Ben Thapa
Polaris Professional Jiu Jitsu Invitational Results
The biggest takeaway of this event was a re-confirmation that Keenan Kai-James Cornelius is a grappling superstar. The second was that this Polaris event really pulled everything off – the stream was smooth, the camera angles informed and well timed, the venue was terrific and the matches flowed as best as could be expected for […]
Polaris Professional Jiu Jitsu Invitational Preview
Wales is more than just the home of Gareth and the other Bales. There’s also a rather nice Brazilian jiu jitsu invitational going on in Cardiff this Saturday. The event is the Polaris Professional Jiu Jitsu Invitational and it features eight surprisingly good matches with a start time of 6:30PM UTC, 1:30PM EST, 10:30AM PST. Again, […]
Metamoris 5: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Renzo Gracie Live Results and Play by Play
From the Long Beach Convention Center, Metamoris 5 brings six grappling matches featuring a star-studded collection of professional grapplers and mixed martial arts athletes. The card is supposed to begin at 2 PM PT (5 PM ET) with a one hour promo show beforehand. At the top, Kazushi Sakuraba, the IQ Wrestler, takes on Renzo […]
2014 Mundials Finals Live Play by Play
The women’s finals have already been determined, while the men’s side have to work their way through quarter finals and semi-finals. You can view the live stream for less than $10 at ibjjftv.com, which is run by the BudoVideos crew. The Men’s matches yet to come: Roosterweight: Bruno Malfacine vs J. Brandon Mullins Bruno jumps […]
When Fate Slips Lead in the Boxing Glove
Unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing-glove. – P.G. Wodehouse, Very Good Jeeves!, pg. 421 About this time last year, I had my close brush with death. Three pulmonary embolisms and a collapsed lung popped up out of nowhere and I spent a week in the hospital as a […]
Metamoris 3: Gracie vs Bravo – Live Blog and Results
The Metamoris 3 grappling event starts at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) and the live stream can be bought for $20 at the Metamoris website. The order of matches (topmost means first match of the night, bottom means the last match of the night) is as follows: Zak Maxwell vs. Sean Roberts Samir Chantre […]
Metamoris 3 Preview
Metamoris 3 takes place on Saturday, 3/29/2014, at 7 pm EST (4 pm PST). The live stream can be bought for $20 at their website (http://metamoris.com/live-stream). The exact rules can be found here (http://metamoris.com/event-rules), but that’s for those who want the specifcs. What you, dear reader, need to know is that in general, this is […]
Judo Chop: Pat Barry and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in the Octagon
At the Aussie fights back in December, Pat Barry and Soa Palelei looked as if they were likely to blaze away standing. Contrary to expectations, Palelei took Barry to the ground and then clobbered him into unconsciousness in just over two minutes. This chain of events isn’t by itself particularly notable. However, Barry practically gifted […]
ADCC 2013 Results and GIFs
Moving like the “g” in “lasagna”, the real gangsta that is Zombie Prophet went ahead and made fifteen GIFs of the two day ADCC 2013 event in Beijing, China. Naturally, he focused on the submissions and the high octane action, so enjoy his work. Day 1 GIFs 1) Andre Galvao sinks in rear naked choke […]
ADCC 2013 Day 2 Finals, Absolute and Superfight Live Stream Blog and Results
Last night’s Day 1 went along fairly smoothly* here on Bloody Elbow for a three mat, one person operation. The live blog of that was somewhat chaotic at times, reflecting the fast pace of the day, but once the Superfight between Andre Galvao and Braulio Estima came around, things were just right to give us what […]
ADCC 2013 Day 1 Live Stream Blog, Brackets and Short Previews
Tonight, the world’s most prestigious submission grappling tournament kicks off in Beijing, China. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting Championships (called ADCC for short) comes along once every two years and this year’s edition is split over two days (Saturday/Sunday in China and Friday/Saturday for those in the US/Brazil, due to the time zone […]
Jeferson Maycá of Copa Podio Speaks on 2013 Middleweight Grand Prix
In a fit of journalistic whimsy, I sent a request to talk to the organizer of the Copa Podio events after the frustrating presentation of the 2013 Middleweight Grand Prix. For reasons known only to them and to the gods, Jeferson Maycá, the president of Copa Podio responded to my request and we went back […]
Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix Results and Stream Disaster Fallout
The actual Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix event held this past went okay. The PPV stream did not. There is no getting around that electrical and production problems hampered the live show and essentially destroyed the PPV stream and Ricardo Azambuja made an official statement about this on the MW GP Facebook page. The statement […]
Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix Live Stream Discussion
If you’re watching the stream of the 2013 Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix, join us here in the comments. It’ll be a good event and things can get rollicking in the comments if you like. Here’s the preview for the Grand Prix with its ten competitors, along with the City Challenge featuring Diego Borges and […]
Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix Preview
Copa Podio returns this Sunday at 3:30 pm ET (12:30 pm PT, 8:30 pm GMT) with a Middleweight Grand Prix. Due to other commitments (UFC, ADCC) and injuries, the line-up has been shuffled some and new, hungry competitors slotted into the empty spaces. The stream can be purchased for $21.95 at http://www.copapodio.com/index.php. The event line-up is […]
Roundtable Discussion: What’s still joyful or happy about MMA to you?
Ben Thapa: As a balance to our Festivus-style roundtable of grievances with MMA, I want to put this question to you. What about MMA still gives you that rush of happiness and fun these days now that the “new fan” shine has faded a bit? Zane Simon: WMMA [women’s MMA] has consistently been one of […]
UFC 162 Judo Chop: Chris Weidman's Love Affair with Head Control
“Always mash the head… in every position… at anytime… for any technique.” – Joe Lauzon The narrative for UFC 162 promo packages and stories will make it clear that Chris Weidman was a stellar wrestler in college. Well, he was. They will then say that he has amassed tons of new skills and trained so […]
Roundtable Discussion: What are you tired of in MMA?
Ben Thapa: Most of us here at Bloody Elbow have followed MMA and other combat sports for years. What are you flat out losing patience with or no longer have your metaphorical heart rate jump to as MMA fans? Zane Simon: The biggest thing that I’m losing patience for is MMA reality television. I honestly […]
Metamoris II: Kron Gracie vs. Shinya Aoki Live Play by Play and Results
Hello grappling fans, welcome to the Bloody Elbow live blog of Metamoris 2. The organizers of this submission grappling tournament have brought together some of the best grapplers on the planet – and backed them up with some of the best promo/training videos I have ever seen. T.P. Grant gave us a solid preview earlier […]
2013 IBJJF World Championships/Mundials Live Stream Play by Play and Results
At 9:00 AM PT, the 2013 Mundials will start streaming the brown and black belt divisions through their PPV stream at IBJJFtv.com. Also at that time, I will have two computers, a heck-ton of caffeine and an unbridled enthusiasm for seeing some of the best grappling available on Planet Earth. The PPV stream (crystal clear […]
2013 IBJJF World Championships/Mundials Preview and Stream Information
The 2013 IBJJF Worlds are underway at the Walter Pyramid in the vicinity of Los Angeles, California. The tournament has gotten so large (hovering around a thousand some competitors each year) that it is now a four day production complete with a crystal clear multi-mat live stream available for purchase that rivals anything you’ll see […]
Copa Podio 2013 Lightweight Grand Prix Live Blog and Discussion
Are you combat sports fanatics ready for a super-stacked tournament of grappling all-stars? If so, the Copa Podio Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Lightweight Grand Prix is exactly what you want. It kicks off at 4:30 PM ET and will continue for several hours. The stream is a PPV one ($21.95) and can be purchased at http://www.copapodio.com/en/pay-per-view. […]
2013 IBJJF Pan Ams Black Belt and Brown Belt preview, predictions and live discussion
The Pan Ams is the largest Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament in the world with something like 1700 or 1800 competitors in total. Even the world championships don’t have as many competitors and as a result, the Pan Ams have been spread out to a five day long event with each day having something like 10 […]
Matwork! IBJJF Pro League, Mendes Brothers Videos, Dog Lifts Cat Home
The IBJJF’s Pro League debuts today. It is an invitational tournament that uses rankings compiled throughout the year in Brazilian jiu jitsu/submission grappling tournaments held by the IBJJF. Several noteworthy stars are participating in this year’s edition and there is a cash prize. Unfortunately, the event goes on at the same time as UFC on […]
Judo Chop Suey: Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz’s Judo Chops
UFC on Fox 5 has a stupendously good main event with Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz tussling for the lightweight championship. We probably cannot get excited enough for this match and in anticipation of that clash of MMA’s premier whirling dervish and the co-creator of the Stockton Slap, a short package of Judo Chops done […]
Judo Chop: The Gracie Stomp and Distance Closing
The Gracies don’t fight nicely. But they do fight smart. The overall strategic approach they take towards combat sports – training youngsters into become very, very good at grappling, carefully negotiating rules in their favor and attaching showmanship to almost everything they do – combines very well with the surprisingly brutal and effective tactics we […]
Bellator 81 Judo Chop: Marcin Held and the Lost Art of the Toe Hold
The successful toe hold is as rare as a nun in a bikini – and we got one on live television on Friday Night! At Bellator 81, in the lightweight tournament semi-finals, Marcin Held torqued Rich Clementi’s left foot beyond the point of toleration and escape. The technique is generally called a toe hold in […]
Matwork! 2012 Judo Team Championships, No Gi Worlds, Sambo Worlds, Julie and the Deathly Surgeon
Recent happenings in the worlds of sambo, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, submission grappling and/or collegiate/freestyle wrestling. If it takes place on the ground and it’s interesting, it should be here. If you have any links of your own, questions or comments, leave them below or get word to me at DefGrappler on Twitter. Please let […]
Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao, an excerpt from Robert Greene’s Mastery
Following on the heels of the interview with Robert Greene from yesterday is an excerpt from his new book, Mastery, which is on sale in bookstores today. Enjoy this taste of what Robert writes about the Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao dynamic. The book as a whole is built upon stories like this and extends […]
Interviewing Robert Greene about Mastery, Hustle, Fear, Boxing and MMA
It is hard to introduce Robert Greene without giving a grocery list of his past accomplishments, as having several best-selling books like The 48 Laws of Power or The Art of Seduction are a terrific resume booster, but somewhat useless in telling you why you should care about him now. It may be more important […]