With the continually rising popularity of the UFC and MMA no gi grappling has taken center stage.

In the early 90's when the Ultimate Fighting Championships started, the Gracie family introduced the world to the effectiveness of grappling arts. Their style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu totally dominated the competition from all styles.

As the sport advanced and more people began to focus on the grappling aspect there began to be a shift. Fighters cross trained in BJJ and learned how to defend submissions inside the Guard.

The result was that fighters whose offense was once so dangerous from the Guard position began to be neutralized. Not only that but fighters with a "Ground & Pound" style of fighting were able beat grapplers up from the top position.

The problem was that most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters would train everyday with a gi on and then go into MMA competition and get beat up on their back. Grappling in MMA without the gi is different than grappling with a gi.

With a gi you can grab onto the sleeve and collar of your opponent in order to set up submissions. In fact, you can choke a person with the collar as if you were using a piece of rope.

The problem was that when the bjj fighters would go into MMA competition where the opponent does not wear a gi they lost a great percentage of their setups and submissions.

In recent years more and more people have begun to train jiu jitsu without wearing the traditional gi. As a result there has been a growth of innovative no gi grappling techniques.

The difference between gi and no-gi ground fighting is similar to the difference between Judo and Greco Roman Wrestling. They both focus on taking your opponent down but the way that is accomplished differs.

In Judo the judo player is going to use their opponents sleeve and collar to setup throws and sweeps while the Greco wrestler is going to use over / under hooks and body locks.

Same goal. Two very different ways to achieve that goal.

It is very similar in ground fighting. With the gi people use the sleeve and collar for control, to setup sweeps & armbars and also for chokes. Without the gi you have to use over / under hooks for control and to setup sweeps & submissions. There are also a number of chokes that you cannot do without a gi and some that can still be done with a little modification.

There is crossover of technique from gi to no-gi. After all, whether you are or are not wearing a gi, you are still grappling. But the game is different.

No-gi tends to be faster paced with quicker transitions while grappling with a gi is usually a lot more controlled due to the number of grips that the gi gives you.

No-gi is the style that I LOVE.

Marcelo Garcia as featured in the video above is possibly the best grappler in the world today. He has won the Abu Dhabi Combat Club twice which is the world's premier no-gi grappling event.

To sneak a peek into the mind of Marcelo you can pick up his training videos below in which he reveals many of his winning techniques.

Enjoy !

In the video below Marcelo Garcia shocked the world with his domination of Renzo Gracie one of the most successful Gracie fighters of all time.