Jiu-Jitsu: A force in the country

Over the years, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has gained much attention worldwide. Ever since the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first tournament – UFC 1: The Beginning – mixed martial arts has sparked interest among Filipinos.

BJJ is one martial art that Filipinos easily embraced. Ali Sulit, head of Atos Philippines, cited a couple of reasons why it has become popular among Filipinos.

“First and foremost, height is not a factor,” Atos said with a slight smirk. He even compared BJJ to the most popular sport of the country – basketball. But unlike hoops, BJJ does not need tall competitors.

The second reason is because BJJ was introduced to the Philippines before the rest of the Asian countries (excluding Japan). Another reason is because Filipinos are naturally good in combat sports.

“I think we have Manny Pacquiao as the best evidence to support that,” Atos explained.

Ali Sulit (right, in black gi) with his fellow BJJ pracitioners (Photo courtesy of Erwin Nolido)

However, there is a tricky aspect to BJJ that makes it a tough sport. There are strict rules in the tournaments, such as two fighters can only compete if they belong to the same belt, weight and age division.

“It’s got tedious logistics. Even if there are many fighters, it would be difficult to pair up each one,” Sulit said.

One BJJ fighter training under Sulit, Ricky Poblador, gave his thoughts on this ever-evolving sport.

“It’s always better to compete with others that have the same skill level. That way, the playing field is even and you would have to do something that will make you go beyond your peers in order to bring home the gold,” he said.

One of Poblador’s observations in BJJ is that anyone can do well. Despite having no background or interest in sports in the past, he was able to win some medals in tournaments

Sulit and Poblador both belong to Atos Philippines, a BJJ organization originating from Brazil. It is one of the four teams that have been established in the country.

Photo courtesy of Erwin Nolido

Sulit, for his part, hopes to enhance BJJ's presence in all major universities and attract more competitors. Just like Poblador who had no prior interest in the sport, Sulit is confident that more people will be representing the country in international competitions.

In an effort to get more people into the sport, a competition called Rollapalooza is held up to four times annually.

“This is what attracts beginners, who are the lifeblood of the sport,” said Sulit, who had served as one of the tournament's organizers since 2008.

With the continued triumph of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, as well as the consistent coverage of UFC, there is no doubt that more and more Filipinos will engage in combat sports. Could this mean that more people may share the same fame and fortune as Pacquiao, or will others be able to surpass his excellence?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By the age of three, Mayela learned how to answer the phone and has never tired of telling stories since then. She is an incoming Communication Arts senior at the Ateneo De Manila University.