Size vs Skill: Olympic Weightlifter Challenges Tiny Martial Artist

175-pound 42-year-old Jiu-Jitsu teacher vs 250-pound 30-year-old Weightlifter

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has long been regarded as one of the most efficient and dangerous martial arts on the planet. The Gracie family were the ones that really made BJJ huge, and the martial art they brought into the limelight resulted in the UFC coming to life.

The Gracies helped bring BJJ into the mainstream by showing that size wasn’t everything in a fight. Much larger and seemingly more powerful brutes were getting choked out and submitted by wiry men of the much smaller physique.

Of course, the world was glued to this David vs. Goliath type of fighting.

Obviously, that’s what makes fights like the spectacle at the bottom of this article so interesting, the perceived advantage that any one man has in combat against another. Instantly many would presume the larger man wins.

Even though it clearly states in the title that one man is a trained martial artist, and the other uses his muscles simply to lift things, if you ask the common person who would win in this fight, you’d probably hear the weight lifter more than the grappler.

So what makes a man effective in combat? Is it the knowledge he possesses or the size and brute strength?

Here’s an interesting question answered by the Jiu-Jitsu Foundation on their website:

I’m not particularly fit/strong/scary looking – can I do Jiu-Jitsu?

Almost certainly yes, but you’ll only know if you try. Jiu-Jitsu works on the principle of redirecting an attacker’s force and momentum against them, using the minimum necessary effort to produce the maximum effect. This means you don’t have to be particularly big or strong to do well, and you don’t have to be fit to start with, although you will find you get fitter! If you have a particular concern, contact your local instructor who will be happy to discuss it with you.