Eddie Bravo, the maverick founder of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, has never been one to shy away from controversial opinions in the grappling world. In a recent appearance on The Grapplers Perspective Podcast, Bravo doubled down on his preference for combat jiu-jitsu over traditional sport grappling arguing that the addition of strikes creates a more authentic and entertaining experience.
“I like jiu-jitsu with strikes better,”
Bravo stated emphatically during the interview.
“It keeps jiu-jitsu from getting too sporty which is great and beautiful. Sporty jiu-jitsu is awesome… but I think I like jiu-jitsu with strikes better. It’s just it’s a little closer to MMA.”
This philosophy has driven Bravo‘s evolution of his Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) tournament series which has increasingly incorporated striking elements. His reasoning is both practical and entertainment-focused:
“Some matches it’s a guy trying to pass a dude’s guard and dude on the bottom just has an unpassable guard and then like you just have a match with like really nothing happening. But if you add strikes it’s a little more exciting in my opinion.”
The 55-year-old innovator believes that adding strikes serves multiple purposes beyond mere entertainment value.
“It just brings the jiu-jitsu a little closer to MMA a little closer to reality,”
he explains. This approach stems from his original philosophy when developing the 10th Planet system over two decades ago when he recognized that most MMA competitors weren’t wearing gis and wanted his students prepared for real scenarios.
Bravo‘s combat jiu-jitsu format allows for something traditional MMA cannot: 16-man tournaments in a single night.
“Combat jiu-jitsu can do 16-man tournaments. MMA can’t – you can’t do a 16-man tournament anymore. They’re too harsh. No one would survive. But in combat jiu-jitsu they can survive,”
he notes. These tournaments which take approximately three hours create what Bravo calls “super fight factories” that function like “mini documentaries.”
The audience response validates his approach.
“You ask the audience and it’s up to the audience… They’re all gonna say strikes,”
Bravo observes. While acknowledging that competitors from pure sport jiu-jitsu backgrounds find the striking element “scary,” he notes that MMA athletes embrace the format since it’s significantly less intense than full MMA competition.
Currently Bravo‘s combat jiu-jitsu events are sanctioned in California Arizona and Mexico though regulatory limitations force him to revert to traditional submission-only rules in states like Texas. Despite these constraints he remains committed to the striking format wherever possible.
The evolution reflects Bravo‘s broader vision of keeping jiu-jitsu relevant and accessible to mainstream audiences. His tournaments are available on UFC Fight Pass with each event designed as a standalone experience where viewers can become invested in unknown competitors over the course of three hours similar to how UFC 2 introduced the world to previously unknown martial artists.
For Bravo combat jiu-jitsu represents the natural evolution of grappling – maintaining the technical beauty of traditional jiu-jitsu while adding the realistic pressure and entertainment value that comes with the threat of strikes.
“Jiu-jitsu with strikes is my favorite. That’s why I do it,”
he concludes simply staying true to the innovative spirit that has defined his career since the early days of 10th Planet.
