I have to say jiu jitsu but I train bjj so I'm biased

Unfortunately In MMA one system in itself is not effective. It's the combination of systems that makes a fighter either good or great. That said i think Boxing is the core system needed to succeed in MMA. With Brzlian Jujitsu as your secondary style a very close second behind boxing.

for what ever its worth i have been involved in japanese martial arts for a period that has spanned 49 years in 2012 having trained in a number of styles including Karate Japanese okinowan and Korean also old style Judo Kanos Judo not sport Judo kito Ryu enshin ryu and having resurected an old sytem from the roots of enshinryu and kito ryu have developed a true mma system kyu-shin-ryu im amazed at how many experts there are or opinions I might say as it relates to mma allow me to share some history with many of you that seem to boast about your great knowledge of BJJ the Gracie family contacted the kodokan and asked for Judo instructors to teach the Judo Ne- waza so like many others they took what they were taught and made it their own the fact is that jujitsu and jujitsu style fighting has history to support its existince dating to 7 bc I assure all of you fans of MMA that what you think is MMA isnt and what you percieve to be JIU JITSU isnt what you have is a degeneration of a few techniques that have nothing to do with goshin jitsu which is in fact the basis of Jiu Jitsu period I dont know every thing but I have trained long enough and am a compotent enough student and master of an art system to know the difference think about ik kIds

If your intention is to have monster energy drinks sponsor you or to win trophies and awards, I say all of the above.

A true practitioner of a TRUE martial art will avoid real life confrontations and do what ever needs to be done to stay alive in an unavoidable confrontation.

Quoted for truth. The one will constantly seek of fighting only how off how insecure they are in that they constantly have ot prove themselves to others......gamer

Submission/catch wrestling is great base. Unlike the slow methodical pace of jitz you're actively wrestling an oppenent, forcing them to constantly expell precious energy to defend themselves. All while trying to catch them in submissions. As for the take down aspect. Judos fantastic throws, although effective I feel aren't as explosive or have a high percentage success rate. Simply because of the experience I've had with judokas. They tend to try to counter rather than press forward and end up on their backs often. Yes I get it, Judo is the gentle way and it's supposed to be about using your opponents energy against him. Just don't think it's practical for the cage. At least at an amateur level. Pros pull of unorthodox shit all the time.

I think style does not matter its the application of the student of the style.

People are forgetting that the martial arts is still evolving. While BJJ may have been at one time the dominant system, players such as Sakuraba & Matt Hughes demonstrates what happens when a Jujutsu stylist lacks basic clench skills from wrestling. Muy-Thai works great for certain body types such as Anderson & Aldos, but have you ever wonderd why Overeem or Barret can't quite hit those toe to toe skills with Dos Santos or Valasquez. It's really a game of who can catch who first & if you can make them play your game.