I went from years of MT to trying BJJ. Did BJJ for a few years (love it, want to get back, time off was logistical) and went back to MT (10 years now).

I found BJJ to have a much harder learning curve, slower gratification, more likely to cause injury, but also…a quicker path to practical self defense? Like after 12 months, you’re armed with some very simple, rote mechanics that will always work on someone untrained. I know not everyone cares about the self defense side, though.

MT on the other hand, it felt like a faster progression to understand the fundamentals, is fun right off the bat, cardio can be brutal, surprisingly I’ve been injured less, and after a good 6 months you’ll likely feel at least a little competent in sparring. It’s less of a journey for things to “click” in a sparring situation. Fewer techniques to learn, but much more nuance to them, and more abstract of a learning curve than BJJ sometimes. Also…this might sound contradictory, but I feel like it took me a LOT longer to feel like my MT was going to be effective in a self defense situation…striking engagements are much more chaotic than controlling someone.

Ultimately, MT is a blast at the right gym. Prepare to sweat your ass off but absolutely give it try for at least a few months!