It is such a fun time to be a grappler! Less than ten years ago, all that grapplers had were short clips of perhaps the IBJJF Worlds, or maybe Pans/Europeans/Brazilin Nationals. Okay, ADCC has been about it for long too, but that was it. Then, something changed as Metamoris appeared and the professional Jiu-Jitsu scene burst into life. Following suit was EBI which subsequently gave birth to a whole different grappling scene. Now we have not only a whole bunch of pro tournaments with different rule sets, but we also have some crazy tournament formats. The latest one to emerge is the SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament.
The SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament is a brand new format that is a part of Fight 2 Win promotions. It features a brand new hybrid style that’s bound to catch on. So far, we’ve seen only two editions of it, and we’re more than eager to see more! That said, the two events held so far had some huge grappling names participating, making them really fun to watch. Plus, there’s a lot more than just straight out matches as the format includes Judo and matches for purple and brown belts as well. Something to keep an eye on for sure!
SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament – A Brand New Breed
So what exactly is the SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament? To be honest, there’s no really easy way to explain it. Basically, it is a hybrid between a Quintet-style tournament and the Eddie Bravo Invitational. Yeah, just when you thought grappling tournaments couldn’t get crazier, SUBVERSIV shows up.
The Quintet grappling tournament is another format that popped up during the past year. It is based on Japanese wrestling rules and features 5 mean teams that battle it out between themselves. To that extent, there are no weight categories, and there are some wacky rules to it that make it cringe-worthy at times. For example, once the fight hits the ground, you have a certain amount of time to submit an opponent, otherwise, they stand you up. However, it does provide for some exciting matches, as we’ve witnessed so far.
EBI is pretty much the gold standard nowadays, or at least it was. With Eddie Bravo taking it into a combat Jiu-Jitsu direction, EBI is not what it used to be, at least in terms of grappling quality. However, the rule set of overtime rounds is still the best one around.
Well, the people at Fight 2 Win decided they can blend the two together and provide us with a unique format of submission only grappling tournament. SUBVERSIV features two five-person teams that go up against each other. Each match is 10 minutes long and fought under standard EBI rules. The teams feature grapplers from different male weight categories 9 (-145lbs, -165lbs, -185lbs, -205lbs) as well as an overweight female one. The first team to win three matches is victorious and takes home a $10.000 prize. Talk about unique!
SUBVERSIV 2 Team Results – 10th Planet vs. Red Bowie
A couple of days ago, the second edition of the SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament took place in L.A. on July 13. The tournament featured a 5 vs. 5 team tournament, black, brown and purple belt matches, as well as Judo matches. All in all, it was the perfect grappling experience for any fan of grappling martial arts.
Of course, the thing that drew the most attention was the 5 vs. 5 team tournament. Reigning champions 10th planet, who defeated team Lloyd Irvin in the first edition were back to defend the title. The team consisted of Geo Martinez, Rubin Rivera, Kyle Chambers, Kyle Boehm, and Elvira Karppinen. The challengers came in the form of team Red Bowie featuring Joao Miyao, DJ Jackson, Ronaldo Junior, Gabriel Almeida, and Pati Fontes. As you can see, this proved to be a highly attractive line-up!
The honors once again went to team 10th Planet, who defended their title convincingly, losing just one match out of five. The only loss came in the second bout when DJ Jackson beat Ruben Rivera via riding time, equalizing 1-1. Kyle chambers turned things in favor of 10th Planet once again by beating Ronaldo Junior also via ride time. Kyle Boehm managed to catch Gabriel Almeida in an RNC to solidify the team’s position before the most exciting match of the night saw Elvira Karppinen tap Pati Fontes via heel hook. The most anticipated match of the night was actually the opening one, between Geo Martinez and Joao Miyao. It was the Freakozoid that came out victorious, tapping Miyao with a rear-naked choke in overtime.
What’s Next?
To be honest, I have no idea what kind of tournament is going to be next. I really thought that between the nutty Japanese Quintet rule set, EBI’s combat Jiu-Jitsu and Chael Sonnen’s Submission Underground tag-team we’ve seen it all. Of course, the moment I thought that SUBVERSIV Grappling Tournament emerged to prove me wrong. And I love it!
In all honesty, the fact that there’s so much diversity when it comes to grappling tournaments is really refreshing I remember when we couldn’t wait for the next Metamoris to come out back in the day. The same held true for the first EBIs. Nowadays, the selection is so vast, you can hardly keep track of all the high—level grappling tournaments. From the classics like Polaris to the ever-present Fight 2 Win and the innovative Kasai, we seem to have an abundance of ways to test out our Jiu-Jitsu. To be honest, I can’t tell you which the best rule set is, as most of them require lots of further testing.
The SUBVERSIV grappling tournament is certainly something different. If you ask me, the 5 vs. 5 team idea is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I did have some reservations about the original Quintet rules, though. It seems Seth Daniels found the remedy, by taking the best out of both Quintet and EBI. I can’t even start to imagine what will come next, but I know what I want to see. I want more of the SUBVERSIV style tournaments, both with and without the Gi!
In the meantime, check out Fight 2 Win and SUBVERSIV’s creator’s Seth Daniels DVD set. The instructional is called “The Fight 2 Win System” and is a two-part set that wil turn you into a submission machine!
Conclusion
The main question with the SUBVERSIV grappling tournament is “Will it catch on?” As far as I am concerned, I think it is a real hit and it is the most entertaining and efficient ruleset format available today! Apart from the fact that it provides a great platform for professional Jiu-Jitsu, I also expect it to become a widely accepted tournament format worldwide. And I certainly hope it spills over to the Gi Jiu-Jitsu scene as well!
Quintet Grappling Tournament: The Next Generation BJJ Competition
