Why The Eddie Bravo Invitational Is Great For Jiu Jitsu
Posted by Corey Kuropas on
One of the hottest and most talked about tournaments in all of Jiu Jitsu these days is the Eddie Bravo Invitational, known also as EBI. EBI is making a name for itself by inviting the world’s best to compete in their unique, modified submission only rule set and for their big payouts. Right now, EBI is one of the best things that can happen for competitors that want to make Jiu Jitsu their career. Before EBI, most high level BJJ fighters had to go into MMA to make any kind of money. But now with EBI upping the ante for professional Jiu Jitsu, competitors now have a real chance to make some money to live on.
The whole aspect of the finish is what the Eddie Bravo Invitational promotes, and it is one of the reasons that the format is so exciting. There are no points, therefore everyone is going for the fight ending submission. There’s less stalling and more action which is positive and makes Jiu Jitsu more spectator friendly. To ensure that Jiu Jitsu becomes a bigger sport for a mass audience, it needs to be full of excitement and spectacular finishes. That is what EBI promotes.
Another reason that EBI is great for Jiu Jitsu is that we are seeing a coming together of people of various backgrounds and championships coming into the fray. That means we are seeing champions of local scenes, national and international tournaments taking each other on. Past EBI’s have featured ADCC vets like Yuri Simoes and Enrico Cocco, and sub only champs like Eddie Cummings and Garry Tonon. Seeing how all of these top BJJ competitors do against each other always makes for interesting and compelling match ups.
Yet another aspect of what makes EBI so great is the fact that there are bigger monetary payouts. For the longest time, the best in the world would win a tiny amount of cash, and a medal. That was it. While those things are okay for lower level competitors, those prizes were no viable to make Jiu Jitsu a career for anyone that was serious about it. EBI has been paying out more money to the athletes that compete for them. The past few champs have taken home $15 grand, $20 grand and more. That kind of money is a huge help for Jiu Jitsu competitors that teach and make it their career.
If there is one more aspect that I can point out to showcase EBI’s greatness, is the fact that due to the rules of the tournaments, that leg locks are coming to the forefront of the art and sport. For the longest time, leg locks were looked down upon as unfavorable. But with the modified sub only format, a strong leg lock makes sense for a strong finish. With the last few EBI events, leg locks have become important techniques to win matches and bank cash. The beauty of these techniques are really shining at EBI, and more Jiu Jitsu competitors are opening their eyes to those attacks.
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