Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Deron Williams plans to compete in BJJ when he’s retired.
“I’m gonna do some [jiu-jitsu] tournaments for sure,” Williams told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I’ll probably have to [wait until retirement]; it would probably be the smartest thing to do. I do mostly no-gi; I’ve done some gi. It’s just a little too slow-paced for me right now.”
Williams — who has also played for the Jazz, Nets, and Mavericks — was a wrestler before he played basketball.
He is also an MMA fan who owns his own gym, Fortis MMA in Dallas, Texas. In fact, one of the gym’s fighters, Rashad Coulter, was on the most recent UFC card, UFC 211, which also featured Cleveland native and Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic.
Williams, however, does not have any plans to compete in MMA himself, which is primarily a young person’s sport.
BJJ, on the other hand, is usually easier for those in their forties, fifties, and even seventies. Furthermore, Deron Williams 6’3″ stature will surely give him an edge, especially when it comes to triangles and preventing guard passes.
He had better watch out for those heel hooks, though!
You can watch Deron Williams’ entire interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour below:
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