UFC star Robert Whittaker told Joe Rogan that the gi has a valuable place in learning Jiu-Jitsu, including for MMA.
He argues that skills built in the gi carry over to no-gi much more readily than the other way around:
If you want to learn Jiu-Jitsu, I’m a big believer in gi… Obviously it’s different, but a lot of gi guys can transition from gi to no-gi.
It’s very hard the other way around.
For Whittaker, the gi is more than a separate tradition.
Its grips and slower pace make positioning and decision-making critical, especially for MMA:
The great thing about the gi in terms of Jiu-Jitsu, especially for MMA, is that you can’t make as many mistakes in the gi.
It makes your positioning and your decision-making so much more vital.
No-gi, he said, can reward athleticism in a way the gi does not:
If you’re an athletic guy, you can get pretty far in no-gi… You can get out of a lot of things.
If you make a mistake (in the gi, however), they capitalize on it and you get into a bad position.
Then you’re working from that bad position… You’re actually punished for errors a lot more.
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