COMBAT JIU JITSU

The sport of Combat Jiu Jitsu is a hybrid version of bjj and mma, as it combines all of the elements from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and some of the components of Mixed Mixed Arts. The idea behind Combat Jiu Jitsu or CJJ, is that two competitors will match up just like in a Jiu Jitsu competition, with the only difference being that competitors are allowed to throw open palm strikes at each other while they are on the ground. The popularity of this newly founded sport is gaining momentum, and has seen some of the world's most deadliest BJJ and MMA fighters jump on board to fight in this new format of Martial Arts. 

What This Article Covers:

• Who Founded Combat Jiu Jitsu
• Why Was Combat Jiu Jitsu Founded
• What Are the Rules in Combat Jiu Jitsu
• Does Combat Jiu Jitsu Have a World Championship
• Who Fights for the Combat Jiu Jitsu League
• What Are the Benefits to Training in Combat Jiu Jitsu
• Is There Room for Combat Jiu Jitsu, MMA and Traditional BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the fastest growing combat sports in America, which is largely due to the rise of Mixed Martial Arts events like the UFC and One championship. Many of these MMA athletes have gained significant notoriety through the exciting brand of fighting they showcase. Many of these athletes have been using techniques straight out of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu playbook, which in turn has given BJJ a significant push in its popularity ratings. Now with the combined elements of BJJ and MMA, fans are tuning into what looks like a jiu jitsu street fight, and they are liking what they are seeing, as they continue to support this new hybrid event called Combat Jiu Jitsu.

MMA Legend Jake Shields has joined forces with BJJFanatics.com to bring you the American Jiu Jitsu system!

WHO FOUNDED COMBAT JIU JITSU

Combat Jiu Jitsu was founded in 2013 by the head coach of the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Academy, Eddie Bravo. When Eddie developed these different styles of jiu jitsu, many high level competitors criticised the move. Eddie Bravo stood his ground and continued to promote his new hybrid style of combat Jiu Jitsu. This new format of Martial Arts started very slowly, but in the last few years it has been gaining significant momentum. Nowadays you can find high level athletes taking the centre stage, in an attempt to palm strike and choke their way to victory.

Although the concept of Combat Jiu Jitsu did not originate with Eddie Bravo, he merely had the audacity to create a league where the athletes could flourish in a more realistic version of BJJ. Combat Jiu Jitsu realistically was created wayback in the early 1900's, after Mitsuyo Maeda began prizefighting in London and Brazil. Mitsuyo passed on his knowledge to Carlos Gracie, who in turn taught his brothers the formidable art of grappling. This hybrid version of No Gi grappling that incorporated striking, basically fuelled the birth of early Mixed Martial Arts. The Gracie clan would challenge anyone in Brazil, including Luta Livre fighters, to Vale Tudo matches which were basically early forms of Mixed Martial Arts or Combat Jiu Jitsu.

WHY WAS COMBAT JIU JITSU FOUNDED

Nowadays Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions have become heavily focused on the sporting aspect. The point system in BJJ has turned the art into what some people call a mockery of Helio's self defense combat system. Many of the competition rule sets highly encourage stalling tactics and unrealistic moves in a real life situation. Eddie Bravo has been a massive advocate for the old style of BJJ, that is why he developed Combat Jiu Jitsu. Eddie's mindset was to incorporate striking in BJJ matches, so this would simulate real life fighting situations. Many people believe that BJJ has become way too unrealistic, as many of the moves would not work in real life. Although this may have some validity, it may not be entirely correct. Many of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu maneuvers do hold significant merit in a self defense combat situation, but now with the addition of Combat Jiu Jitsu, this is bringing to life a more realistic version of fight simulation.

Eddie Bravo is just trying to bring BJJ into the next century, as he attempts to fix some of the gaps in the Martial Art. Eddie Bravo is world famous for his pioneering of the rubber guard system, which involves a highly flexible game style of controlling an opponent. With all the success of his new concepts in BJJ, he has the confidence to develop the art of BJJ even further. This is why Eddie created Combat Jiu Jitsu, so he could honour what Helio and Carlos Gracie were trying to achieve when they first taught Gracie Jiu Jitsu to the world. Although there will always be sports BJJ, it's fair to say that with the addition of Combat Jiu Jitsu, that effectively Eddie Bravo has just created an extra sport for some of the more hardcore BJJ enthusiasts.

WHAT ARE THE RULES IN COMBAT JIU JITSU 

Combat Jiu Jitsu is a brave new enterprise that the pioneer of the rubber guard, Eddie Bravo has created. The rule set in Combat Jiu Jitsu is an exciting one as each match consists of a 10 minute time limit period, with the added bonus of an EBI overtime if the fight is a draw. Competitors have the same ruleset as BJJ where they are allowed to use any submission to end the fight. Once the fight is on the ground competitors are allowed to apply open palm strikes to the face or the body of their opponent. A competitor is considered on the ground when they are on their knees or on their butt. If the fight begins and both competitors are still standing after one minute, then the get down rule is applied, where both competitors must engage in ground wrestling. A Referee will stop the fight and toss a coin to see who gets to choose a position. The winner decides whether they start with a butterfly guard or in their opponent's butterfly guard. 

Another rule is the Purgatory Position: This is when one person is standing, and the other is on the ground. Competitors are allowed to sit in this position for 30 seconds, as any time spent in this position after the time, will be added to the overtime round. This rule was added to encourage active competition, and prevent stalling tactics. Standing in an opponent's guard is not considered a purgatory position, as strikes are allowed from this position. There is no limitation on submissions as they are all legal, and matches can be won by either submission, knockout or EBI overtime. The overtime rounds in EBI, give both grapplers an opportunity to directly attack and defend submissions in turn. Each competitor has two minutes in an attacking position, and then two minutes in a defensive position. Competitors can choose from one or two attacking positions, the first is the spider web which is an armbar, and the second is back control with the hooks in and a seatbelt grip secured. If there is no winner by submission at the end of the overtime rounds, the competitor who escaped the fastest gets the victory.

DOES COMBAT JIU JITSU HAVE A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

With the success of Combat Jiu Jitsu, Eddie Bravo has since started hosting the Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds. This is a world championship contest to see which fighter is the number one. The inaugural event happened in 2018, with the first ever lightweight champion Vagna Rocha, and the first ever bantamweight champion Chad George, both showcasing their exceptional skills. The international success of the Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds is just gaining some significant momentum, as fans can tune in on UFC Fight Pass. Many successful MMA and BJJ athletes are now making the jump to compete in this revolutionary new Martial Art. The Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds consists of a world championship belt just like in boxing or the UFC. Many high level athletes are now wanting to assert their domination in the BJJ world, as the hybrid version takes the centre stage.

WHO FIGHTS FOR THE COMBAT JIU JITSU LEAGUE

There have been a large number of exceptional athletes jumping into this new hybrid league of Combat Jiu Jitsu. The promotional work that Eddie Bravo has done for combat Jiu Jitsu, has been a revelation in the community of MMA and BJJ. The sport has seen MMA stars like Vagner Rocha, Donald Cerone, Diego Brandao, Mac Danzig, Chad George, Cole Miller and Wilson Reis, showcase their exceptional skill sets. There have also been many american jiu jitsu stars compete in Combat Jiu Jitsu like;Nathan Orchard, Ben Eddy, Damien Anderson, Keith Krikorian, Ethan Crelinsten and Richie Martinez. At the 2021 edition of the event, the world also saw the standout Australian superstar Craig Jones take on the UFC veteran Donald Cerone. With the calibre of athletes now stepping into the Combat Jiu Jitsu world scene, the evolution of the sport is now rising in leaps and bounds. This exciting new form of combat is setting a precedent for BJJ to head back in the traditional direction of self defense hand to hand combat. This brave new sport is paving the way for the possibility of other forms like kenpo jiu jitsu and Luta Livre to make significant comebacks.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO TRAINING IN COMBAT JIU JITSU

There are significant benefits in training for combat Jiu Jitsu. For a long time athletes have been training in the art of BJJ, as the sport has heavily leant towards the watered down version of scoring points. Although BJJ competitions are high profile, and fun to watch and compete in, this art is detrimental to a student's self defense application. It is common knowledge that techniques applied in high level BJJ competitions, would be difficult to pull off in a real fight scenario. In a street fight situation, opponents have no rules, meaning they can counter many of the technical components involved in traditional BJJ. This is where Combat Jiu Jitsu comes into play, as Eddie Bravo created this hybrid version to simulate real life fight scenarios.

It is becoming increasingly more important for Martial Artists, especially of the grappling kind, to incorporate strikes into their training. That is why training in Combat Jiu Jitsu will ensure today's practitioners will solidify their grappling to a much more durable level. This will also help them tighten up any gaps in their game styles they may have. There is a rigorous conditioning involved in Combat Jiu Jitsu, as utilising grappling concepts as well as striking techniques, gives a practitioner an outstanding level of functional fitness and body conditioning. They will also become extremely comfortable in a highly volatile situation, which will give them a greater sense of how to stay safe, create space and make better decisions in the heat of a battle.

IS THERE ROOM FOR COMBAT JIU JITSU, MMA AND TRADITIONAL BJJ

In this day and age combat sports have become increasingly popular all over the world. As the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts has seen some of the world's most notorious fighters battle it out in the centre of the octagon. MMA has seen an increase in BJJ finishes, like rear naked chokes, armbars, triangles, and leg locks, this has become a brilliant marketing sensation for the art of BJJ. Now with the significant rise in No Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, with prestigious events like ADCC, Who's Number One, Fight 2 Win, Polaris, and Metamoris, many of these highly professional athletes have become household heroes to many fight fans. As the popularity surges for combat sports across America and the world, so does the need for new and exciting brands of fighting. This has become apparent in other countries in Europe that have brought out hybrid versions of Mixed Martial Arts. 

MMA Legend Jake Shields has joined forces with BJJFanatics.com to bring you the American Jiu Jitsu system!

So now with the introduction of Combat Jiu Jitsu, there seems to be plenty of room for all of these disciplines of combat. Especially now with many superstar athletes like Vagna Rocha, Donald Cerone, Craig Jones and Richie Martinez, all competing in Combat Jiu Jitsu, the promotion for the sport is being seen around the world. Fight fans will always have a thrill in watching two combatants go toe to toe and fight for supremacy. Which is great news for Eddie Bravo and his new creation of hybrid grappling, as he endeavours to build a legacy that not only Americans, but the world will enjoy.

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