JitsCast #37 features former UFC heavyweight world champion Josh Barnett. Although Barnett became famous as a professional MMA fighter, he’s also a veteran grappler and one of the world’s biggest proponents of Catch Wrestling. Barnett has trained and competed under a wide range of different grappling styles but he’s always described himself as a catch wrestler first and foremost. That style served him very well throughout his professional MMA career though. Barnett fought all around the world in most major promotions over the course of his 19-year career, and he amassed an impressive 35-8 professional record with 19 submission wins against some of the best to ever do it.
Jits Magazine spoke to Barnett about why he first fell in love with catch wrestling, and who his earliest influences were in MMA. He shared some of his background in other grappling styles and why that approach resonated with him the most, even at a time when most people were discovering Jiu-Jitsu instead. Barnett also went into detail on what he sees as the some of the deficiencies in Jiu-Jitsu both as a general overview and more specifically with certain rulesets. He explained how any promoter should approach creating a ruleset for their sport, and even took a critical look at catch wrestling rules.
Barnett explained exactly why his promotion, The American Catch Wrestling Association, takes a slightly different approach to the legendary Snake Pit when it comes to scoring pins. The ACWA does not rule it a pin if the top player is still inside guard, a rule that allows Jiu-Jitsu competitors much more freedom to work. He also took a moment to look at the future of catch wrestling, and where he sees the sport going from here. With participation being the main focus at the moment, Barnett wants to encourage as many grapplers as possible to test themselves under catch wrestling rules.
JitsCast #37 with Josh Barnett is now available to watch on the official JitsMagazine YouTube channel, click here to subscribe for more or check out the interview below:
