The rules of a sport dictate the way the game is played. This much holds true in any combat sport, boxing being no exception. In this recent installment of Gracie Breakdown, Rener Gracie discusses three distinct points that effectively compare and contrast the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Youtuber Logan Paul to a jiu-jitsu fight. While one can debate his assertion that Logan Paul actually won rounds against Floyd Mayweather, the principles of a standard fight hold as true as ever.
As an aside, there was no official decision made on this fight and it was unsanctioned, therefore it will not be affecting either persons professional record. While it would certainly be a stretch to say Logan Paul controlled the fight for any meaningful period of time, Rener highlights three principles that contrast this fight to jiu-jitsu:
1. David and Goliath
Logan Paul outweighs Mayweather by roughly 35 pounds and is 20 years younger. Having both size and youth on his side creates a unique challenge to Mayweather in that he is not accustomed to fighting someone outside his weight class. It was telling but not surprising that Mayweather could not finish Paul. In a boxing fight, Rener points out, size matters to a great degree since it is realistically a challenge for a much smaller opponent to knock out a bigger one. For the several times that the two clinched, Rener believes that in a regular fight Paul could have taken Mayweather down and had his way since Mayweather is not trained in jiu-jitsu, staying safe in this fight solely based on the rules of the game and his mastery of said rules.
2. 99 Ways to Win
Boxing is inherently limited in that there is really only one way to defeat your opponent, that being a knockout. Without the relative power to deliver the needed blow, factoring in a difference in size, the smaller Mayweather was fighting an uphill in trying to put away the Youtuber Paul. In jiu-jitsu, despite a size difference, a smaller opponent has many tools at his disposal in an effort to decisively win a fight. Despite his size difference, Floyd may do well to expand his repertoire of martial arts skills if he is ever to face a much stronger opponent in a street fight, if this fight doesn’t serve as evidence enough.
3. Distance is everything
Floyd Mayweather is without a doubt a master at distance management as it pertains to boxing. Even still, he was on the receiving end of a few shots from Paul due to Paul’s aggressiveness and reach advantage. As the old adage goes “whoever manages the distance most effectively manages the damage that can be done.” This is a universal concept in all martial arts, and this fight highlights that principle by showing that both fighters are either keeping an adequate distance to avoid being hit or are clinching in an effort to take away the distance their opponent needs to be effective.
Regardless of what you thought of the fight, it serves as an educational experience in that in underlines the factors that can impact a fight; size, distance, ways to win, as well as the rules of the game. Principles such as these are discussed in much greater depth in Rener and Ryron’s upcoming 32 Principles module that is getting rave reviews from high level black belts, including 6-time BJJ world champion Cobrinha. Keep on the lookout of this instructional program set to debut on June 26.
