Tehran 22 April _The art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is seeing a new spark emerge in a country with a long tradition in the grappling arts, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Submission Fighting is considered to be the fastest growing martial art in the world and now the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) World Federation, which is widely known as the "Olympics of Grappling," has opened its doors in Iran with champion and longtime martial arts master Bardia Honardar serving as its President and sole representative.
Mr. Honardar, who is one of the few Iranian BJJ Black Belts in the world, says not everyone knows about them. "...People are usually surprised when they hear we even train BJJ let alone having a Black Belt...but we have a solid, solid team. Last season, we finished 84th in the world rankings, top 30 in Asia. That's never been done before by an Iranian team.
The global popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has brought tons of attention to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,l which is the forefather of modern MMA. The Brazilian method and approach to grappling changed the face of combat sports forever. But the question is, does Iran have what it takes to be included in the conversation? Thanks to guys like Master Honardar, that does not seem too far off.