By Averi Clements | Fight to Win Pro 56 is set to be a star-studded event, with Eddie Cummings, Nicky Ryan, Talita Alencar, and Pati Fontes all making appearances on the card. 

But when it comes to an overall team presence, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is really going to stand out in Los Angeles on Friday, Dec 1. 

After a speech by Eddie Bravo last month that described the team’s goal to be the best in the sub-only game as “war,” 10th Planet’s nine-man army is looking to conquer the Fight to Win stage. 

Rising stars Ricky Lule and Marvin Castelle are on the higher end of the card, acting as lieutenants in this week’s charge to make 10th Planet the team to beat not only at F2W 56 but at every sub-only event they enter as well.

Bravo himself acknowledged that Team Renzo Gracie’s Danaher Death Squad is at the top right now, but Lule will have the opportunity to challenge that when he faces DDS member Nicky Ryan in a 140lb no-gi match. The two have never matched up before, but they’ve come close — both lost to Renzo Gracie/Tristar athlete Ethan Crelinsten at this year’s ADCC West Coast Trials, with Lule ultimately coming in second and Ryan taking third. 

Ryan’s most recent match with a 10th Planet athlete led to him heel-hooking Marvin Castelle at the Global Grappling League back in June, but Lule is determined (and prepared) to take home a decisive win against the young prodigy. 

“None of us want to win a decision, so we’re always going hard in rolls looking for that submission,” Lule says.

Lule describes the atmosphere among the other 10th Planet athletes on the card as “friendly and competitive,” recognizing the benefits that having such a large team presence has on the grapplers’ morale. 

“It is nice having a lot of the 10th Planet teammates to represent with. We got a good group of guys, and I know we can get momentum off each others’ matches.”

Castelle echoed Lule’s sentiments, describing his teammates as “family” and saying that it felt great to have them compete by his side. Castelle is currently 2-0 at F2W, having achieved fame on the stage at F2W 24 when a video of his slick Imanari roll racked up millions of views. 

On Friday, he’ll be going up against Clark Gracie black belt Brandon Walensky, who won No-Gi Worlds twice as a brown belt and took silver at this year’s Abu Dhabi National Pro as a new black belt. Castelle recognizes his opponent’s skill, calling him a “very high-level grappler,” but has no doubts about whose hand will be raised when their match concludes. 

“I am here to destroy him,” Castelle says. 

Fellow 10th Planet competitors Wes Levine, Jeremiah Vance, Johnny Ho, Mike Wilson, Brandon Lim, Alex Magala, and Carlos Guyton will all be making their F2W Pro debuts. Given that this is a team that trains with the submission in mind, its members couldn’t ask for a better platform to showcase the results of all their hard work. 

Taking home nine wins at an event like this would send a powerful message that regardless of where they stand now, 10th Planet is a serious contender for ruling the sub-only empire. 

Bravo had hoped to “light fires under people’s asses” in his quest for domination — all that remains to be seen is if it’ll be enough to set the stage ablaze on Friday night.

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