Georges St. Pierre Training With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts Roger Gracie And Braulio Estima

 UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre is one of the best in the sport of MMA, in part because he has become a true mixed martial artist.  Whereas early in his career he mostly relied on explosiveness, athleticism, and his Kyokushin Karate background, nowadays he is as weakness-free as they get.  We’re talking about a fighter with amazing wrestling skills, strong submissions, and even a great jab, as we saw in his most recent fight against Josh Koscheck. Along with this, St. Pierre’s well-roundedness gives him a leg up on the competition, as he can beat you in so many ways.  So it’s no surprise that in preparation for his upcoming fight against submission wizard Jake Shields at UFC 129, the man they call “Rush” was seen training with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts Roger Gracie and Braulio Estima at Team Rough House in Great Britain.  

It’s just another example of St. Pierre’s willingness to work with new people and take himself out of his comfort zone, a zone which is becoming increasingly harder to find considering the varied types of people he’s trained with and overall skillset.  By working out with Gracie and Estima, St. Pierre is likely figuring he’ll be ready for Shields’ submission attempts.  Here’s why.  

Roger Gracie is one of the most accomplished grapplers in Gracie history, which certainly says a lot.  The second degree black belt has won the BJJ World Jiu Jitsu Championship a record 10 times, including three times in the open weight division (another record).  In 2005, Gracie won every match he competed in at the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, including fights in both his weight class and the absolute division.  Beyond that, he’s quite famous for his 2009 performance at the Mundials, where he submitted everyone he faced with a choke from the mount position.  

Braulio Estima is a world champion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner as well, having taken home the 2009 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship in both the 88kg and Absolute divisions.  The Ze Radiola black belt has won multiple Pan American, as well as CBJJ championships and more. 

By training with such high level caliber BJJ practitioners, St. Pierre is attempting to handle the one advantage many believe Shields  has over him- submissions.  In other words, “Rush” is attempting to strengthen the area that Shields will most likely want to exploit.  Of course, most think that St. Pierre will try and keep this fight on his feet, eliminating Shields’ strength entirely.  Then again, this is a guy that decided to outwrestle Koscheck in their first fight.  In other words, you never know what St. Pierre is going to do.  He likes to surprise opponents.

And he’s often well-rounded enough to do it.  Should be an interesting fight.