There has never been a bigger divide between gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu, but we do see athletes at the highest levels still making the change and competing in both styles. That gives us a great opportunity to contrast the strategies and techniques that they are using and to see how they adjust tactics between the two - and decipher what it means.

Get your tickets here for WNO 22 in Costa Mesa, CA on Feb.9

At Tezos WNO 21: Night of Champions, Art of Jiu-Jitsu's Tainan Dalpra made his black belt no-gi debut when he submitted Troy Russell. Tainan, a two-time IBJJF World Champion at black belt, took Russell down, mounted him, then moved to the armbar to finish. What really stands out about this performance isn't just that it was in no-gi - it's that we almost never see Tainan passing to mount and working from there. He almost always passes into side control.

So why is this? Why did he change up strategies when he changed up styles? The answer lies in the best way to get to the back - Tainan's ultimate goal. Taking and controlling the back is the safest, strongest way to attack an opponent and he has made this the paramount goal in his top game. The path to get there, though, isn't always the same.

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Dalpra has one of the most advanced, nuanced gi games in the world, using proper gripping to pull, play guard, and pass. Whenever we see him on top in the gi, he is working to the side - because this is where opponents are more likely to turn and expose their own back. While anchored in with grips on the pants or collars, Tainan can use this exposure to get behind the opponent with leg drags, spins to the far side, gator rolls, and more.

That becomes different in no-gi though. If you want to hunt the back, side control can actually make that difficult because you don't have grips to anchor into the opponent. When they get a frame and move, you can't slow down their movement and exploit it for a chance at the back. Instead, you have to stay over the hips more so you can control those athletic movements.

So, if you want to hunt the back in no-gi from the top position - elect instead to go to the mount. By using tight passing positions like the body lock or chest-to-chest half guard, you can force your opponent to take those same bridging, athletic movements while having to carry weight - making it easier to navigate your way to the back. Functionally, the security of the grips is replaced by pressure and body weight.

Will we see more of this when Tainan returns to no-gi? Find out February 9th when he takes on New Wave's Oliver Taza in Costa Mesa, CA.

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