UNPOPULAR OPINION: Saying a martial art smashes another isn't helpful.
BJJ person here, so there is inherent bias, but I think it makes zero sense when BJJ people say 'a good wrestler gets smashed by a good BJJ practitioner' and wrestlers say the opposite. I think that if you don't have good or at least passable standup as someone who does BJJ, you aren't good at BJJ. If you don't have good or at least passable groundwork as someone who does wrestling or judo, you aren't good at BJJ or judo. Yes, someone who does BJJ likely gets taken down by someone who does wrestling/judo more. Yes, someone who does wrestling/judo probably also gets submitted more easily. You have to realize that to be a good grappler, you have to be good at both standup AND groundwork. Ignoring one is like going to paint without a canvas. It just doesn't work. And if you put someone who does BJJ in a judo match with judo rules, a judoka will win. If you put a wrestler in a BJJ match with BJJ rules, the person who does BJJ wins. If you put a judoka in a wrestling match with wrestling rules, the wrestler wins. It doesn't mean that you have to do a dick measuring contest about it. Just train your martial art. It doesn't matter if the person you are talking to is a hobbyist who probably can't defend themselves as well or a pro who is somewhat better off, both of them get screwed over by a singular knife.
Posted Jan 9, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC