I might never be able to master the rubber guard or the 10th Planet system, but I will say that the Eddie Bravo Invitational might be a platform that opens up Jiu Jitsu to a larger market of both casual combat sports fans and casual sports fans. The EBI was created by Eddie and his partner Vic Davila, the voice of Latin UFC broadcasts, to bring Jiu Jitsu to television. Originally, the first event in June was supposed to be aired as a pilot on Fox Deportes, the Latin American version of Fox Sports, but that never came to fruition and the event has since been posted online by Eddie for free. The second installment of the EBI on October 10, 2014, built upon the foundation laid by Eddie and Vic with improvements to the production quality and the quality of competitors with the hopes to eventually get a television or live online broadcast produced as early as the third EBI in February 2015.
While we have seen other sub-only matches and tournaments,
such as the Gracie Nationals, Jiu Jitsu Battle, and Metamoris, EBI has added
its own wrinkles with the inclusion of submission bonuses (more on this later),
overtime rules, and the inclusion of his own top competitors that have helped
raise the profile of his 10th Planet students including the Martinez
brothers, Denny Propokos, and Nathan Orchard. While some might write off 10th
Planet’s competitors due to their performances in the point based IBJJF
competitions, the sub only format of the EBI showcases the effectiveness of
Eddie’s techniques and philosophies.
I love the overtime format. It is dramatic and engaging as
you see both competitors trying to simultaneously go for the kill and hang on
for dear life from high percentage finishing positions. The overtime rules remind
me of the college football overtime rules in that it gives both competitors a
chance to play offense and defense. The overtime starts with competitor A
choosing one of two dominate positions; back control with hooks and seat belt
grip or top arm bar position with competitor B holding a padlock defense.
Competitor A is working for the submission while competitor B is working to
escape the dominant position. There is no time limit and once there is a sub or
escape, the competitors will alternate positions and competitor B will then get
to choose back or arm bar position. If one competitor gets the sub, then that
person will be the winner. If both get the submission or neither gets the
submission, they will repeat it again for 3 rounds. If after 3 rounds, they are
still in a stalemate, a winner will be determined based on the combined escape
time from all 3 rounds, with the competitor who took less time to escape being
declared the winner.
Like many movies with sequels, I will say that the second
installment of the EBI had some improvements, but I will say that I preferred
the first event in June. In this review, I will breakdown opportunities to
improve the overall event and experience. I am a fan of the event and want to
see it succeed. After seeing both events, I will say that Eddie and his crew
are on to something. While there are naysayers and Jiu Jitsu traditionalists,
the counterculture vibe of both Eddie and his students are a good thing for Jiu
Jitsu and I believe in his vision of showcasing the sport to a wider audience
will be nothing but beneficial to everybody in the Jiu Jitsu community.
Need More Finishes
I sold this event to people online, friends, and teammates
as an event with a high percentage of finishes. At the first event, I believe
28 of the 30 matches ended in finishes with one of the matches going to
overtime being the 145 lbs finals between Jeff Glover and Geo Martinez which
had both guys going for the kill in both regulation and overtime. In all of the matches, you felt all of the
competitors had a killer instinct and were going for the quick finish. There
was little to no feeling out process. There was no footsies from 50/50 with a
person try to get points or an advantage and then stalling out. You had two
guys trying to take each other out with zero fucks given.
This time around, it felt like 40% to 50% of matches went
into overtime. There was more caution, less urgency amongst competitors. I will
say that the 10th Planet guys were going for the kill and pushing
the pace to please their Master who refereed most of their matches. However,
many competitors seemed more cautious. A few theories of why this might be are
1.
No Bonus
Money for this event: At the first event, I was talking to Garry Tonon’s corner
man, who told me about Eddie’s pre-event talk to the competitors. Eddie offered
a $500 bonus for each submission, a bonus for submissions under a certain
amount of time, and $1,000 bonus for a twister. The event was a pilot for a TV
show and submissions are what would sell the event to the casual fans. After
seeing the number of matches going to overtime at the second event, I asked one
of the competitors if Eddie offered bonuses for submissions and the competitors
said that Eddie said there would only be prize money for the winner. The lack
of bonus money for submissions, took away the incentive for competitors to push
the pace and go for the kill this time around.
2.
Traditional
IBJJF competitors: For this event, Eddie did bring in high level IBJJF black
belt competitors including decorated Alliance/Cobrinha black belt Fabbio
Passos. Passos is currently ranked 3rd in the world in the Adult
Black Belt NoGi feather division according IBJJFrankings.com. While Passos did
advance to the finals of his bracket, he played a very strategic and
conservative game against his opponents that went against the ‘zero fucks
given’ style I saw in the first EBI. After training for NoGi American Nationals
and Worlds, can a traditional high level IBJJF competitor flip the switch from
playing a points based game to a sub only format? It made me wonder if Eddie needed to recruit
styles that fit the spirit of EBI more than belts and IBJJF accomplishments for
the next event.
3.
Gaming
the system: Competitors have learned to game the IBJJF point and clock
structure and playing for overtime could be a very sound strategy for
competitors that have extensively trained finishes from the arm bar and back
control positions. With 90 seconds left in one match, I heard a coach instruct
his competitor to play conservative with the time left and go to overtime.
Combined with a lack of submission bonuses, there was little urgency or reason
to move out of a stable position, if you believe you could dominate in the
overtime session.
Event Presentation/Format
The
EBI is still a very young event and is still perfecting their processes and
format. There were a few event presentation areas where they can make some
really quick improvements.
1. The event started at 8 PM and ended at 2
AM: The event started at 8 PM on a Friday night and concluded at 2 AM. By
this point at least half of the attendees have left and the people that
remained were dead tired. I only made it to 2 AM, thanks to the Caveman Coffee
concession stand where I had a large coffee with MCT oil. 6 hours of Jiu Jitsu is
way too long for a Friday night. I
don’t think Eddie and his crew anticipated the high number of matches going
into overtime since the first event had many quick matches with an average
match lengths ranging between 3 to 7 minutes while this event ranged somewhere
between 7 to 15 minutes per match. Starting the event earlier at 6 PM or
holding a single 16-person bracket or two 8-person brackets might make the
event more digestible for fans in attendance and more appealing to television
broadcasters and viewers. The average soccer match is 2 hours and an average
football game is 3 hours. 6 hours is just too long, especially if they want to
do a live broadcast.
2. There were no clocks for fans: Fans
were left in the dark in regards to how much time was left on the clock in the
matches and how much overtime “riding” time was accumulated by each competitor.
One of my friends at the event thought there might have been time keeper error
in one match since he tracked the time on his phone and said the match went 11
minutes and 30 seconds during regulation. Adding a mounted clock on a LED TV
screen of a small scoreboard would greatly improve the fan experience and add
to the overall production value. Imagine fans counting down the clock with 10
seconds left as one competitors has the other in a submission as time expires.
3. Need to explain rules and overtime format: There
was no explanation of the rules to the event or the overtime format during the
event. It would have been nice if Eddie or the announcer gave a brief
explanation of the rules and the overtime format before the event or the first
overtime session started. During the first match that went into overtime,
several people around me were wondering what was going on.
4. Sponsorship Activation: The EBI had
several sponsors at the event including Caveman Coffee, Onnit, Grips, Newaza,
and Roots of Fight. Caveman Coffee and Newaza both had concession booths set up
in the entry area, but there was little activation for the sponsors other than
a brief shout out from Eddie during the event. There could be a lot more
sponsorship activation that includes
- 1. Naming rights to the brackets, trophy, and submission bonuses like “The Caveman Coffee Bantamweight bracket”, “The Roots of Fight EBI Trophy” or announcing “Geo Martinez just earned a $500 submission bonus presented by Grips Athletics.”
- 2. Fashion show during intermission with gear from Newaza, Roots of Fight, and Grips
- 3. Use of the video projector screens to show the logos of the sponsors on rotation between matches.
- 4. The staff wearing apparel with the sponsor logos on them.
- 5. Giveaways including apparel and Onnit supplements.
5. There
was no Acai Bowl stand: There was no Acai Bowl stand at the event which was a
shame. A Jiu Jitsu event doesn’t feel the same without an Acai Bowl stand.
Eddie Bravo’s
Conflict of Interest
Eddie refereed most of the matches at the first two EBI
events. This presents a conflict of interest at times since many of the
competitors are from his 10th Planet schools. I don’t think Eddie is
playing favorites, but at the same time he is a polarizing figure in the sport
and it would help end any doubt of the perception of favoritism if he moved to
the role of color commentator or emcee at the event.
During the second EBI, my coach Dane Molina squared off
against MMA fighter and Cleber brown belt Joe Murphy. Dane caught Murphy in a
triangle from the guard position and Murphy defended by lifting Dane off the
ground. Joe then slammed Dane to the ground and in the process, their heads
collided and Dane’s nose started bleeding. Before the event, there was a rules
meeting where Eddie said there would be no slamming allowed. Dane and his coach
Shawn Williams specifically asked if slamming would result in a
disqualification and Eddie said “yes.” While Dane was on the side of the mat
getting treated for his bloody nose, Eddie at one point crossed both his arms
and pointed at Joe Murphy, which indicated a disqualification. However, moments
later he changed his mind and as soon as Dane was ready to go the match
resumed.
Surprised there wasn't a disqualification there, they restarted but Molina's nose is bleeding all over Murphy so they had to stop again.
— C.J. Tuʇʇle (@kidceej) October 11, 2014
Going back to my first point about the perception of
favoritism, I think Eddie was stuck in a tough spot of trying to please
everybody. In one corner was Shawn Williams who was coaching Dane and had
appeared on a Budo Jake podcast with Eddie and had rolled with him in the past.
In Joe Murphy’s corner was a coach who was also on the production staff of the
EBI. Eddie’s relationships with both parties, put him in a tough spot which
further drives home the point that he should step aside from officiating
matches and move to a commentary or emcee role which would really help him
promote the future events.
What’s Next for EBI
The next EBI is in February 2015 and I definitely plan on
attending it. The UFC Network’s CEO Hugh McCarthy was in attendance for the
event and his presence hints at the possibility of the EBI eventually moving to
the UFC Fight Pass online network. This would be a huge step for the event in
helping reach a larger Jiu Jitsu and MMA audience.
Some things I would like to see in the next event are
Geo Martinez in a
Super Fight: I believe Geo Martinez is the Royce Gracie of the EBI and he
should be competing at the event in a super fight rather than the tournament. I
would love to see him go against one of the Mendes brothers, Miyao brothers, or
Cobrinha in a main event super fight.
Bring back the
submission bonuses: The submission bonuses were the key to have competitors
push the pace and go for the kill from start to finish. That is what made the
first event so much fun to watch. Hopefully through better sponsorship sales
and activation and money from a UFC Fight Pass broadcast deal, they will be
able to bring the bonuses back into the mix.
Bring in more stars: Building
upon the point above, bring back more Garry Tonon, Jeff Glover, and Bill Cooper
style competitors that will push the pace and make the event more entertaining.
Saturday or Sunday 4
or 5 PM start time: Ending an event at 2 AM in the morning is just too late
for fans.
The event should only
be 3 to 4 hours long: Better time management and planning to condense the
event from 6 hours down to 3 to 4. 6 hours is just too long.
Acai Bowl Stand:
Self explanatory.
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment