... That he doesn't train in the gi at the post fight presser. Benson walked out wearing his gi. Technique is technique. If you drill an armbar 1,000+ times without a gi on you're gonna have a badass fucking armbar, regardless of your attire.
I just don't understand why people think training with a damn gi on would have improved that.
I think defense in a Gi is better than no gi but other than that who cares 
You certainly don't need the gi, and you're right. Gi or no gi if you drill the armbar 1,000 times it'll be good. I was a no-gi guy (still prefer it), then started training gi and noticed the biggest improvement after taking it off was more fluidity and tightness in my transitions and escapes.
pheonix5 -
You certainly don't need the gi, and you're right. Gi or no gi if you drill the armbar 1,000 times it'll be good. I was a no-gi guy (still prefer it), then started training gi and noticed the biggest improvement after taking it off was more fluidity and tightness in my transitions and escapes.
I had a similar experience and thought the same thing but after thinking about it, it was probably just an increase in mat time. But you right gi or no gi its just about mat time.
Pettis/Henderson is only one example. There're plenty of successful fighters (GSP, Diaz, Anderson, Maia) that train often in the gi. GSP does a lot of his BJJ in London with Roger Gracie in a gi. Basically, the gi slows down the game and forces you to be more technical. Athleticism is less of an equalizer since the added friction makes it more difficult to explode out of positions and submissions. It would be a mistake for someone interested primarily in MMA to develop an A-game of gi chokes, or sweeps requiring lapel or sleeve grips, but there's still plenty of jiu-jitsu left when you take that stuff out. It's a developmental tool.
Its been said a lot but at least at my gym with amateurs its gives them more partners get good training with. Having the gi lets me slow down guys who are just on another level than me athletically forcing them to be more technical. Without the gi I still beat and lose to the same guys for the most part but the nature of the rolls is different.
At the top level when you've already got a solid submission grappling background and moving into the pro-mma ranks I don't know. I suspect that at that point the benefits of the gi would diminish.