New School No-Gi

Recently, I’ve been seeing some heated discussions over social media following this weekend’s United Grappling Association’s headliner match between 15-year-old no-gi phenom, Nicky Ryan and 25-year-old 10th Planet brown belt standout Marvin Castelle. The fight ended in Ryan’s favor with a heel hook variation at 3 ½ minutes. Ryan then went on to fight black belt veteran Paulo Miyao for gold and ended up taking home silver. There’s no denying that at a young age, Ryan is extremely talented but it brings up some interesting (and controversial, nonetheless) topics of conversation…

Fundamental Jiu-Jitsu loyalists aren’t a fan of this style of BJJ (#leglockynow) and may also argue that no-gi is not as technical as fighting in the gi… and it’s boring. Many will say that the developments in the gi are the reason why we see the evolution of no-gi over time, and that the perfect example of this is the ADCC, one of the most prestigious no-gi competitions being stacked each year with world champions of the GI. How many of these strictly no-gi grapplers have topped those lists?

Now a purple belt, Ryan has been learning the intricacies of the leg locks since he was 13. While everyone knows how to tap, should kids/teens be able to learn these submissions to use in competition? Science says that the rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed until age 25, which means that lack of rational impulsive control coupled with ego in competition or training could prove to be a dangerous combination. Perhaps this is why there are strict rules when it comes to these types of submissions for kids and teens no-gi matches.

And finally, the question of belt rank in no-gi - which Ryan was just awarded his purple belt a few days shy of his 16th birthday. Obviously, in order to compete in any IBJJF no-gi competition, you need to have a belt rank. However, it's no secret that Ryan has no intention of competing in IBJJF competitions, as they don't offer money and "ban the most effective lower body submission and discourage submitting in general." Yeah, I get that this kid is beating brown and black belts… but still – how does this translate into a belt rank? Perhaps this also opens up another can of worms that include transferring belt ranks between gi to no-gi/no-gi to gi and other questions involving belt ranking systems.

I guess I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to this new school no-gi or maybe I’m completely ignorant to this style of grappling because it's not my cup of tea. However, I believe that everyone has the right to have a style preference, which may not appeal to everyone and that no-gi can be extremely exciting to watch if you like MMA. After all, isn’t that what no-gi was created for? 

What's your preference and why?