MMA continues to force the grappling game to evolve. Shorter rounds, stand-up happy referees, the cage rather than ropes ala Pride; they all have nuances, limitations, considerations, and advantages to be considered. JiuJitsu's original ace was ignorance and outright lack of information in addition to have been battle-tested in Vale Tudo and challenge matches. In addition, it's basis on leverage, a positional hierarchy, closing the distance, achieving of positions where I can maximize the strength of my body versus the neck or an isolated limb all make it one of the cornerstones of fighting and self-defense.
7 years ago Demian Maia challenged Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt. Since then he's fought 12 times: Won 10 of those, suffered stoppage losses, retooled his submission and wrestling arsenal, improved his striking, and won by domination and/or submission in the vast majority of those wins.
This is all after a career as a JiuJitsu competitor who became World champion at purple belt, 3x Brazilian World Cup Chanpion, ADCC Chanpion, and ADCC silver medalist.
