MMA pretender litmus test - how to spot a poser without sparring him?

**Shawarma** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 4:32pm

A few days ago, I had the misfortune of running into a gentleman claiming to have trained BJJ for 20 years despite being British and in his mid- to late twenties himself. Over the next half hour, it became increasingly obvious that the young sir would not know a kimura from a coconut and was bragging of his MMA prowess while dissing it as not being street enough, yo, and talking up whatever RBSD/ninjer fads are hep with the kids these days.

This pissed me the **** off, mainly because it took me nearly 15 minutes to casually ask him about the specifics of his BJJ and MMA training, 15 minutes of me giving him the benefit of the doubt that I will never get back!

So the question I'd like to ask is: How would you determine beyond all reasonable doubt whether somebody is full of crap about their MMA/BJJ background in 3 minutes or less without calling them out? What single question would out them as being poser trash?

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 4:33pm

Ask him what he has competed in that you would be able to look up. I'm a shambling bag of fail but I'm still all over NAGA and RANKED for grappling tournaments.

**Shawarma** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 4:55pm

Yeah, google should make that kind of thing obvious, I was thinking more of on-the-spot questions that would prove poserism immediately without the need to look up nonexisting records.

Besides, he was just so damn deadly, I am sure he would simply have claimed to be too deadly to compete. In BJJ.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:14pm

Double leg his ass.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:16pm

See if he knows the secret handshake.

**yli** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:18pm

You mean the front kick to the groin?

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:19pm

In the past I'd just tell them that they sound like they're full of ****.

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:48pm

quit asking if they "want to start at the knees" whilst in the men's room.

**lionknight** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 5:56pm

I was once at a party where a guy proceeded to tell me (and those around me) in detail about every martial arts school in the area, including my own place, in which he had never stepped foot in let alone trained.

I just smiled and nodded while he dug his hole and then told him who I was. He left shortly after.

**DOHC_Holiday** · Posted On: 6/10/2011 6:07pm

Make up a BS term. Tell him you are having trouble with the diagonal nut-lock that Helio Gracie used in UFC 135, and ask if he has any insights. If he's a poser, he will.