Gurgel on TUF Brazil: “I feel any Jiu-Jitsu move can work in MMA”

Fabio Gurgel rolling with Roger Gracie in 2010 / Personal archive photo

Renowned Jiu-Jitsu black belt Fabio Gurgel is preparing his soldiers at Alliance for the World Championship in California, but first he has some other missions, even one involving UFC star Lyoto Machida. The first endeavor is coming up at the Brazilian Nationals beginning this Friday at Grajaú Country Club in Rio de Janeiro.

With his agenda full, the general is coming off three days of seminars in Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf, and even spent a day with Roger and Kyra Gracie in London. Back in São Paulo, the teacher broke down the season: “We’ve got the Brazilian Nationals; a seminar in Belém, Pará State, with Lyoto Machida; and then comes the Alliance training camp for the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in May,” he told GRACIEMAG.

Queried about the constant evolution in the gentle art and the new positions cropping up—like the legdrag, guard variations, berimbolos and Rodolfo’s guard pass—Gurgel shared his analysis: “Jiu-Jitsu is in frequent evolution, and all those positions mentioned didn’t necessarily just arise recently. But the fact is, they’re more popular these days. I feel there’s much more to come; that’s what makes the sport continue to grow. No one is ever good at Jiu-Jitsu, since if you spend just a short while away from the mat you can’t even comprehend the new techniques.”

Gurgel made the most of a question about the TUF Brazil reality show, where his student Sérgio Moraes features, to address Jiu-Jitsu as it applies to MMA. He brought up Sérgio’s submission win on TUF as a sign that Jiu-Jitsu is still wowing audiences.

“You saw Sergio on TUF getting the finish from 50/50 guard, didn’t you? There you go, the modern and maligned Jiu-Jitsu too has been proven to work in MMA. I feel it’s totally possible to use any Jiu-Jitsu technique in MMA, so long as it’s done with the right timing and proper form,” he said in closing.

Check out some of Sérgio Moraes’s style in Jiu-Jitsu, between flips and spins.