Train Smart: Why I Avoid Rolling with Bigger Opponents

"It's natural to want to test yourself against bigger guys, and the bigger guys often want to warm up with you. So, you end up without many options. When I was younger, I had this mindset of seeing how far I could go by testing myself against bigger opponents. People always say, 'Jiu-Jitsu is for the smaller guys,' or 'Jiu-Jitsu is self-defense; you have to be ready.' I thought, 'I don't see many people my size on the street, so if someone bigger picks a fight with me, I need to be ready. Let me try against this bigger guy.' I used to do this a lot, and I think it's important.

But nowadays, I avoid it as much as I can unless I'm preparing to fight bigger guys. If I'm not competing in open weight, why should I train daily with bigger guys and risk getting hurt? The safest approach is to find training partners who are similar in size, maybe a little heavier—up to 10 kilos heavier, which is manageable. But 20 kilos? There's no need. Now, I focus on training with people who are closer to my size." Felipe Costa