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Martial arts have long laid claim to the ability to teach the weak to fight against the strong. Stories of Kung Fu being used to train farmers to fight back against soldiers have persisted for centuries. The Gracies famously pushed for Royce to be the family representative at UFC 1, in order to show the dominance of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, where even a ~175 lb. noodle in pajamas could beat massive muscled athletes.
However, if martial arts have taught us that training and technique can beat size and strength, combat sports have taught us that, to coin a phrase, there are weight classes for a reason. Put two people of similar skill together in a cage or ring and more often than not, the big one’s gonna win. It’s that kind of math that seems to have given some people the wrong idea.
Bodybuilder Bradley Martyn can’t believe he’d lose to Demetrious Johnson
Speaking to Brendan Schaub on a recent ‘Raw Talk’ podcast, Martyn claimed he would “crush” former UFC flyweight (and current ONE bantamweight) champion Demetrious Johnson if the two were to ever square off.
“150 pounds is like a towel to me,” Martyn enthused, adding that he would “crush his head on the floor.”
Clips from the conversation went viral, people started talking back and forth, and now it appears that the fight is actually going to happen. Well, not so much a fight, but a grappling match at least. Johnson —who’s been planning a move to grappling anyhow—announced his intention to make the bout happen in a recent podcast.
“It’s funny, you know. He’s 265, he’s a bodybuilder, so obviously he’s got the weight advantage. But, at the end of the day, that’s the beautiful thing about grappling; it’s not about weight, it’s about technique. And we’re going to try to grapple. I told Brendan Schaub that I want to make it happen. I’m busy doing other things right now, but when I get back from all my vacation I’m going to fly down to Calabasas and we’re going to roll, man. I’m going to roll him up.”
Joe Rogan pitched in his feelings on the fight
Brendan Schaub already made his position known to Martyn, that he would get absolutely annihilated by the record holder for most title defenses in UFC history. But what does the everyman think? We don’t know, but Joe Rogan has some ideas. Notably, Rogan feels that if Martyn and Johnson were to compete in a ‘street fight’ Martyn just might win it.
“Bradley is enormous and Bradley is so f—king strong,” Rogan explained (transcript via SportsManor). He’s an athlete. He’s a f—king specimen. Now if this was in a street fight, the thing about Bradley is he can hit you with the Earth you know what I’m saying… If that guy picks you up and smashes you into the ground, your body will shatter.”
“And Mighty Mouse is, you know, he probably walks around at a buck 50 or a buck 45 and he cuts down to 125,” Rogan continued. “If they just do a jiu-jitsu match, Mighty Mouse is going to get him.”
Who knows if or when we’ll actually find out the answers as to whether a world class bodybuilder is strong enough to out-grapple the best flyweight MMA fighter to ever live, with just strength and power alone? The two men have yet to make anything official. But, hopefully we’ll see some kind of exhibition down the line, just for the sheer circus sideshow strangeness of it all.
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