10th Planet’s Alan Sanchez displayed superior defense and control to win EBI 19 in Cancun
For the first time since June 2018, the Eddie Bravo Invitational returned to Cancun, Mexico with some of the best no-gi grapplers in the world in a 16-man tournament. Oliver Taza, David Garmo, Nathan Orchard, Alan Sanchez, and John Combs were among the top contestants vying for the welterweight belt. EBI tournaments have a unique ruleset with ten minutes of regulation followed by an overtime round where competitors start on their opponent’s back or in the armbar position. This ruleset changed the dynamic of the matches and led to multiple submission finishes and exciting back and forth action.
While there were many performances that stood out, Alan Sanchez of 10th Planet was undoubtedly the most impressive. Alan’s biggest accomplishments prior to EBI 19 were winning the No-Gi Worlds as a brown belt and winning the 2020 Finishers Sub-Only tournament. Alan’s experience in no-gi and EBI rules really shined as he was able to get wins in overtime, showcasing not only his finishing abilities but also his defense.
In the round of 16, Alan submitted Mendes brothers’ black belt Danny Stolfi via inside heel hook.
In the quarter finals he faced John Combs. Combs was one of the favorites coming into the event as an ADCC veteran and former West Coast Trials champion. While Combs appeared to control the pace of the match early, Sanchez eventually caught him in the best submission of the night. While on his back he was able to trap one of Comb’s shoulders and lock a triangle with both arms in. This position, known as the dead orchard, left Comb’s arm exposed and Sanchez was able to capitalize with a perfectly executed armbar.
Sanchez faced Nova Uniao’s Pablo Lavaselli in the semi-finals. Pablo was on quite the run prior to meeting Sanchez, submitting 10th Planet black belt Nathan Orchard in his opening match and then submitting Aaron Harris via rear naked choke in his next match.
Pablo was able to get to Sanchez’s back in the regulation period, but Sanchez used his impeccable defensive skills to escape the position. In overtime, Sanchez was able to escape the back control of Lavaselli again. When it was his turn to take the back, Sanchez maintained the position beautifully and won the match via ride time.
New Wave Jiu-Jitsu’s Oliver Taza was widely considered the favorite going into EBI 19. Taza recently won the ADCC European Trials and also won the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships as a brown belt. He used his dangerous submission skills to submit Mikey Gonzales and David Garmo in regulation prior to beating Nick Ronan in the semi-finals via ride time.
Sanchez and Taza went back and forth in regulation with Taza looking to setup his leg attacks and Sanchez looking to improve position. In overtime, Sanchez once again proved that his defense and back control were world class as he escaped Taza’s control and then held Taza’s back to capture the EBI 19 title via ride time in OT.
Full results for EBI 19 can be found below:
Round of 16
Oliver Taza def. Mikey Gonzalez via inside heel hook from back step
David Garmo def. Vinicius de Jesus via inside heel hook
Oscar de los Santos def. Osvaldo Canamar via triangle
Nick Ronan def. Omer Emanoely via ride time in OT
Pablo Lavaselli def. Nathan Orchard via kimura
Aaron Harris def. Khalil Fadlallah via armbar in OT
Alan Sanchez def. Danny Stolfi via inside heel hook
John Combs def. Ivan Leyva via arm in guillotine
Quarterfinals
Oliver Taza def. David Garmo via ankle lock
Nick Ronan def. Oscar de los Santos via inside heel hook
Pablo Lavaselli def. Aaron Harris via rear naked choke
Alan Sanchez def. John Combs via dead orchard
Semi-finals
Oliver Taza def. Nick Ronan via ride time in OT
Alan Sanchez def. Pablo Lavaselli via ride time in OT
Final
Alan Sanchez def. Oliver Taza via ride time in OT