Top 5 Brazilian Ju Jitsu Stars Who Made MMA History

Mixed Martial Arts is the most highly sought-after combat sports spectacle today, second only to the age-old sport of boxing. It’s an industry that thrives on public appeal. You’d expect the cage to be designed to show off dynamic, jaw-dropping strikes worthy of the highlight reel. However, fighters in recent history have deviated from the flashy striking systems. Instead, they’ve gravitated towards the visually tamer style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Frankly, compared to the striking arts, Brazilian Ju Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) can seem boring. There’s no blood. No gore. No high-intensity exchange of blows. In fact, there are no blows at all. 

The striking arts are comparatively simpler—it’s plain to see who’s winning and who’s losing. On the other hand, understanding what’s happening in a BJJ match demands far more from the spectator. A person who has little to no BJJ knowledge would be hard-pressed to find a BJJ match exciting. And who can blame them? 

And yet, BJJ has become an indispensable component of the game. 

BJJ entered the MMA scene soon after wrestling did. Wrestlers dominated the sport at the time. So BJJ offered a solution to fighters who were constantly getting put on their backs.1 Fast forward a few decades later, it has become one of the core fighting systems in MMA. 

With MMA as fresh grounds for new opportunities, top BJJ stars have taken the step to expand their skills beyond the mats. They began thriving inside the cage. In this article, we’ll go over TFC–Brisbane’s top five picks on the most memorable Brazilian Ju Jitsu stars who dominated in the sport of MMA.