Charles Oliveira: Jiu-Jitsu Is Above Wrestling

Filed under: UFCBrazilian fighter Charles Oliveira may be facing a step up in competition when he takes on Efrain Escudero at Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night on Spike TV, but that doesn’t mean he felt the need to do anything special to prepare for th…

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Brazilian fighter Charles Oliveira may be facing a step up in competition when he takes on Efrain Escudero at Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night on Spike TV, but that doesn’t mean he felt the need to do anything special to prepare for the specific challenges Escudero presents.

Speaking with MMA Fighting last week, Oliveira (13-0) said he didn’t bring in any wrestling-oriented sparring partners to mimic Escudero’s style, mainly because he doesn’t feel that he needs to. That’s because in a head-to-head competition, according to Oliveira, jiu-jitsu is simply the superior ground fighting style.

“We have no wrestlers helping, because the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is better for the ground game,” Oliveira said via an interpreter. “It’s above the wrestling. I’m just training normally, nothing special.”