#375 Jena Bishop: Why BJJ Doesn't work in MMA

#375 Jena Bishop: Why BJJ Doesn't work in MMA

From I Suck At Jiu Jitsu Show by Josh McKinney

May 21, 2026 · 1h 16m

About this episode

Jena Bishop discusses the challenges of applying BJJ techniques in MMA and the misconceptions surrounding guard pulling and elite grappling styles.

BJJ works… until it doesn’t. In this episode, I sit down with Jena Bishop, a BJJ World Champion, elite grappler, and now professional MMA fighter, to talk about the brutal truth of taking world-class Jiu-Jitsu into the cage. Jena has beaten some of the biggest names in grappling, including Mackenzie Dern, Angelica Galvão, Luiza Monteiro, and Gabi McComb. But after transitioning into MMA, she learned something most Jiu-Jitsu athletes don’t want to hear: Your sport Jiu-Jitsu game might not survive punches, wrestling, scrambles, and people who refuse to play guard. We talk about why guard pulling doesn’t translate, why being on top matters more than ever, why some elite grappling styles fail in MMA, how striking changes every position, and what BJJ athletes need to fix before stepping into a cage. Jena also opens up about burnout, fight week anxiety, weight cuts, PFL, the current state of women’s safety in Jiu-Jitsu, and why the culture of hero-worship in BJJ has created serious problems. This is one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the show. Get my free competition training ebook, The Competitor’s Journey: simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp Sponsored by Datsusara: Use code…

People in this episode

Host: Josh McKinney

Guest: Jena Bishop

Topics covered

  • BJJ in MMA
  • guard pulling
  • elite grappling
  • fight week anxiety
  • women's safety in Jiu-Jitsu
  • burnout
  • striking in grappling

Keywords

  • BJJ
  • MMA
  • guard pulling
  • elite grappling
  • fight anxiety
  • weight cuts
  • women's safety

Sponsors

Datsusara

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PFL, simplifyingjiujitsu.com, bjjmentalmodels.com

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