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Bellator’s Mads Burnell blasts ‘soft as f*ck’ modern jiu-jitsu for making art less effective for MMA
Mads Burnell is not happy with the evolution of jiu-jitsu, and thinks it comes with a cost, at least in MMA.
With jiu-jitsu vastly changing and evolving from self-defense to more of a sport in recent years, Burnell (17-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) thinks it’s become less effective in fighting. Returning at Bellator 299 this Saturday against Daniel Weichel (42-14 MMA, 11-6 BMMA), Burnell (17-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was pretty vocal about the current state of jiu-jitsu.
“It’s soft as f*ck to say it mildly,” Burnell said at the Bellator 299 media day on Thursday. “They’re going for worm guard, spider guard, this guard, that guard. The old-school way like Renzo and Rickson (Gracie) did it like to get the takedown, get on top, get to mount, punch somebody in the face and choke people. That’s how it works in MMA. But this soft sh*t where they butt scoot and try to get each other’s foot, that sh*t don’t fly in MMA.”
It may be surprising to see Burnell critical of jiu-jitsu given that it’s his main weapon in MMA. Burnell has 10 stoppage wins in his record, and nine of those have come by way of submission.
“It’s funny because I’m good on the ground, but I actually think jiu-jitsu is soft,” Burnell said. “I actually don’t like it, especially how it is today. I really don’t like it. I don’t like the tournaments and how they call it fights. How can it be a fight when no one is getting slapped? I really don’t like how jiu-jitsu is today.”
Either way, Burnell is focused on MMA and not jiu-jitsu. He’s hoping to build momentum from his win over Justin Gonzales in April and further himself from that two-fight losing streak in 2022. The 29-year-old finds Weichel to be the perfect opponent to do just that.
“He’s a legend, that’s why I called him out,” Burnell said. “I’ve said this before, but it was mostly to reel him in. I’ve been wanting to fight this guy since I almost became a pro. He fought in Denmark when I was 10 years old in a fight card I was live watching in 2004, so it’s pretty cool to fight him.
“He’s all around a good fighter and has fought who’s who. If you look at his track record, that’s the type of record you want to have. He fought anybody, anytime, anywhere, and I respect that a lot.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.
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