Mixed Martial Arts has several fighting styles under a single umbrella. Be it Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, or Combat Sambo, every style has its distinctive perks. And due to that, debates can surely arise about which form can be superior in a street fight. To answer that, Islam Makhachev has shared the blunt reality.

Makhachev’s response stemmed from Gordon Ryan’s comments on the same question. According to the seven-time ADCC champion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu outworks Combat Sambo in a street fight. However, the assessment seemingly didn’t bode well with a Combat Sambo fighter like Makhachev, who has found immense success with it. As a result, the Dagestani fighter fired back at Ryan.

Islam Makhachev rates Combat Sambo higher

“Jiu-Jitsu? I 100% do not agree. What are you gonna do? Lay down on the streets and let’s go? said Islam Makhachev in an interview with Ushatayka. “You can’t lay on the ground and say, ‘Hey, let’s fight here.’ Fights start on the feet.

If you compare Sambo and Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo is much better in a street fight. We actually used it a lot. It works. We fought BJJ guys too recently. Works well against them.”

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Surely, Makhachev’s assessment comes from experience. He started training in Combat Sambo at a very young age, and as he transitioned to professional MMA, it helped him in his MMA career. Take his performances against BJJ expert Charles Oliveira or Craig Jones-backed Jack Della Maddalena, for example.

In his 29 bouts, Makhachev has won 28. And interestingly, he has won almost every fight in a dominating fashion using his Combat Sambo prowess. For him to have that understanding of how that fighting style can be useful in a street fight is understandable.

But then again, Gordon Ryan has also come in with a similar wealth of knowledge about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So, which fighting style is superior can actually be a debatable topic. However, Ryan’s undermining of other styles is what sparked Makhachev’s reaction. And as it seems, he isn’t the only one dropping a response.

Khamzat Chimaev dismisses Gordon Ryan’s assessment

Apart from claiming the superiority of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Gordon Ryan also delved into other topics. He also questioned how fighters like Khamzat Chimaev would fare in a proper grappling competition like ADCC?

“That’s the style that Khabib and Khamzat use,” Ryan said on the OverDogs podcast. “Like they’re not the best wrestlers, they’re not the best freestyle wrestlers in the world. They’re not the best jiu-jitsu guys in the world. Like, if you put those guys into ADCC, they would get beat pretty easily.”

Boasting superiority over fighting style was one thing, but undermining other genres does spark negative reactions. And it didn’t take much time for the UFC middleweight champion to dismiss those assessments.

“Big bulls***,” wrote Chimaev on Instagram comments.

‘Borz’ is another top MMA star who has his own unique wrestling style. As such, it has a blend of traditional wrestling and Combat Sambo. And like Islam Makhachev, he also seemed defensive about their fighting styles.

On that note, do you think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can outclass Combat Sambo or any other fighting style? Let us know in the comments below!