characteristic competent fighters need to have. So, Mixed Martial Arts does this best.
And yet, it’s not uncommon to see grapplers beat MMA fighters in less than a round, as they know how to submit the opponent with a single execution. Of course, these grapplers have likely learned a secondary style to combine with BJJ, such as boxing or kickboxing.
And still, I want to emphasize how effective these martial arts can be in real life. You will be able to use what you learn in training and apply it to real life, since these are effective and practical techniques.
So, if you want to study self-defense, it’ll be best to stick with either martial arts and stay as consistent as possible. To do so, you must have a purpose, such as improving your physical shape; or the most common one, to learn how to fight.
#3 – Both teach grappling
Grappling is the most effective fighting technique in the world of martial arts. And no, I’m not exaggerating for the sake of this article; you can beat any opponent with a single proper exaction of any grappling technique.
While BJJ is the art of ground grappling, MMA also teaches submissions and chokes. As a result, both worlds include a similar realm, which is such techniques. Using these movements will allow you to potentially beat anyone with a single correct execution of any submission or choke.
Most people believe striking and kicking are what you should learn to learn how to fight. However, that cannot be further from the truth. Indeed, if you want to learn how to fight appropriately, learning to grapple—is common sense.
As such, all martial arts that teach grappling in some form – are considered the most effective. Because of that, both Judo and wrestling are suitable martial arts for self-defense, since they teach such techniques.
If you remember, both BJJ and MMA exist to teach others how to fight. Because of that, they’ll inevitably teach effective fighting techniques, which is why grappling is their primary choice. So, if you want to become a competent fighter, it’ll be best to learn how to force an opponent to submit through grappling.
Is BJJ harder to learn than MMA?
Before answering which fighting style is harder to learn, I want to emphasize one point; all martial arts are difficult and will provide countless hardships. In your learning journey, hard times will come. You will want to quit, regardless of your purpose. But, which is more complex to study, BJJ or MMA?
MMA is harder to learn than BJJ because it teaches more and more complex fighting techniques, such as combining grappling with striking. These combinations are not only what makes MMA more difficult to learn, but it also makes it the most effective fighting style.
Nonetheless, it’s important to understand that learning any martial art is difficult. Whether you want to learn self-defense or better yourself, you won’t be eager to attend training at some point.
But, being discipline and dedicated, especially in these times—is crucial. You will find excuses to why you can’t attend training at that same day. These excuses are powerful; you will try to convince yourself why attending martial arts classes tomorrow, morning—isn’t as wise.
Especially in these hard times, it’ll be best to stick with your goal and remind yourself of your purpose. You want to ensure your mind knows you’re in complete control.
Excuses are a phenomenon many authors have written books about. And still, mastering the art of discipline is almost impossible, as you’ll always want to go the easy route.
So, the next time you’re having a difficult time learning a martial art, remember your initial reason for why you began doing training. Who knows, it may become easier?
If you want to learn about the best tips to progress faster in BJJ, ensure you follow the link to a piece of mine on the topic.
Which is better for a street fight, MMA or BJJ?
To ensure you’re capable of defeating any opponent that threatens your or other people’s safety, you must know how to use physical force and violence properly. If you don’t, you’ll be in a situation where you don’t know what you’re doing.
For street fighting, MMA is more compatible than BJJ because it teaches more fighting techniques, which are also effective and practical for self-defense. As a result, its trainees will come to be more adaptive and better fighters, as their tool box is broader than those of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.
Eventually, street fighting is all about executing the right technique to ensure your victory. These situations are more often than not unstable. For that reason, you must learn to adapt, since it may be what grants you the victory.
Many other martial arts teach practical and applicable fighting techniques, such as kickboxing or Muay-Thai. As such, they’ll also be suitable for street fighting.
Of course, MMA grants other benefits, such as mental and physical ones. Here’s a study on the topic:
Martial arts are credited with providing participants with enhanced self-esteem, self-control, mental and physical relaxation, and decrease in anxiety and depression.
SOURCE
As you can see, the list of benefits is long and goes even further. So, don’t hesitate to start training in a martial art if you find yourself having the slightest of interest in them.
If you want to know what the best martial arts for street fighting are, follow the link!
Which is better for self-defense, BJJ or MMA?
Let’s examine which is better for self-defense, BJJ or MMA:
MMA is better for self-defense than BJJ because it teaches a wider variety of practical and applicable fighting techniques. Mainly, it teaches grappling, which is what BJJ teaches. However, it goes more broadly than that and also teaches its trainees strikes, kicks, elbows, knees, and clinching.
Consequently, MMA fighters will inevitably be more capable fighters, as they’ll have more aces in their sleeves. Can you imagine beating someone if you know how to take down, throw, submit, choke, lock, kick, and kick? I certainly do.
The last section of this article will discuss self-defense. After all, this is why most people start doing martial arts; because they want to learn how to defend themselves if they get into a pickle.
That said, learning to fight provides countless other benefits, both mental and physical. Some examples are: better confidence and self-esteem, lower stress, and reduced aggression and violence levels outside your training.
You can read the complete list of the benefits of martial arts by following the link to an article of mine.
Nonetheless, BJJ is one of the best martial arts for self-defense globally. Regardless of which is better, if you desire to study fighting techniques and using them in real life, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a safe choice.
In it, you’ll learn how to submit and opponent in less than a few seconds by using ground grappling. It’s uncommon to see a random person on the street knowing defense moves against solid submissions. However, it’s not uncommon to see a random person knowing how to dodge a fierce punch.
Because of that, BJJ may be more suitable for fighting people who don’t know how to fight.
So, don’t hesitate to start learning it, even if MMA seems to overall be better, as it can be one of the wisest choices you make.
Final words
I want to emphasize my appreciation for martial arts. The positive impact all fighting styles had on the world – is remarkable. As a result, I have no doubts you’ll be able to benefit yourself by doing one of these modern or traditional martial arts.
Both MMA and BJJ are effective and suitable martial arts for self-defense. While they’re different, they have plenty in common, such as their purpose. As a result, by training in either, you’ll be improving yourself while learning to fight.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a win-win situation to me.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I encourage you to read BJJ vs. wrestling. Such an article will give you another perspective, both on BJJ and on a new martial art, you may end up learning. So, do check it out!