“You could put your son into anything…” Dana White reveals best martial arts training for daughters

Jiu Jitsu is the finest martial art for women, according to Dana White.

“You could put your son into anything…” Dana White reveals best martial arts training for daughters

Dana White revelas the best martial arts for girls (via Imago/Jiu Jitsu)

Martial Arts are not just for MMA fighters. These art forms teach discipline and remain a great way of self-defense. However, the type of martial art depends on the person and what they plan on using it for. Dana White recently sang the praises of Jiu-Jitsu as an exceptionally effective self-defense discipline, particularly for women. 

In a conversation with Lex Fridman, Dana White emphatically endorsed BJJ’s usefulness in subduing potential attackers. He stated boys could learn any martial art and fight, but girls needed specific training. He believed girls should learn Jiu-Jitsu to defend themselves.

You could put your son into anything. Boys are going to learn how to fight, but girls are different…The biggest selling point for Jiu-Jitsu for women is that no matter how big or small, a woman can put a guy to sleep in three and a half seconds.
Dana White via The Lex Fridman YT
YouTube video

The UFC CEO’s admiration for the grappling art stems from firsthand experience. White himself trained BJJ in the 1990s and vividly recalls its transformative impact. Beyond its pragmatic self-defense utilities, White lauded Jiu Jitsu’s profound lessons. 

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White’s glowing endorsement highlighted Jiu Jitsu’s core principle of leveraging technique over physical strength. The grappling system’s mechanics neutralize size disadvantages for women facing larger opponents. When used efficiently, its techniques transcend physicality, providing reliable equalizers in worst-case confrontations. It also allows for ending fights in a quick manner with numerous submissions.

Dana White recalls the humbling Jiu-Jitsu experience he had

Rece­ntly, Dana White talked about his Jiu-Jitsu journey. He­ explained how Jiu-Jitsu greatly change­d how he saw himself. White was a big boxing fan. His first time­ doing Jiu-Jitsu made him question what he thought he­ knew.

Dana White recounted his humbling experience in Jiu-Jitsu
Dana White recounted his humbling experience in Jiu-Jitsu (via BJJ Eastern Europe)

The 54-year-old said he­ was surprised at how much stronger people­ could be. Starting Jiu-Jitsu was like taking the “re­d pill” in The Matrix – it showed him a whole ne­w reality. White reme­mbered specific details from when he started grappling. Moreover, the UFC CEO felt that a beginner would always have a humbling experience.

I remember thinking, holy s**t… I can’t believe that I’m 28 years old and this is the first time I’m experiencing this… It is such an eye-opening, mind-blowing experience when you do it for the first time… This is the most humbling thing you can do as a man.
Dana White via Lex Fridman YT

Beyond personal recollections, White recounted the martial arts’s universal virtues, particularly for self-defense. If any fight hits the ground, and most street fights hit the ground, most people don’t know how to attack or defend in that scenario. BJJ provides a method to defend oneself without inflicting serious damage to the opponent.

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