Tag: ADCC

Craig Jones praises UFC LW champion’s ground skills: “Makhachev’s grappling is superior to what a lot of the traditional jiu-jitsu guys do”

Craig jonesTwo-time ADCC world championship medallist Craig Jones had high praise for the grappling skills of newly crowned UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. There is no doubt that Makhachev possesses credible striking skills, but it is the Dagestani’s grappling prowess that has seen him roll through the lightweight division. Makhachev’s ability to get the fight to […]

Craig jones

Two-time ADCC world championship medallist Craig Jones had high praise for the grappling skills of newly crowned UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.

There is no doubt that Makhachev possesses credible striking skills, but it is the Dagestani’s grappling prowess that has seen him roll through the lightweight division. Makhachev’s ability to get the fight to the ground and maintain top control has seen him stop his past five opponents, including submitting Charles Oliveira, who holds the UFC’s record for most submissions.

Craig Jones, who is amongst some of the best grapplers in the world, would credit Makhachev and his system of grappling that he and others from that part of the world use.

“I honestly agree when Makhachev says a lot of people deserve to have their black belts taken away,” Jones said. “I kind of agree with that. I think what those guys are doing is sort of superior to what we’ve been doing for a long time. Cause we build and entire sport around conceding bottom position.

“I’m not one of those guys that says we should grapple with people who ae striking us, but I believe we should grapple as if the top guy knows how to pass and pin,” he added. “A lot of guys don’t mind being on bottom because they’ve never rolled with a guy that knows how to pass guard or pin someone. So they don’t know how fatiguing and horrible it is.”

Jones would continue, saying that Makhachev’s style is a nightmare for some traditional BJJ athletes.

“Everyone thinks they’re good at guard until they come across a guy that really can pass well,” Jones said. “And then suddenly they think, ‘**t. I’d rather be standing, I’d rather be on top.’ But they don’t know to get there and if they do they don’t know how to hold someone down.

“I think Makhachev’s grappling is superior to what a lot of the traditional jiu-jitsu guys do, cause they don’t know how to hold someone down. They have no idea how to do it. So, we really gotta reverse engineer what Makhachev’s doing, which I’ve been trying to do on top, and then I’m trying to teach these guys how to do it so I can practice doing it on bottom.”

Do you agree with Craig Jones?

Video – Gordon Ryan submits rival Andre Galvao to clinch ADCC 2022 superfight championship

Gordon RyanDecorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Gordon Ryan has become the first in competition history to clinch gold in three separate weight divisions at ADCC, clinching the 2022 super-fight championship courtesy of a rear-naked choke win over decorated Brazilian rival, Andre Galvao in Las Vegas, Nevada over the course of the weekend. Ryan, 27, a native of […]

Gordon Ryan

Decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Gordon Ryan has become the first in competition history to clinch gold in three separate weight divisions at ADCC, clinching the 2022 super-fight championship courtesy of a rear-naked choke win over decorated Brazilian rival, Andre Galvao in Las Vegas, Nevada over the course of the weekend.

Ryan, 27, a native of New Jersey, managed to improve his submission grappling record to 152-9-3 over the course of the weekend in ‘Sin City’ – dispatching Heikki Jussila, Victor Hugo, Roosevelt Souza, and Nick Rodriguez, en route to his rear-naked choke win over Brazilian grappling favorite, Galvao. 

With four minutes remaining following a period of dominant control, Gordon Ryan, who was 12-0 up against six-time ADCC championship victor, Galvao, managed to land a massive rear-naked choke win over the soon-to-be 40-year-old, with Ryan nabbing his fifth title under the ADCC banner, as well as capping off his undefeated weekend with the super-fight championship title. 

Sharing the mats following years of speculation regarding a potential tangle, Ryan and Galvao have shared a distinct rivalry in that time to boot, with the two involved in a rather high-profile physical altercation last year, with the former appearing to slap Galvao during an engagement. 

With the stunning submission win over Sao Paulo native, Galvao, Ryan now holds a staggering 128 separate submission wins as a professional – throughout a decorated submission grappling career. 

Gordon Ryan inked a deal with ONE Championship last year

Linked with a potential debut in professional mixed martial arts, Gordon Ryan penned a multi-fight deal with the Chatri Sityodtong-led ONE Championship back in March of last year, and was open to the possibility of competing in both combat sports and submission grappling. At the time of publication, Ryan has yet to make his debut in professional mixed martial arts competition.

Chael Sonnen Scores Victory vs. Leo Vieira at ADCC in Finland

Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen earned a decision vs. Leo Vieira in Finland Sunday during the second day of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Following 15 scoreless minutes of action, a referee decision was awarded to Sonnen over the two-time ADCC 145-pound champion in a super-fight. He was bested by Craig Jones in the […]

Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen earned a decision vs. Leo Vieira in Finland Sunday during the second day of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Following 15 scoreless minutes of action, a referee decision was awarded to Sonnen over the two-time ADCC 145-pound champion in a super-fight. He was bested by Craig Jones in the […]

TFC 24: Anthony Johnson to Debut at 205, Braulio Estima to Just Plain Debut


(Why yes, Bas, I *will* have another bear claw.) 

Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over a Carl’s Jr., wait, I meant Dave Branch at Titan Fighting Championship 22, it looks like an opponent, date, and location has been set for Anthony Johnson’s light heavyweight debut. Johnson will be squaring off against 8-3 KOTC veteran Esteves Jones on August 24th at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, at Titan Fighting Championships 24. The chance to finally see Johnson fighting somewhere around his actual weight has to inspire confidence that he will actually make weight this time, a feat in and of itself that “Rumble” has failed to do in his past two fights, and about every other fight before that.

When asked to comment on his newfound diet, Johnson could only mumble “It’s great” through a mouthful of Steak-umms.

Regardless of his training/diet regimen, Johnson should have little trouble putting away Jones, who holds a notable win over Darrill “Titties” Schoonover and no one else. Then again, his nickname is “Quiet Riot”, who were arguably one of the better mainstream metal bands of the 80’s, so…honestly, I don’t really know where I was going with that. Jones is a dead man.

But even better than the news that Johnson may actually defeat an opponent without having to hand over 20% of his purse afterward is the fact that also on the card, a certain BJJ legend will be making his MMA debut.

Details are after the jump. 


(Why yes, Bas, I *will* have another bear claw.) 

Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over a Carl’s Jr., wait, I meant Dave Branch at Titan Fighting Championship 22, it looks like an opponent, date, and location has been set for Anthony Johnson’s light heavyweight debut. Johnson will be squaring off against 8-3 KOTC veteran Esteves Jones on August 24th at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, at Titan Fighting Championships 24. The chance to finally see Johnson fighting somewhere around his actual weight has to inspire confidence that he will actually make weight this time, a feat in and of itself that “Rumble” has failed to do in his past two fights, and about every other fight before that.

When asked to comment on his newfound diet, Johnson could only mumble “It’s great” through a mouthful of Steak-umms.

Regardless of his training/diet regimen, Johnson should have little trouble putting away Jones, who holds a notable win over Darrill “Titties” Schoonover and no one else. Then again, his nickname is “Quiet Riot”, who were arguably one of the better mainstream metal bands of the 80′s, so…honestly, I don’t really know where I was going with that. Jones is a dead man.

But even better than the news that Johnson may actually defeat an opponent without having to hand over 20% of his purse afterward is the fact that also on the card, a certain BJJ legend will be making his MMA debut.

Possibly in an effort to finally get that match with Nick Diaz, two time ADCC champion (among many, many other things) Braulio Estima will be making his MMA debut at TFC 24 as well. Fighting at 170 lbs., Estima will try to avoid the powerful hands of Chris Holland, a 5-3 knockout artist who most recently dispatched Phil Baroni in the second round of their ROF 43 scrap back in June. Estima, who last competed and defeated former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza at the 2011 ADCC Absolute Trials, stated that his debut is less about achieving a title and all the glory that comes with it, and more about testing the waters of a whole new sport:

Georges St-Pierre is at the top of this weight class. But still, I like the challenge. I’m already very successful in other areas, I have a successful gym in Birmingham, and I do very well with my grappling career, so this move to MMA is not about the money. It is not about fame. It is about pushing myself and seeing how far I can go in this new area. I am having fun training with the Blackzilians and learning MMA. I want to enjoy the ride, and keep moving forward. 

As long as Estima can develop some solid striking skills, or at least defense, he could find himself in the sport’s highest promotion before too long. The man’s ground game is second to none, and at only 32 years of age, Estima also has a little bit of time on his side to work on his standup and takedowns. Agree or disagree?

–J. Jones

Nick Diaz Gets an Opponent for May 12th Jiu-Jitsu Superfight and it’s Braulio F*cking Estima


(OK Nate, once the ballad starts, you’re gonna grab her hips and just kinda sway like this…)

Perhaps you recall that Jiu-Jitsu superfight Nick Diaz was scheduled to participate in while stepping out for a smoke break from his UFC career. It was to be held at the first annual World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, California on May 12th, against an opponent TBD. Though we had no clue as to who this “TBD” fellow would turn out to be, we already assumed that the match would be rife with Stockton Heybuddies, relentless taunting, and at least one insistence by Diaz that they both “stand up and settle this like men.”

How wrong we were, because it turns out that Diaz will be too busy trying not to get submitted to do much trash talking, as his opponent was announced earlier this morning, and it’s Braulio f*cking Estima. That’s 2009 ADCC double gold medalist, three time European champion, three time CBJJ champion, and five time Pan American champion Braulio Estima. If you consider yourself a fan of the ground game and live withing driving distance of Long Beach, you best be in attendance for this one.

Though Diaz earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie back in 2007, you gotta imagine he’ll be the underdog heading into this one, as Estima’s list of BJJ credentials ranks him among the legends of the sport. The fact that Estima also took home a Superfight Championship at last year’s ADCC trials by defeating former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza only furthers this theory.

Familiarize yourself with Estima’s skills after the jump. 


(OK Nate, once the ballad starts, you’re gonna grab her hips and just kinda sway like this…)

Perhaps you recall that Jiu-Jitsu superfight Nick Diaz was scheduled to participate in while stepping out for a smoke break from his UFC career. It was to be held at the first annual World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, California on May 12th, against an opponent TBD. Though we had no clue as to who this “TBD” fellow would turn out to be, we already assumed that the match would be rife with Stockton Heybuddies, relentless taunting, and at least one insistence by Diaz that they both “stand up and settle this like men.”

How wrong we were, because it turns out that Diaz will be too busy trying not to get submitted to do much trash talking, as his opponent was announced earlier this morning, and it’s Braulio f*cking Estima. That’s 2009 ADCC double gold medalist, three time European champion, three time CBJJ champion, and five time Pan American champion Braulio Estima. If you consider yourself a fan of the ground game and live withing driving distance of Long Beach, you best be in attendance for this one.

Though Diaz earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie back in 2007, you gotta imagine he’ll be the underdog heading into this one, as Estima’s list of BJJ credentials ranks him among the legends of the sport. The fact that Estima also took home a Superfight Championship at last year’s ADCC trials by defeating former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza only furthers this theory.

If you aren’t familiar with Estima’s ridiculous skill set, just check out the following highlight video.

As we all know, Diaz has never been submitted in professional competition. If you were to ask him, he’d probably tell you that he has never been submitted by anyone…ever, be it in practice, Jiu-Jitsu competition, or an alcohol fueled grappling match with one of his friends.

Could we witness the first known footage of Nick tapping, or more likely going to sleep, come May 12th?

-J. Jones

WTF Videos of the Day: Vinny Magalhaes’ Rubber Arm and Rousimar Palhares’ Peanut Brain

It’s been a while since the finals of this year’s ADCC tournament went down, but it wasn’t until recently that a couple of videos surfaced, and we decided to let you in on ’em. Just because it’s Wednesday. The first comes from the end of TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes‘ Over 99kg gold earning effort over Strikeforce/UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum. After controlling the action for the majority of the fight, Magalhaes quickly found himself on the wrong end of a Werdum armbar.

And holy hell does Werdum crank that sucker. For about three minutes straight, “Vai Cavalo” bends Magalhaes’ arm from damn near every position, only taking breaks to re-position himself and inflict further torment. All the props in the world goes to Vinny, who manages to not only withstand the brutal hold for as long as he did, but free himself from it in as calm and collected a manner as possible. Speaking of calm and collected, let’s take a look at a man who has never, ever, been described as such.

It’s been a while since the finals of this year’s ADCC tournament went down, but it wasn’t until recently that a couple of videos surfaced, and we decided to let you in on ‘em. Just because it’s Wednesday. The first comes from the end of TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes‘ Over 99kg gold earning effort over Strikeforce/UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum. After controlling the action for the majority of the fight, Magalhaes quickly found himself on the wrong end of a Werdum armbar.

And holy hell does Werdum crank that sucker. For about three minutes straight, “Vai Cavalo” bends Magalhaes’ arm from damn near every position, only taking breaks to re-position himself and inflict further torment. All the props in the world goes to Vinny, who manages to not only withstand the brutal hold for as long as he did, but free himself from it in as calm and collected a manner as possible. Speaking of calm and collected, let’s take a look at a man who has never, ever, been described as such.

Here we have the controversial Under 88kg quarterfinal match between Rousimar Palhares and David Avellan. After the two roll out of bounds, notice the ref clearly taps them both (2:07) to signify the restart. Then, watch as Palhares continues to crank the heel hook until the ref taps him again, an ongoing problem of his. After they both stand up, Palhares thinks he has been declared the winner, another ongoing problem of his, and proceeds to embrace his foe with the subtlety of Ceasar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After the confusion is cleared and the fight is restarted, Palhares goes into full beast mode, and applies a gruesome kneebar (3:31), likely ending Avellan’s ability to walk on his own power ever again. Sorry, bro.

Based on Palhares’ long known hatred of appendages, I think the only person we could safely match him up with at this point is pretty obvious.

-Danga