Kevin Bradley
Kevin Bradley is a writer covering Bloody Elbow’s grappling beat. A longtime BJJ hobbyist, he began covering combat sports in 2018 for the Jiu-Jitsu Times with athlete interviews and fight breakdowns. He branched into audio the following year, producing and co-hosting the JJT Podcast for its 100 episode run. After a writing hiatus, occasionally contributing to various sites in the interim, he joined BE in late 2022.
Conor McGregor accused of bouncing fighters from TUF line-up to include his teammates
Months away from its premiere, the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter has already been hit with controversy. Responding to a tweet from MMA Orbit regarding the TUF 31 roster, sports agent Daniel Rubenstein stated that TUF coach Conor McGregor has replaced three fighters who earned a spot on his team with fighters he already […]
Nick Rodriguez denies greasing, as allegations with ex-teammate Gordon Ryan get ugly
ADCC champ Gordon Ryan accused Nicky Rodriguez of greasing following their match at Fight Pass Invitational 3 last December. “The moment he started sweating, he definitely was lotioned and the lotion came out. I couldn’t get a hold of him. He was so slippery,” Ryan said. Now, the ADCC silver medalist and B-Team BJJ coach […]
Conor McGregor hasn’t re-enrolled in the USADA testing pool despite TUF announcement
Conor McGregor has been vocal on social media regarding his desired return to competition. But despite all of his shirtless gym pics, he’s put off a critical step before returning to the cage. “As we’ve confirmed before, as of today, Conor McGregor has not been reenrolled in the USADA testing pool, which he would have […]
WWE’s Matt Riddle earns BJJ black belt
Despite long ago trading his 4oz gloves for steel chairs, it looks like WWE star Matt Riddle hasn’t neglected his Jiu-Jitsu training. The Pennsylvanian was promoted to black belt by Daniel Gracie, Rolles Gracie, and David Floridia at Daniel Gracie Orange County gym in Orlando, Florida. “Finally got my bjj black belt and I couldn’t […]
UFC secures rights to ADCC, 2024 World Championship
ADCC broadcast rights is now owned by the UFC.
BJJ Legend Marcelo Garcia reveals cancer diagnosis
Yesterday morning, Jiu-Jitsu pioneer Marcelo Garcia brought news of his tragic stomach cancer diagnosis to the grappling world. According to a post on his official Instagram, The 40-year-old father of two is set to start chemo for three months followed by surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to remove the tumor. “Please keep me […]
Gordon Ryan signs seven-figure BJJ deal with FloSports
The biggest star in no gi grappling has signed a historic contract with one of the sport’s biggest streaming providers. Announced through social media earlier today, Broadcast company FloSports revealed that Gordon Ryan agreed to the multi-fight deal to compete under FloGrappling’s Who’s Number One (WNO) tournament series. Gordon Ryan signs a lucrative BJJ deal […]
Fury Pro Grappling 6: Results and highlights - Gillian Robertson taps Rose Namajunas
Tonight, the city of brotherly love plays host to the sixth instalment of the Fury Pro Grappling series. Jiu-jitsu players and peo fighters from all backgrounds will meet in eight superfights to close out 2022. Anchoring the event are two superfights featuring MMA legend Clay Guida and submission prodigy Chase Hooper, followed by a main […]
BJJ star and ADCC champ Orlando Sanchez dead at age 40
Last Thursday night, Orlando “The Cuban Tree Stump” Sanchez unexpectedly passed away. Rumours would circulate the online grappling community for most of the following day, until his longtime gym Gracie Barra confirmed the tragic news early last evening via Instagram post. “The news of the passing of Professor Orlando Sanchez profoundly saddens us,” the post […]
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3: Ryan vs. Rodriguez full results, highlights – Gordon Ryan taps after the bell, wins
Tonight’s UFC Fight Pass event is being taken over by the grappling elite. Kicking off at 9pm EST in the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, The eight-man absolute tournament features recent No Gi Worlds standouts like Oliver Taza and Fight Pass mainstays like Mason Fowler competing for a $25,000 grand prize. View this post […]
2022 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships: Results
This year, the No-Gi Worlds once again assembles an international court of grappling royalty to the Anaheim Convention Center in sunny California. Kicking off Saturday afternoon, black belts familiar to the worlds or other promotions like ADCC will battle across multiple brackets and eight weight classes. The event is being streamed on FloGrappling. Roosterweight Round […]
‘We wanted to develop him’ – Scott Coker disappointed by Dillon Danis vs. KSI announcement
Bellator President Scott Coker took a moment during a recent Bellator post-event press conference to weigh in on undefeated MMA personality Dillon Danis’s move to celebrity boxing. Announced earlier this week, Danis will face YouTuber and aspiring boxer KSI this January at an MF & DAZN X Series event in London. A 2-0 contender in […]
Demote black belts? – BJJ star Craig Jones explains why he agrees with Makhachev’s jiujitsu criticism
UFC lightweight champion and former sambo player Islam Makhachev rocked the grappling community last month by questioning the validity of a BJJ black belt. Speaking with Daniel Cormier ahead of his submission win over former champion Charles Olivera, the Russian made light of Olivera’s grappling credentials. “All these [other guys who Oliveira has faced] Chandler, […]
‘He came to actually grapple’ – Ashley Williams talks recent Carlos Condit superfight
Southampton Central Hall played host to Polaris 22’s stacked middleweight tournament and an MMA vs BJJ themed superfight this past weekend. Eight international ADCC vets, MMA adepts and more fought for the coveted strap that Saturday, and some of the night’s stars went on record for a Bloody Elbow exclusive event recap. Round one featured […]
Polaris 22 results and highlights: Ash Williams heel hooks Carlos Condit in the main event
Former UFC Interim Welterweight champion Carlos Condit will take the mat later today against BJJ superstar Ash Williams, serving as the halftime show to the Polaris Middleweight Grand Prix. ADCC vets and other nogi powerhouses will duel across three rounds to produce a new middleweight champion at the beautiful Southampton Central Hall, in Southampton, UK. […]
Arizona Commission to review Anderson Silva’s KO claims ahead of Jake Paul Fight
New developments could affect Anderson Silva’s boxing bout with social media superstar Jake Paul scheduled for this Saturday, October 29. Following the release of an interview recorded with Silva back in September, the Arizona Boxing Commission is putting statements made by Silva regarding his health under review. During the interview with MMA Weekly, Silva described […]
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine earns BJJ brown belt at 61-years-old
Heavy Metal icon and Megadeth co-founder Dave Mustaine has added another title to his long list: BJJ brown belt. The 61-year-old guitarist was promoted by Gracie Barra Spring Hill head coach, Reginaldo Almeida, and accompanied by fellow Megadeth guitarist and 1-stripe white belt Kiko Loureiro. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dave […]
F2W 211 results: UFC vet dominates with north/south choke victory
The 211th Fight 2 Win card lit up the Pittsburgh grappling scene this past weekend. Showcasing an ensemble of local and national talent, gi players, no-gi submission specialists, adult and juvenile competitors—the longstanding tournament gave everyone something to enjoy. Headlining the show were 10th Planet representative Jason Robinson and UFC vet Chris Dempsey, alongside fellow […]
MMA and pro-wrestling pioneer Antonio Inoki dies at 79
A key figure in MMA’s history has passed on. Antonio Inoki, Japanese combat sports icon and beloved cultural figure, died Friday at the age of 79 after a long battle with amyloidosis. The news was reported by Inoki’s wrestling promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), on their website and twitter account earlier today. “The thoughts […]
Cleber Sousa previews his upcoming match with Mikey Musumeci, ‘I have no other name on my mind’
Cleber “Clandestino” Sousa comes awake at eight o’clock, a combination of routine and necessity pulling him into his day. Before night falls, he will have trained, eaten, trained again, taught, and ruminated on his upcoming match. It will not be the first time he’s faced this opponent, but it will be accompanied by an unprecedented […]
Polaris 21: Paul Craig vs. Jed Hue, live results
Kicking off today in Cagliari, Italy, Polaris 21 is set to pit recent ADCC standouts and UFC vets head-to-head in the promotion’s first event outside the UK. Coined “Grapple Island,” the event’s main card will be headlined by promotional stable and ADCC vet Jed Hue against UFC light heavyweight submission artist Paul Craig. On the […]
2022 ADCC results, videos: Day 1 recap and standouts
The 2022 ADCC has commenced with all the typical fanfare to be expected. Samurai light shows and pyrotechnics heralded the entry of the event’s international roster of grapplers. With five male divisions and two women’s divisions, the first day of the two-day tournament will whittle the divisions into quarter-final then semi-final brackets to be completed […]
The MMA world remembers Elias Theodorou
Announced yesterday and later confirmed by sources close to Theodorou, UFC vet and TUF winner Elias ‘The Mane Event’ Theodorou passed away this weekend after a private battle with colon cancer. A well-known and beloved figure in the sport, Theodorou blazed trails as an athlete, cannabis advocate and feminist. Upon the announcement of his death, […]
Shields vs. Marshall postponed to October due to death of Queen
A matchup years in the making, the much anticipated bout between American multi-weight legend Claressa Shields and WBO Middleweight champion Savannah Marshall, will be postponed to October 15, 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. UK boxing promotion BOXXER made the announcement earlier today, releasing a tweet and extended statement on their website. Official […]
Renzo Gracie allegedly filmed during NYC street fight, says it was ‘educational moment’
BJJ black belt and ADCC Hall of Famer Renzo Gracie was seemingly involved in an altercation at an NYC subway station earlier this week. Video posted by reddit user u/fxwhiteo and further circulated by BJJ Instagram page choke_lab shows Renzo to be tripped by a bystander near him, only for the MMA legend to counter […]
Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match set for October 29
Confirming reports made earlier last week, rising boxer and content creator Jake Paul will face off against former UFC champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva in a boxing match on Saturday, October 29 in Phoenix, AZ according to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion company. A Showtime pay-per-view event, the bout will span eight, three-minute rounds with both […]
Mark Zuckerberg shows off MMA skills in training video
A billionaire needs to keep busy. In addition to surfing, allegedly poisoning political discourse and smoking meats, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has turned to the mats to occupy his mind. “How did I not know about it till right now?” Zuckerberg said on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience. Sitting with […]
Jake Paul rumored to box UFC legend Anderson Silva next
The younger Paul brother might soon be adding another former UFC champion to his list of opponents. Controversial Youtube news streamer Keemstar reported that Jake Paul’s next fight will be set for October, and it would be against MMA legend and current professional boxer Anderson Silva. Anderson Silva vs Jake Paul! Who you got? I’m […]
Legendary martial artist, stuntman ‘Judo’ Gene LeBell has died
American grappling pioneer Gene LeBell passed away this week at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by his close family friends earlier this morning, and has led to an outpouring of tributes from the martial arts community. Born in California in October, 1932, LeBell began training catch wrestling at an early age before […]
Felipe Pena verbally taps vs Gordon Ryan at WNO, says he wasn’t ‘mentally stable’ after Lo’s death
In the wake of Leandro Lo’s tragic murder in Brazil this past weekend, yesterday’s WNO event headlined by Gordon Ryan and Felipe Pena took on a somber tone. Many of the athletes on the main card had personal connections and rivalries with the grappling legend, and post fight interviews, like those of Nicholas Meregali and […]