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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Important IBJJF Rules Changes On Minimum Belt Time Requirement

By
Filip Zanki
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IBJJF Rules Change for minimum belt time 2022

The IBJJF rules have always been a source of controversy among the BJJ population, as the organization was long a monopoly and completely deaf to competitors’ requests. As of last year, IBJJF rules have started to change, with one more significant change coming our way from 2023, with the latest change regarding the minimum time required for adult competitors to spend at a certain belt level.

IBJJF rules on the subject of how much time someone spends at a certain belt level were defined by the IBJJF General system of graduation. According to this system, there is a minimum period of time that every practitioner has to spend at a certain belt level in order to be eligible for a promotion to the next. The recommendations are different for belt levels, as well as for adults and those under 18.

The recent change in IBJJF rules addresses this specific aspect of graduation, as it pertains to competition. Namely, if a person becomes a world champion at blue, purple, or brown belt, they no longer have to adhere to the minimum time requirements as per the Graduation System.

According to the official IBJJF website:

“In accordance with section 3.1.3, the IBJJF has updated the minimum graduation periods for adult blue, purple, and brown belt athletes.

If a blue, purple, or brown belt is an adult World Champion, he or she will no longer have a minimum period at that belt. This change applies only to adult athletes age 18 and up. Please note that the graduation periods for white and black belts remain unchanged.”

What this means is that people who are obviously very good at their level (world champions) can get a promotion earlier than what was previously required, gaining both progress for themselves, and even out the playing field for their opponents. In other words, it prevents unintentional sandbagging which was down to IBJJF rules.

Until now, the graduation system required athletes to spend a minimum of 2 years as a blue belt, 1 and a half years as a purple belt, and 1 year as a brown belt.

IBJJF rules change belt graduation system

The minimum time requirements for white and black belts, which are no minimum time and 31 years respectively, remain the same, even if someone becomes a world champion at those levels.

These changes to the IBJJF rules will most likely cascade into other changes regarding the graduation system, as the organization stated:

“The General Graduation System may change as the sport continues to grow and evolve”.

The IBJJF, notorious for refusing to change things, surprised everyone at the start of 2021 by allowing brown and black belts to utilize leg reap positions and heel hooks in no-gi matches.

The Bear Trap Calf Slicer TKO That Stunned UFC Fans

By
Filip Zanki
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Brakdown of Roman Dolidze's Bear Trap Calf Slicer TKO analyzed

Roman Dolidze had one of the most impressive wins in the UFC, against a ranked opponent in Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 42. After accepting the fight on very short notice the  Georgian fighter earned a “Performance of the Night bonus for finishing his opponent with strikes from behind while immobilizing him with a bear trap calf slicer.

Roman Dolidze’s Fight-Winning Bear Trap Control

Despite taking the fight on pretty short notice (a couple of weeks), Dolidze never doubts his mental preparation, as he claimed he is always ready to fight an enjoys sparring very much, in a post-fight interview with MMA Underground.

What he was worried though, was his body, as he was quite heavy at the time, and had to cut weight drastically to get to middleweight. He was also aware that his opponent, Jack Hermansson is not only a great striker and ranked in the standings, but has outstanding cardio. Naturally, Roman Dolidze did not want to get tired.

Despite his worries, Roman felt he was never in danger in the fight, despite Harmansson landing some strikes and managing a few takedowns.

It was one of these takedowns, in fact, that led to the crazy, never-before-seen bear trap calf slicer finish.

As Hermansson blasted a perfect double he landed in Dolidze’s guard which is full of traps, including a bear trap calf slicer. The Gregorian went for an armbar, which h changed to K-guard and a slick inverted triangle, before ending up in an Ashi Garami, which he very cunningly used to get the inside bear trap position.

Roman Dolidze then used an underhook to get up on top, getting to the back mount, as commentators hailed his genius in using a near submission from the bear trap calf slicer to completely immobilize Hermansson, before delivering an array of punches that his opponent couldn’t defend, which led to a unique TKO victory.

Roman is comfortable with people calling him “just a grappler” as he got his second win in a row via submission. He sees himself as unpredictable and has a very versatile game, constantly switching between changing submissions and striking.

According to Roman, he wasn’t planning to grapple Jack Hermanson at all. But since there was no way t predict what the opponent is going to do, he went along with it.

After accepting his third fight in 5 months, and winning in such a spectacular fashion, Roman then called out Khamzat Chimaev, claiming he wants to fight anyone, especially the best guys, and doesn’t want any easy fights.

The Bear Trap Calf Slicer

The bear trap calf slicer is a great move to use when Ashi Garami positions are on the verge of failing. It is an old catch-wrestling move, that some people in BJJ have improved and taken to new heights.

As the leg slides out of Ashi Garami and you lose the knee line, one leg goes shin behind the knee to trap the opponent in a last-ditch position of control. the legs then lock up a triangle, either between the opponent’s legs (inside bear trap) or on the outside of one leg (outside bear trap).

The person setting it up is usually on the bottom, and apart from leg locking positions, you can set up the bear trap calf slicer from half guard as well. The position itself is a submission, as it takes little pressure to finish a devastating calf slicer, or use it to torture someone like Roman Dolidze did.

The bear trap calf slicer can be set up aginst a turtle opponent as well.

Jackson Sousa Not Guilty OF Sexual Aassault

By
Filip Zanki
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Jackson Sousa found not guilty of sexual harrasment
The case of Jackson Sousa and the allegations against him about sexual harassment was quite public, as it stunned the BJJ world with yet another case of sexual harassment that went viral (justifiably so) in 2021. The outcome of the investigation that followed, as per UKBJJA and the Independent Committee is that Sousa is innocent.

Jackson Sousa, a Checkmate black belt based out of London, was accused of sexual harassment by fellow black belt and Checkmate competitor Samantha Cook. The accusations came in the second part of 2021 and were quickly piled upon by other women who claimed to have had a similar unwanted experience at the hands of Jackson Sousa.

JJackson Sousa accsued of sexual harassment by Samantha Cook

The public case drew even more attention when it became clear that there were other allegations against Sousa in the past, namely in 2018, when he supposedly sent explicit messages to female grapplers in Germany.

A disciplinary committee in London found Jackosn Sousa to be not guilty in November of 2021, according to a statement made by his lawyer. Last month, the UKBJJA, the governing body of BJJ in the UK, also cleared Sousa of any wrongdoing on the matter.

“Last year, false claims by some individuals on social media resulted in my suspension from the team (CheckMat) and the loss of all my income, affiliations and sponsorships. I have been advised by my legal team not to get involved in the “social media court” and “social media circus”. Instead, I fully cooperated with all investigations to clear my name” stated Jackson Sousa for TATAME.

The 32-year-old added that the past year has not been easy at all for him:

“It was hard to be silent for so long and not be able to speak my truth. Not only were the allegations false, but I was also subjected to hundreds of offensive, racist comments and received death threats. I was shocked to see how many in the Jiu-Jitsu community participated in an online cancel culture, without allowing the facts to come to light through formal investigations.”

Cases of sexual harassment are unfortunately not as rare as we’d want them to be in the BJJ community. Oftentimes, coaches, instructors, and gym owners, who are seen as figures of power, take advantage of their position, creating trauma in individualism and a very negative image of the sport.

Everyone should be welcome on the mats, and respect goes both ways, regardless of gender, age, religious beliefs, or any other individually defining characteristic of either grappler.

After all, investigations were over, there are now no lawsuits against Jackson Sousa at the moment.

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