Benjamin Kunzle, Temporary Paralyzed Grappler, Gets Black Belt From Cyborg

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BJJ World
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Benjamin Kunzle, paralyzed Grappler, Earns Black Belt From Cyborg
Benjamin Kunzle is a grappler from Miami, training in the FightSports headquarters under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu who dislocated his neck 6 months ago while preparing for the IBJJF World Championship. The 23-year-old  got promoted to black belt by Cyborg while still being stuck in a wheelchair.

Benjamin Kunzle suffered a devastating injury while preparing for the 2022 World BJJ Championship, and was left temporarily tetraplegic (completely paralyzed). He suffered a freak injury in training, which left him without the ability to move his limbs:

“I remember I was fighting and I went to throw my friend and he fell on my neck and I felt a pop on my neck and I dropped to the floor and screamed ‘AH!’ as hard as I could and my body couldn’t work anymore,” said Kunzle to Fox4 at the time.

After emergency surgery, the prognosis for Benjamin Kunzle improved, with realistic hopes that the would be back on his feet and training again. However, despite regaining the ability to move parts of his body:

“As time goes by I can move more and more. I can’t move my legs or fingers too much yet but my core is moving and we are getting places.”

After going through  rigorous bouts of physical therapy, Benjamin Kunzle has managed to regain the movement in his arms as well:

“Since the injury, I’ve significantly improved my mobility through the constant help of my rehabilitation therapists (gradually gaining back the strength and control in my arms and core).”

The relentless champion now got an incredible new surge of motivation as his coach Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu promoted him to black belt yesterday (December 18, 2022), demonstrating faith that his student will be back on the mats sooner rather than later.

“For me, getting the Black Belt was never and if it was more of a question of when.

Almost 13 years ago I walked into a jiu-jitsu gym with hopes of beating up my big brother I had no idea the effect that the sport would have on my life.

Jiu-jitsu has taught me how to stand up for myself, how to keep going when times get tough, that, even on your worst days, you’re capable of greatness, and so much more.

I want to give a special thanks to my professors @cyborgbjj @deninhobjj @glaudiston_luiz_simczak for believing in me before I believed in myself, and for dedicating so much of the time and knowledge to me

I cannot wait to see what my black days have in store for me,” wrote Benjamin Kunzle on his Instagram account.

If you want to help Kunzle get back on his feet, there is a GoFundMe page where you can contribute.

Blind BJJ Black Belt: I Never Quit, It Took 7 Years For My First Title

By
Filip Zanki
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Blind BJJ Black Belt Terry Clinton: I Never Quit
Terry Clinton, a blind BJJ Black Belt from New Zealand shares his inspirational path to a black belt and his difficult road to progress in Jiu-Jitsu, making all usual excuses people use fade completely in comparison.

The first blind BJJ black belt from New Zealand, Terry Clinton recently shared how truly difficult his Jiu-Jitsu journey has been. BJJ is hard and challenging fro everyone, let alone people who have a specific impairment, like in the case of Terry.

As per a post on his Instagram account, the blind BJJ black belt lost 40 fights before ever tasting victory on the mats. He also had to compete for 7 years before winning his first National Title as well as go through 6 World Championships to end up on the podium.

“The question has been asked: how did I get my black belt as a blind person?

The answer is simple. I DID NOT QUIT.

I lost my first 40 fights and I did not quit. I had people telling me I could not make it and I did not quit. It took 7 years to get my first national title I did not quit.

It took me 6 world champs to get a medal but I did not quit.”

The relentless blind BJJ black belt also shared his hark tank experience from his promotion to black belt:

“90 seconds in to my shark tank Monday I was kneed in the face and started bleeding. I was asked if I wanted to stop but I did not because I hate quitting so rolled 19 minutes bleeding the whole time.”

Terry Clinton’s story is inspirational as it, but him sharing the details about the struggles he was facing and never gave up is exactly the wind some grappler need in their sails:

“If you have a big dream do not listen to doubters. Go chase it as hard as you can and do not quit!

As for my black belt I do feel like an impostor, but at the end of the day it was not my choice and I respect that three people who made that decision.

So, I am going to enjoy the ride keep learning and guess what I will not quit!”

Orlando Sanchez, GB Professor And ADCC Champion Dies At 40

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Filip Zanki
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Orlando Sanchez Gracie Barra Professor and ADCC Champion dies at 40
The BJJ World has been struck by tragic news today, as the news emerges that Orlando Sanchez, a professor at Gracie Barra and an ADCC Champion competitor died at the age of 40.

Orlando Sanchez was a BJJ black belt very well known and respected worldwide. He was an excellent professor under the Gracie Barra banner and was the 2015 ADCC champion. He was also one of the staple names in many ADCC events during the past decade and had some memorable battels with the best of the best in Jiu-Jitsu.

The father of three was also an IBJJF world champion, Pan Ams winner, and Brazilan Nationals champion, as well as undefeated in professional MMA. Orlando got his black belt from Jose Olimpio (Ze Radiola).

The official Gracie Barra Instagram account had this to say about te tragic news:

“The news of the passing of Professor Orlando Sanchez profoundly saddens us.Thank you for being a great friend and one of our greatest athletes.

You leave a legacy of toughness, kindness, and loyalty through your efforts as a competitor, professor, school owner, and regional leader.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with others and spreading the Jiu-Jitsu legacy worldwide. Rest in peace, Professor Orlando Sanchez. We will always remember you.

The Gracie Barra team wishes comfort in the heart of his family and friends.”

The ADCC also mourned the loss of a great champion and competitor in Sanchez:

“ADCC would like to send its condolences to all the friends and family of ADCC champion Orlando Sanchez on the news of his passing.”

There is no more information available at the moment about the cause of death of Orlando Sanchez, who was only 40 years old. We will keep updating as information becomes available.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Orlando Sanchez’s family and friends.

Orlando Sanchez Dies at 40

Nicky Rodriguez Forces Gordon Ryan to Tap, But Few Seconds Too Late

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BJJ World
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One of the greatest grapplers in history continued his dominance today. Gordon Ryan took part in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 tournament, and he fought in a Superfight against Nicky Rodriguez.

Vinny Magalhaes was originally supposed to be his opponent, but the Brazilian canceled his performance almost at the last minute, and a replacement was quickly found. Nicky Rodriguez as Gordon Ryan’s former training partner replaced the experienced Magalhaes and actually put up a very good resistance, despite stepping in about 24 hours before the match.

Through 20 minutes of competition, Ryan and Rodriguez neutralized each other and neither of the two great grapplers managed to seriously and concretely threaten their opponent. So, the match was followed by extra time and a very interesting competition in getting out of a dominant position. More than once, both fighters started from a position where they had back control, and it would be measured how long they maintained that control before the opponent got out. Victory could also be achieved by “submission”.

After each of the two grapplers had the mentioned position three times, Gordon Ryan won by holding control in such positions longer overall. However, it should be noted that Nicky Rodriguez locked Ryan in the “RNC” towards the end of the overtime and was very close to the “submission”. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, his two minutes expired before forcing Ryan to tap. Rodriguez didn’t let go even after time expired, and Gordon Ryan tapped a few seconds after signaling that time had expired.

Rodriguez may have gotten some satisfaction by forcing Ryan to tap, but he still lost the match. Gordon Ryan thus continued his winning streak after winning two golds at the ADCC World Championships earlier this year. And there, in the final of the category up to 99 kilograms, he defeated Rodriguez. “King” Gordon Ryan has been undefeated since 2018 when he lost on points to Vinny Magalhaes. This is his 55th victory in a row.

As part of this event, which was broadcast via UFC Fight Pass, Miesha Tate also performed. The former UFC bantamweight champion lost in overtime to one of the greatest BJJ masters in history. Mesquita has won the world gold in BJJ ten times, and in 2017 she also became the world champion in grappling. Tate put up a good fightback but lost with leverage in overtime.

In addition to superfights, a tournament was held in the absolute category, and the winner won 25 thousand dollars. In the tournament of eight, Mason Fowler took the victory in the end. The American grappler defeated Pat Shahgholi (armbar) in the first round, and then finished Patrick Gaudi with a “triangle choke”. In the final, Fowler won against Luke Griffith, and he won in overtime, in the same way as Gordon Ryan.

Christmas Came Early: Gordon Ryan Vs Nicky Rod On UFC on Fight Pass Invitational

By
Filip Zanki
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Gordon ryan vs Nicky Rod on UFC on Fight Pass Invitational 3
It seems that a much more exciting matchup is going to mark Gordon Ryan’s first appearance at the UFC On Fight Pass Invitational as Vinny Magalhaes’ weight cut issues will give us an early Christmas present in the form of Gordon Ryan vs Nicky Rod.

Instead of the greatest grappler of all times facing the ever-entertaining Vinny Magalhaes, and trying to avenge one of his very few early losses, we’re instead going to see Gordon Ryan vs Nicky Rod for the second time in three months.

Jonh Danaher, Ryan’s coach shared that:

“Originally Mr Rodriguez was to compete in the Open Weight Tournament, but he stepped in last minute after the UFC was informed of Mr Magalhaes situation.”

The ruleset for Gordon Ryan vs Nicky Rod is going to be EBI rules, something both athletes are very familiar with, as they’ve both won EBI events.

“The two former team mates met in the final of the ADCC World Championships earlier this year – Gordon Ryan won that encounter via heel hook, but this is a new match.

Importantly, it will be fought under different rules – EBI Rules. Nicky Rod recently won the EBI Open Weight tournament in spectacular fashion – every match via submission, showing the world his prowess in this rule set.

As former sparring partners each knows the others game very well land what they have to do to win!

The size, speed, flexibility, mobility and strength advantage will go to Nicky Rod, he weighed in around 230 pounds to Mr Ryan around 220. But Gordon Ryan is a true master of technique and uses it to exert unprecedented levels of control over even the most physically formidable opponents.

To be honest, Gordon Ryan vs Nicky Rod is a lot more attractive prospect. I mean, yes, Vinny is tough and beat Gordon on points, but we all know how that one was going to end, right? A match against one of the few people to really give Gordon Ryan trouble in the training room is a much more appealing way to wrap up a great year of submission grappling super fights.

 

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Gordon Ryan Terrified After Rolling With “The Mountain”

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Filip Zanki
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Gordon Ryan terrified After Rolling with The Mountain
What can leave Gordon Ryan terrified on the mats? It is not any grappler that we know of, but it is, according to him a fun a and terrifying night of training Jiu-Jitsu and rolling with two of the world’s strongest men in Thor ‘The Mountain” Bjornsson and Martins Licis.

Gordon “King” Ryan seems to have had quite a unique experience the night before his first appearance at the UFC On Fight Pass Invitational in their third professional event. It turns out that a night of rolling with huge strongmen, in Thor Bjornsson and Martins Licis both left Gordon Ryan terrified and satisfied.

According o the GOAT’s Instagram account:

“I had the most fun and also more terrifying night of my life tonight 😂. I taught @martinslicis and @thorbjornsson a jiu jitsu private and also trained with both of them at the end. It was a great night hanging with the world strongest men and also the world’s nicest men. Happy to have met these 2 and I can’t wait to lift with them one day. Yes there is footage”

 “The Mountain” wished Gordon luck in his upcoming match against substitute Nicky Rodriguez, who steps in for the injured Vinny Magalhaes in a comment reply to Ryan’s post:

“Great meeting you and kick ass tomorrow champ!”

It seems that having Gordon Ryan terrified was neither the goal of Thor, nor his take on how their rolling session went, saying he was humbled, as the strongman shared footage of the rolls on his Instagram account:

“Literally went against the best and got humbled quite badly. @martinslciis and I got the opportunity to meet up with @gordonlovesjiujitsu while he was doing his last workout before he competes tomorrow. I love trying out new sport and what a pleasure it was. Excited to watch Gordon crush his opponent tomorrow! This guy is next level!”

12 Different Ways To Tap In BJJ: Which One Are You?

By
Filip Zanki
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12 Different ways to Tap in BJJ

If you are training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you will tap. Those people that can’t get past this point, never get anywhere in BJJ. Those that accept it, though end up with a “safe word” type of thing that will get them out of anything safely, albeit at the cost of “defeat”. This dualism of safety at the price of a loss makes people adopt different ways to tap in BJJ. Just recently, Meerkatsu decided to compile a list of 12 different ways people tap.

12 Ways People Tap In BJJ

Following are 12 different ways in which people get the attention of their training partner when they decide they’ve had enough of something in Jiu-Jitsu. The list is pretty thorough, offering essentially all the ways in which someone can tap in BJJ.

The Regular

This is what most people do, tapping out several times on the surface of the body of their training partner. it is a great way to ensure the training partner is aware that you’re tapping, since they won’t be able to ignore the sensation of someone tapping a body part of theirs.

The Floor Slapper

This one is inspired by Judokas and involves slapping the ground hard, similar to when you’re performing break falls. One of the most common ways to tap in BJJ, along with the Regular.

The Vocalist

This one is supposed to be used when all your extremities are too tied up to tap the Regular or Floor Slapping / Stomping way, but some decide to use it as their primary means of tapping. it is when you verbally tell people that you tap, concede, ask them to stop or just outright yell in agony.

The Premature Tapper

One of the more annoying ways to tap in BJJ, premature tappers are those that tap ina panic anytime you come in the vicinity of a dangerous situation. they annoy training partners because they do not allow people to even try and finish techniques, giving up way too early and away to unrealistically.

The Floor Stomper

The hyped version of the Floor Slapper, a floor stomper uses their feet to vigorously stomp the mats, letting their partner know they’re done

The ‘Left It Too Late”

These are the people that usually go to sleep, even though they think they tapped. With chokes, people lose the ability to move limbs for a good few seconds before losing consciousness, which makes those caught thinking they tapped when they actually did nothing. With joint locks, this is one way to tap in BJJ that does not allow people to stay in the sport long. It also often requires crutches and slings in the aftermath.

The Hoverer

A.k.a. the “Brazilian tap” this is another way to annoy your partners and get punished. It involves raising a hand as if you would tap using any of the other methods, but just hovering there and not taping, often taking advantage of the attackers’ goodwill to explosively try and get out.  Along with the “Left it Too Late” one of the most inefficient ways to tap in BJJ.

The Anti-Tapper

The ultimate inefficient way to tap out in Jiu-Jitsu. They do not tap at all, resulting in partners not wanting to train with them, because the attacker knew they could break a limb off, but decided to be the bigger person and let go.

The Encourager

The person that once they realize they’re caught deep in a submission, they start coaching and encouraging you to go further with the sub, as if they are allowing you to tap them out. This one is very frowned upon in the BJJ world.

The “It Wasn’t A tap”

The worst way to tap in BJJ, is claiming you didn’t. Even other tappers like The Hoverer, The Premature, or the Encourager are not as hated as this type of tapper.

The Machine Gun

This one is fun and works both verbally and via a physical tap on either the mats or the training partner’s body. it involves people yelling “tap, tap, tap, tap” at the firing speed of a getting gun. The physical version of this way to tap in BJJ reminds of metal band drummers.

The Butt Slapper

Finally, we have a very disrespectful way to tap, when done intentionally. Tapping on the surface of your partner’s body is the optimal way to tap, and sometimes it involves tapping awkward areas. However, when people do ti intentionally it puts makes their partners uncomfortable and quickly gets them branded in a negative way.

Which One Are You?

WHile most people have likely used more than one of the methods above, we ll still have a favorite go-to way to tap in BJJ. Which one of the twelve best describes you?

Victor Hugo: Cyborg Ran From USADA At No-Gi Worlds ’22

By
Filip Zanki
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Victor Hugo: Cyborg Ran From Usada at No-Gi Worlds
The 2022 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds set a precedent for weirdness when both finalist in the black belt open weight division did not show up for their scheduled fight without any prior notice. One of the finalists, Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu was a no-show because USADA was there testing the champions, according to Victor Hugo, one of the two black belt open weight bronze medalists.

The problem of steroids in BJJ has become so common, that people take it for granted these days. With testing almost non-existent, we’re seeing human specimens at the biggest professional stage in Jiu-Jitsu that all look like prime UFC steroid-era Vittor Belfort. One of those accused of exploiting a certain type of PEDs over the years has been multiple times World Champion Cyborg, with the latest accusation coming a few days ago from Victor Hugo.

USADA officials showed up at the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds tournament in Anaheim, CA to test the champions of the black belt divisions. The final of the open weight division scheduled for Sunday, December 11, was a historically anticlimactic moment, with both finalists ending up disqualified for not showing up.

One of the two bronze medalists, Victor Hugo thinks he knows exactly why this happened. According to him, both Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu and Cardoso Ceconi fled as soon as they got wind that USADA representatives were in the building. It seems that Victor Hugo’s allegations are supported by, well, everyone else at the venue.

no-gi-worlds-bjj-usada-reddit

Cyborg defeated Victor Hugo in the finals of the Ultra heavyweight division and responded that he had an injury and a place to catch, hence his no-show for the finals of the open weight. Given that we’re talking about another potential world title to his name, saying this excuse has shaky legs is an understatement.

Cyborg declared the following on his Instagram profile:

“8X World Champion 🥇I had a great performance this weekend, amazing fights fighting among the best in the world. I was feeling an old injury and after winning the weight I decided to preserve myself not fighting absolute finals and I had a flight to catch. Hopefully Ceconi and I will be able to face each other in another opportunity. Huge thanks to my team and all sponsors for all the love and support.”

This was not an isolated incident as both finalists in the heavyweight finals also failed to show up, one of them being Cyborg’s teammate Vagner Rocha.

Gordon Ryan: UFC Partnership Will Help Professional Grappling

By
Filip Zanki
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Gordon Ryan Supports New UFC Partnership with Professional Jiu-Jitsu
A few days before his first UFC on Fight Pass Invitational super fight, the greatest grappler of all time Gordon Ryan shared his thoughts on the recent UFC partnership with professional Jiu-Jitsu and how it will reflect positively on submission grappling worldwide.

UFC on Fight Pass Invitational 3 is set for December 15, and in the main event, Gordon Ryan will face off against one of the rare people that hold a victory in grappling over him, Vinny Magalhaes. The UFC has decided to jump on the professional submission grappling bandwagon after seeing the success of ONE and other promotions, and the UFC partnership is a big deal for professional Jiu-Jitsu on a global scale.

With the greatest (and largest) combat sports promotion ever picking up submission grappling to both organize in live events and stream, professional Jiu-Jitsu is on the brink of another huge step in its growth as a potential profession for hopeful grapplers around the world.

Speaking to the media in a press conference preceding UFC On Fight Pass Invitational 3, Ryan supported the new UFC partnership:

“I think this is a big jump for the sport as a whole. First, it was a crossover between wrestling and jiu-jitsu… But now you’re having the crossover between mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu. I think ADCC was the first step, having 13 000 people watching a live event.. I think the UFC partnership with grapplers is gonna catapult the sport into a new realm.”

With the largest ADCC event ever still fresh in our minds, and the rising popularity of no-gi submission grappling matches in ONE, as well as BJJ-only promotions, it was only a question of time when the UFC will jump on board.

Gordon Ryan is one of the very few people that only do grappling for a living and earns decently as a Jiu-Jitsu athlete. Unfortunately, what he makes is peanuts compared to boxing, football, or basketball athletes, and even MMA stars.

A UFC partnership means that professional Jiu-Jitsu is going to reach much more people, and possibly create a brighter future for other athletes outside of a handful of select GOATs that can make a living as submission grappling professionals.

3 vs 3 MMA Match At URCC’s 20th Anniversary Show

By
Filip Zanki
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3 vs 3 MMA Fight To Celebrate MMA promotions URCC 2- Yer Anniversary
The URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship) based in the Philippines celebrated the promotion’s 20-year anniversary in Okada Manila by including one of their much-spoken-about 3 vs 3 MMA matches in the celebration.

While most MMA promotions around the world are following a pretty similar set of rules, regulations and safety precautions,. the re are some out there that like to do things their own way, and not in the old-school UFC kind of way. 3 vs 3 MMA matches are one example.

tag Team MMA matches, 5 vs 5 MMA matches, parkour MMA matches… and who knows what else are some things that are taking place around the world. While the Russians are known for putting together weird fusion MMA and grappling shows, Asia is not far behind. After all, it was Japan’s PRIDE that really kicked things off for MA during the dark days of the UFC.

A Philipines-based promotion known as the URCC has been operating for 20 years now, putting together shows mostly in Asia, but also globally, with a few even held on US soil. 3 vs 3 MMA bouts are somewhat of a trademark for the promotion, and always produce pretty wild events in which it is hard to keep track of what fighters are doing, regardless of the referees involved. They are, however, crowd-pleasers which is why the URCC is hanging on to them.

 

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The 3 vs 3 MMA fight which marked the promotion’s 20-year-long existence and work featured pro MMA fighters from team Korea who squared off against their counterparts from the local team Philippines.

As if the craziness of a 3 vs 3 MMA fight is not enough there were illegal moves and fouls performed throughout the match, mainly by Korean fighters who are known to be very aggressive and tenacious. This resulted in both an injury and disqualification for the teams, reducing the number of people involved. Eventually team Korea walked away with the victory, much to the displeasure of the local crowd, after their one fighter decided the bout against the one remaining representative of team Philipinnes.

The celebration also featured regular MMA bouts featuring some of the most prominent Philipinno MMA fighters.

 

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