Here at FloGrappling we celebrated when the IBJJF announced that closeouts would result in forfeiture of both prize money and ranking points at the World Championships. But not everybody was so receptive. 

Some athletes said that they could do as they wish as long as they were not being paid to compete, pointing to the fact that only the IBJJF’s World and Brazilian National Championships offer prize money to the black belt champions. They said as long as they fought for free, they would continue to closeout in tournaments without any prize money. 

As if to prove this point, eight athletes closed out in the black belt finals of a tournament in Brazil this weekend. My concern is that if this practice continues, then we could see more direct measures taken by the IBJJF, such as seeding teammates on the same side of a bracket and making it impossible to close out in the finals. 

I’ll be watching the upcoming Brazilian Nationals closely. If the athletes insist on closing out at an event where prize money is on offer, the IBJJF could extend their ruling to apply to more events than just Worlds– and in my opinion, they should. 

Why closeout culture needs to end 

Closing out with a teammate serves no purpose other than to unfairly manipulate brackets, and share acclaim and awards with an undeserving co-conspirator. Only one person should walk away with the true title of champion, and if grapplers are unwilling to actually compete for a title then they should avoid entering an event where they may face off with a friend, training partner or teammate. 

We have an uphill battle getting people to take jiu-jitsu seriously as it is, and closeout culture must end for us to take this to the next level. 

If you want to participate in jiu-jitsu as a martial art, which is the choice of many, that's great. By entering a competition you cross into a different threshold, where there is a shared agreement among all competitors: you're there to win. 

Competitors often hide behind the sentiment that friendships and relationships are more important to them than competition. If this is the case, then either their friendships are so tenuous that a single match could actually damage their relationship, or their egos are so fragile that they would prefer a fake result instead of experiencing a public defeat at the hands of a friend or teammate. 

When twin brothers Tye and Kade Ruotolo fought for the title of brown belt world champion, they put aside the fact they are bonded by blood and let it all go for a few minutes. They fought hard and once the match was over, they were brothers still. Nothing had changed in their relationship except one was crowned a true and rightful champion. 

Some athletes feel they have the privilege of deciding against who and when they should compete. If they step onto the mat, is it too much to expect them to actually compete in the tournament they entered? 

Watch:

• Tye Ruotolo vs Kade Ruotolo 2021 IBJJF World Championship
• No Closeouts: Eddie Bravo on 10th Planet vs 10th Planet

Watch upcoming live events on FloGrappling:

• Apr 30: BJJ Stars 8
• Apr 30: Toro Cup 20
• May 7: 2nd ADCC European, Middle East and African Trial
• May 7: Combat Sports Coverage
• May 29: Finishers Only Survivor Series 2
• Jun 1-5: 2022 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Grappling News Round-Up

Read on for a breakdown of the major news stories from around the world of jiu-jitsu and grappling. 

Mikey Musumeci submits Imanari in ONE Championship debut

• WNO 135lb champion Mikey Musumeci couldn’t have asked for a better result in his first grappling match with Singapore-based mixed martial arts event ONE Championship.
• The four-time IBJJF World champion submitted legendary Japanese leg locker Masakazu Imanari with a rear naked choke in a no-gi grappling match. Musumeci picked up a $50,000 performance bonus for the win. 
• Musumeci has temporarily relocated to South East Asia to teach jiu-jitsu and compete with ONE Championship, and is one of a number of high level grapplers to have signed with the promotion.

Musumeci has joined the ranks of Garry Tonon, the Ruotolos brothers, Danielle Kelly and Andre Galvao in signing a deal with ONE Championship. Tonon, the Ruotolos and Galvao are either actively fighting MMA or plan to fight soon, whereas it is not believed Musumeci has any inclination of leaving jiu-jitsu. Musumeci will spend the next couple of months in Singapore, which raises questions about whether he would compete at the IBJJF World Championships in early June or whether he will focus on his ADCC debut in September. 

Matheus Gabriel reveals shoulder injury

• 2019 IBJJF World champion Matheus Gabriel of Checkmat has been notably absent of late, and he took to social media to reveal why he’s not been active. 
• Gabriel announced that a serious shoulder injury has prevented him from competing, but he plans to return in time for the IBJJF World Championships in June. 
• He was originally told by doctors that his injury would require surgery which would lead to a potential seven-month layoff, but has opted for physical therapy instead. 
• The Manaus-born black belt last competed at Worlds in December of 2021 where he closed out the lightweight division with teammate Renato Canuto.

One of the current generation’s most successful competitors, Matheus Gabriel won both Pans and Worlds in his rookie year as a black belt (2019). He competed 21 times in 2021 both gi and no-gi, but hasn’t competed at all so far this year. “I was supposed to be at the Europeans and Pan Ams 2022 but due to an injury I had to postpone my return,” he wrote on Instagram. 

Hulk warms up for BJJ Stars with gold in Abu Dhabi 

• Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa competed for the first time since the 2021 IBJJF World Championships, entering a gi tournament in Abu Dhabi. 
• Along with the likes of Lucas Pinheiro, Luccas Lira and Emirati local hero Faisal Al-Ketbi, Barbosa joined the Baniyas Club team for the President’s Cup. 
• This special event put teams of 7 against each other. Each team was made up of a range of athletes, from blue to black belt. 
• The matches were six minutes long and allowed kneebars and toeholds. Barbosa won his match with a choke from mount.

It was unusual to see Hulk in Abu Dhabi just one week before the big BJJ Stars 8-man middleweight Grand Prix, but not surprising when you connect the dots. Barbosa hasn’t competed since December when he closed out the medium-heavyweight division with his teammate Gustavo Batista. He had 22 matches in 2021 in both gi and no-gi events, but has spent the last months focused on his new jiu-jitsu gym in Oregon. 

Always an active competitor, it was unusual to see Hulk on the sidelines for so long, but he came out of the shadows for this event after being invited to join the Baniyas Club team for this event by his Atos teammate Pablo Mantovani, who has been working in the UAE as a coach for the last couple of years. He and Pinheiro added some serious firepower to the team’s ranks and helped take them to the overall top spot in the competition.

Closeouts continue unabated at IBJJF Rio Open

• The IBJJF Rio International Open took place over the weekend and four of the 10 male black belt finals did not take place. 
• Teammates advanced through the brackets in three of the four finals and declined to face off, deciding the official winner via agreement. The divisions left without finals included the light-feather, feather, ultra-heavy and open class (absolute). 
• Three different teams engaged in closing out finals, including Fight Sports, GF Team and NS Brotherhood. In the featherweight final, two athletes from the same hometown who do not train together and represent different teams closed out.

There has been a lot of talk about closeouts lately, and it looks like this topic is far from over. Following Pans the IBJJF put measures in place to dissuade athletes from closing out at the World Championships, but no official rule has been implemented that applies to any of their other events (so far). 

Closeouts have been part of jiu-jitsu culture since the very beginning, and even though the IBJJF’s initiative was positively received there was a vocal backlash from many athletes. The events of the weekend signal that closeouts are, for some athletes, very much part and parcel of the game. 

Results Recap 

Keep your eye on Chris Wojcik. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, let us educate you. He's a brown belt representing Serafin BJJ, and he took fourth at the recent ADCC West Coast Trials, beating Kody Steele and Kieran Kichuk among others. He just won local pro grappling event Ignite Fights 8-man Grand Prix, beating Gabriel Almeida in the final. 

Rider Zuchi is tearing up the domestic scene in Brazil. He was the standout name of the IBJJF Rio International Open after finishing six matches with six submissions in the heavyweight and absolute divisions. He closed out the absolute with a teammate, but with a performance like that is a strong candidate to win the upcoming Brazilian Nationals.