{"id":6710,"date":"2026-02-20T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6710"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:22:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:22:21","slug":"islam-makhachev-downplays-garrys-training-camp-in-georgia-is-he-trying-to-undermine-brazilian-jiu-jitsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/islam-makhachev-downplays-garrys-training-camp-in-georgia-is-he-trying-to-undermine-brazilian-jiu-jitsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev downplays Garry\u2019s training camp in Georgia\u2026 is he trying to undermine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2165\" data-end=\"2394\">In a sport where every statement carries weight, Islam Makhachev\u2019s reaction to Ian Garry\u2019s training camp in Georgia goes far beyond technical commentary. It reflects a fighting philosophy rooted in the Dagestani school of combat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2396\" data-end=\"2866\">A potential challenger for the reigning champion of the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ultimate Fighting Championship<\/span><\/span> (UFC), Ian Garry decided to travel to <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Georgia<\/span><\/span> to sharpen his wrestling. Many interpreted the move as a strategic attempt to prepare for Makhachev\u2019s strongest weapon. Yet the Dagestani champion dismissed the idea, arguing that wrestling cannot be mastered in two or three months. In his view, it is a craft built over years, starting in childhood.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2868\" data-end=\"3147\">This perspective aligns with the legacy of <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Khabib Nurmagomedov<\/span><\/span> and the tradition of <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Sambo<\/span><\/span>. Within that system, grappling is not just a skillset but a cultural foundation \u2014 a lifelong discipline shaped by repetition and structure.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\ude01Islam Makhachev fires back at Gordon Ryan after he claimed BJJ works better than Combat Sambo in a street fight<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udde3\ufe0fWhat are you gonna do?Lay down?<br \/>Sambo is much better than JiuJitsu for a street fight.We actually used it a lot\u2026We just beat some BJJ guys recently aughs<br \/>\ud83c\udfa5Ushata <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GOzT4RkinF\">pic.twitter.com\/GOzT4RkinF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/2024473165582258413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3149\" data-end=\"3615\">Still, the global landscape tells a broader story. While Makhachev naturally promotes sambo, the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu<\/span><\/span> has spread worldwide and become the universal language of modern ground fighting. Through institutions such as the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation<\/span><\/span>, BJJ has established itself as a global standard. Sambo remains highly effective, yet its international expansion has not matched the explosive growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3617\" data-end=\"3844\">Beyond the technical debate lies a psychological layer. By calling Garry\u2019s decision a \u201cserious mistake,\u201d Makhachev may be engaging in strategic mind games, testing his potential opponent\u2019s confidence as much as his preparation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3846\" data-end=\"4134\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Ultimately, this is more than a discussion about a training camp in Georgia. It is a clash of identities \u2014 Soviet-influenced grappling discipline versus the worldwide rise of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And as always in the UFC, the final answer will come not through words, but inside the cage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a sport where every statement carries weight, Islam Makhachev\u2019s reaction to Ian Garry\u2019s training camp in Georgia goes far beyond technical commentary. It reflects a fighting philosophy rooted in the Dagestani school of combat. A potential challenger for the reigning champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Ian Garry decided to travel to Georgia [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,45,86],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6710","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jiujitsu-bresilien","8":"category-mma","9":"category-mma-video"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6710"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6712,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6710\/revisions\/6712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}