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Keenan Cornelius didn’t avoid the issue and addressed the announcement by Copa Podio to penalyze the use of the lapel guard in its upcoming middleweight GP.

Read here the news and the statement by Copa Podio’s President, Jefferson Mayca.

Cornelius, who competed in the Copa Podio in 2013, wrote about the event’s decision on his Instagram account: “The entertainment of Jiu-Jitsu does not lay in the spectacle of the fights themselves. As most of these are slow moving and boring anyways. But it lies in the appreciation of the intricate techniques and innovations of the sport. When the closed guard was first used in martial arts no one could deal with the position. No one could escape and it revolutionized the martial arts. Where would Jiu-Jitsu be if someone had declared closed guard as illegal on the sport. The same can be said about any innovation. To be afraid of change is what really hinders the sport. Progress is impossible without change, and those who can’t change their minds can’t change anything.”

The post, shared also on Keenan’s Facebook page , generated great debate in the comments area.

Who do you agree with, Keenan or the Copa Podio?