The most exciting one-night tournament in combat sports, The Eddie Bravo Invitational, is back for its 7th event on Saturday night, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Following on from the success of the EBI 6, the Eddie Bravo Invitational will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, as well as available on pay-per-view.
For those uninitiated in the world of grappling, watching events like the EBI can be daunting, but fear not, in the casual fan preview we will give you the lowdown on what to look out for on Saturday night.
Leglock Master
When an MMA fan thinks of a leglock specialist, it is likely that one of two men pop into their heads: Rousimar Palhares or Imanari. But when it comes to submission grappling, there is one man that holds the moniker of the most feared leglock assassin in the world, and that is Eddie Cummings.
Eddie Cummings is the Hadyn of heel hooks, a maestro on the mat that is known for his relentless pursuit of perfection in the realm of leglocks. Under the tutelage of John Danaher, Cummings has grown to become one of the most exciting fighters in the sport and he is the current defending Eddie Bravo Invitational featherweight champion.
If you like quick submissions, then Eddie Cummings is the man to look out for. Cummings will be looking to put together a flawless night of work and take home the gold on Saturday night.
10th Planet’s Best
It is fitting that a show promoted by the founder of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu would feature some of the gym’s best athletes, but there is no nepotism involved at EBI; both Geo Martinez and Denny Prokopos are absolute demons on the mat. Prokopos is a former lightweight EBI champion and Martinez is also former champion, having won both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions at previous EBI tournaments.
Geo Martinez is known for his intricate guard game and has shown in the past that he is difficult to submit. One of the key skills that Martinez brings to the table is his versatility, while Cummings is essentially solely a leglock specialist, Martinez is diverse and has won numerous high-profile matches with unorthodox techniques.
If one man could personify the ethos of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, that man would be Denny Prokopos. Prokopos has been a longtime student of Eddie Bravo and some would argue that he is the best grappler that the system has ever produced. In recent years Prokopos has faced adversity, including a nasty staph infection, but EBI 7 could be a chance for him to get back to winning ways.
The Outsiders
While I may have paid specific attention to 3 grapplers in the preview so far, the truth is that EBI 7 is awash with talent. The reality is that it is very hard to predict a submission-only tournament with a great degree of accuracy as there are so many variables at play. There are some grapplers on the periphery that could pull off the upset at EBI 7.
UFC fighter Joe Soto has proven in the past that he can go far at EBI, having previously reached a tournament final, and guys like Bill Cooper and Baret Yoshida are extremely talented. Another outsider with the ability to take home gold is Kim Terra, who while inconsistent, can be very dangerous on his day.
The Eddie Bravo Invitational 7 goes down at the Orpheum Theatre, in Los Angeles, CA on July 16 and will be available on pay-per-view on Dish and InDemand, as well as live on UFC Fight Pass.