Guys, we’re living in the golden age of MMA.
See, MMA remains a relatively embryonic sport. With the first UFC event held less than 25 years ago MMA is still in the developing stage. What that means is modern MMA fighters are still experimenting with new training methods and techniques, thus leaving room for unseen things to pop up and every now and then, much to our delight. And that’s what so exciting about mixed martial arts.
One area of MMA that has known many changes and improvements over the years is grappling. Bygones are the days of one-sided grapplers. Now ground specialists are well-rounded and always strive to adapt to the reality of MMA. If one man had to be credited with having made grappling efficient for the reality of MMA fighting it’d be pioneer/pot enthusiast/conspiracy theorist Eddie Bravo. You might know Bravo from the now-infamous Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he can most be seen debating over whether or not fluoride-enhanced beavers are out to get him.
But don’t be fooled by the tragicomic personality of the guy. Eddie Bravo is a true pioneer of grappling. Basing his system on the necessities of MMA Bravo has managed to develop quite honestly the most efficient grappling system for MMA. Sure, the guy might spout out ridiculous things every now and then, but he’s up there with Jigorō Kanō and Helio Gracie in MMA’s Pantheon.
Much of Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu techniques are unorthodox, to say the least. Although they mind appearing a bit whacky at first sight one has to acknowledge they’ve actually been specifically designed for the challenges a grappler has to face in an MMA bout. One of the techniques that Eddie Bravo has polished, called the Teepee, is a triangle variation that comes in handy when the classic submission is too hard to get. It has never been pulled off during an official MMA fight
Well, until last Friday, when Suman Mokhtarian managed to win via a Teepee submission at Australian MMA promotion Hex Fight Series’ last event. History has been made, ladies and gents.
