In the buildup to the Eddie Bravo Invitational 6’s open weight tournament, Bloody Elbow’s grappling editor Roy Billington will be providing athlete profiles for each of the competitors. Here, we look at Felipe Fogolin.
The illustrious Eddie Bravo Invitational returns on April 24th, but this time it is different. Instead of EBI 6 airing solely on pay-per-view, the promotion has also signed a streaming deal with UFC Fight Pass and is set to feature one of the greatest open weight submission-only tournaments ever.
In the weeks leading up to the event, Bloody Elbow will give you the low down on the backgrounds of each competitor. Let’s kick off our fifth installation with one of the tournaments outsiders.
Felipe Fogolin
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie > Cleber Luciano > Felipe Fogolin
Team: Triunfo Jiu Jitsu
Weight: 194.5 lbs
Felipe Fogolin is one of those capable athletes that has all the skills to be a star, but has thus far flown under the radar. Fogolin is a 3-time world champion, he took home gold once at brown belt and twice in the masters 1 division as a black belt. In addition to a burgeoning MMA career, Fogolin has competed quite solidly in grappling over the last few years and will be looking to pull of a big upset when he faces Garry Tonon in the first round.
Fogolin excels in the leg lock domain and is a constant threat once he isolates a leg. Fogolin’s top game is pretty solid and he constantly looks to take the back, with the rear-naked choke being his go-to finish from top control. For Fogolin to make it past the first round he will need to upset one of the tournaments favourites.
First round opponent: Garry Tonon
Felipe Fogolin pulled the name that everyone was trying to avoid in the opening round. Garry Tonon is on a tear right now and is going to be near impossible to defeat. Fogolin’s best chance is if he can get on top of Tonon and try to take his back, though that will be no easy feat.
The Eddie Bravo Invitational 6 goes down at the Orpheum Theatre, in Los Angeles, CA on April 24 and will be available on pay-per-view on Dish and InDemand, as well as being live on UFC Fight Pass.