Eddie Bravo is a BJJ black belt practicing under the supervision of Jean Jacques Machado. He founded the EBI – Eddie Bravo Invitational in 2014. Bravo gained more popularity in the competitive jiu jitsu world by defeating Royler Gracie at the ADCC Championship in 2003.
Following this, he established his 10th Planet jiu-jitsu team, which gained significant attention and a large fan base in the grappling and mixed martial arts (MMA) communities. Eddie’s grappling techniques, including the rubber guard, the twister, and a half guard move he named the lockdown, attracted several MMA fighters to learn this approach. Some of these fighters include Alan Belcher, Matt Horwich, and Vinny Magalhaes, among others.
Eddie Bravo Jiu-Jitsu
Full Name: Originally born as Edgar Cano, he later legally changed his name to Bravo, adopting his stepfather’s surname.
Nickname: Known as ‘Twister’, after one of Bravo’s preferred moves.
Lineage:Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Hélio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Jean Jaques Machado > Eddie Bravo
Preferred Move/Method:Rubber guard, twister, half guard (lockdown)
Main Achievements: n/a
Weight Division: U66kg/145lbs
Academy:10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
Biography Of Eddie Bravo
Eddie Bravo was born on May 15, 1970, in Santa Ana, California. His initial exposure to martial arts was through wrestling in high school. In 1991, Bravo relocated to Hollywood with aspirations of making it big in the music world. It was during this time that he developed an interest in a more conventional style of combat, inspired by Bruce Lee’s accomplishments in the 1960s.
Philip Skornia took on the role of Eddy Bravo’s karate mentor. Skornia was well-versed in a broad spectrum of Eastern combat techniques. She was often referred to as traditional martial arts and had even created his unique fighting style by merging all the disciplines he had mastered.
Inspiration From Royce Gracie
However, Bravo began to question Master Skornia’s techniques after witnessing the inaugural UFC in 1993. He was captivated by Royce Gracie’s victory over several martial arts practitioners (including Karate) at the renowned cage fighting tournament, which sparked his interest in grappling. Following the UFC event, Bravo enrolled in a Jeet Kune Do school. Moreover, in April 1996, he incorporated jiu jitsu into his training regimen at the Machado brothers’ academy.
Development Of New BJJ Techniques
For over two and a half years, Eddie Bravo practiced JKD and BJJ but eventually chose to abandon Bruce Lee’s combat style to concentrate solely on his grappling skills. Eddie consistently struggled to adhere to traditional Brazilian jiu-jitsu rules and began devising innovative positions. Even as a relatively inexperienced blue belt, he was looking for unique ways to tangle his opponents in the ‘twister’, a neck crank submission. He created BJJ moves from an old wrestling position.
In 1999, Eddie, who was a purple belt at the time, began developing a variation of the open guard, now known as the rubber guard. He intended to refine this guard style as he felt it was more effective in a mixed martial arts (MMA) or no gi scenario.
Eddie Bravo Championships
In 2003, Bravo won his weight division at the North American ADCC trials, earning him an opportunity to compete against the best gi competitors in a high-profile no gi event. Bravo had already built a following through his commentary for a well known MMA organization’s broadcasts. He voiced his opposition to the conventional Brazilian jiu-jitsu style widely spread in the sport’s community. Bravo began the tournament on a high note, defeating Gustavo Dantas, a former brown belt world jiu-jitsu champion, via RNC.
In the quarterfinals of the tournament, in the under 66kg/145lbs category, he faced off against Royler Gracie. Despite being 38 years old, Royler was still considered one of the favorites to win the division. Also, he was one of the most adorned members of the Gracie family in the sport. Bravo performed remarkably well against Royler, submitting him with a triangle choke as Gracie attempted one of his signature knee-sliding guard passes. In the subsequent round of the tournament, Bravo was defeated by Leonardo Vieira, but he had already left a significant impression on the sport.
Establishment Of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
After returning to the United States, Bravo established his first ’10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu’ in Los Angeles. This school was based on Bravo’s no gi system and positioned itself as distinct from traditional jiu jitsu, making claims like:
“Their system is flawed because they have stopped evolving it. They insist that in order to get good at no-gi grappling, you must be a master grappling with the gi, but this isn’t true, my students are living proof. They only say that because that is what they teach. (…) Fear of losing money is the only reason why black belt instructors keep perpetuating this lie.” – taken from Eddie Bravo’s book Jiu-Jitsu Unleashed.
While the 10th Planet system didn’t dominate the top grappling, where traditional techniques still exist, Bravo managed to create one of the most successful grappling schools in America. This later expanded beyond his home country to the rest of the world. This achievement was mainly due to Eddie Bravo’s dedication and coaching skills. Moreover, Joe Rogan increased awareness among the public.
Rogan, a prominent MMA commentator for the UFC and a black belt under Bravo, played a significant role in promoting the academy to an MMA audience. Through his UFC commentary and popular podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan attracted a large following to Eddie’s school. This included renowned grapplers like Vinny Magalhaes and Alan Belcher, who were drawn to Eddie’s coaching style to enhance their abilities.
Bravo Vs. Royler Gracie Match
In March 2014, 11 years after their initial encounter, retired opponents Bravo and Royler decided to face off again in a 20-minute. It was a submission only, a grappling match at Metamoris 3. The engaging bout between 43-year-old Bravo and 48-year-old Royler ended as a draw match, with Bravo coming close to victory. Following the match, Joe Rogan revealed on his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” that the match was held under a set of rules that favored Royler. These rules required Bravo to wear pants (a requirement not imposed on Royler) and allowed Royler to grip Bravo’s uniform, a privilege not extended to Bravo.
Bravo’s Achievements
- Here are the no gi tournament achievements of Eddie Bravo.
- He is the one-time ADDC American Trials champion.
- His no Gi BJJ methods are globally renowned.
- He competed against Royler Gracie in 2023 in the most historic match ever.
- In 2014, the match was a clear draw. Still, it is accepted that Eddie Bravo dominated Royaler Gracie.
- Bravo has developed a curriculum which primarily focuses on grappling submissions more than points scoring. It is the modern no gi curriculum which does not rely on gi moves to defeat.
- He promotes EBI for the contestant to show their BJJ talent.
