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 in and is set to feature one of the greatest openweight submission-only tournaments ever. In the weeks leading up to the event, Bloody Elbow will be giving you the low down on the strengths and background of each competitor. Let’s kick off this edition with late replacement, Marcello Bergo.
Marcello Salazar Bergo
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Murilo Bustamante > Marcello Salazar
Team: Brazilian Top Team
Weight: 185lbs
When Dean Lister unfortunately withdrew from EBI 6 due to illness, Marcello Bergo stepped forward. Marcello Bergo is an old school grappler with a variety of tricks up his sleeve. Bergo, a 3rd degree black belt under Murilo Bustamante, has been around the game for a long time and in his years of competing he has made a name for himself as an exciting grappler. Be it in the gi or without, Bergo has always been a grappler that has prided himself on his ability to finish his opponents and this has carried over to his mixed martial arts career, where he has finished 6 of his 8 wins via submission.
In addition to his jiu jitsu acumen, Salazar has also excelled as a wrestler and is a former Brazilian national champion in both freestyle wrestling and the Greco-Roman variety of the sport. When it comes to grappling, his weapon of choice seems to be the rear-naked choke, something he has used to choke out numerous opponents en-route to national championships.
First round opponent: Fabian Bolaños
Salazar’s opponent is somewhat of an unknown quantity. Fabian Bolaños looked pretty impressive in his qualification for EBI 6, he has displayed a solid variety of skills, but I would be surprised if he could hang with a veteran like Salazar.
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.
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