An elite team of Eddie Bravo’s 10th planet jiu jitsu fighters took to Japan over the weekend to battle in a five-man team battle format at Quintet 2. The event began with an exhibition to the viewing audience demonstrating various types of submissions, including leg locks, various types of chokes, and neckties, many of which are favored by the 10th planet team. Next, Eddie Bravo took to the stage and was asked to give a basic breakdown of the purpose of his trademark rubber guard, to which he stated it is a method of attack for a bottom guard player that immobilizes his opponent on top, keeping a defensive posture while granting the bottom player offensive options. Eddie walked the audience through derivations of the rubber guard, stating that the ultimate goal is to enter the gogoplata position by clearing the head with the foot and establishing a position known as the gogo clinch.
The one and only @eddiebravo is in the building! Going over some of the techniques you might see tonight at #QUINTET2! pic.twitter.com/dX49krQ6Yf
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) July 16, 2018
The five man teams must be under 360 kg one day prior to the event. There is one 8 minute round each fight, with a four minute round should the weight difference between two fighters exceed 20 kg (denoted by * for the lighter fighter). The winner of a match moves on to the next opponent. Once all five opponents on a team have been defeated, the winning team moves on to the next round.
Team Muay Thai vs.Team Reebok
- Christophe Vandijck DRAW vs Dong Sik Yoon
- Tarek Suleiman DRAW vs. Hideo Tokoro*
- Viking Wong LOSS by toehold vs.Haisam Rida
- Alex Schild LOSS by kneebar vs. Haisam Rida
- Stuart Cooper LOSS by RNC vs. Haisam Rida
With neither of the first two matches breaking through, Haisam Rida cleaned up the field using his superior length and aggressive attacking nature. A late fill-in as the fifth man on the roster for Team Reebok, Rida came through in a big way, not requiring the team to draw upon Kazushi Sakuraba in reserve.
Haisam Rida is on a roll! 2 quick wins in a row! #QUINTET2 pic.twitter.com/ZkqdjDgBB6
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) July 16, 2018
Haisam Rida completes the hat trick! Team Reebok is moving on to the finals! #QUINTET2 pic.twitter.com/OSQhUgTXBS
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) July 16, 2018
Team 10th Planet vs. Team Vagabond
- PJ Barch DRAW vs. Krzysiek Suchorabski
- Richie Martinez DRAW vs. Joao Assis
- Geo Martinez* DRAW vs. Satoshi Ishi
- Amir Allam LOSS by kneebar vs. Andrei Kazusionak
- Adam Sachnoff WIN by RNC vs. Andrei Kazusionak
- Adam Sachnoff DRAW vs. Mikheil Dopidze*
PJ Barch led off the squad with a few impressive armbar and omoplata attempts, coming close to finishing on a couple of occasions; however, he unable to capitalize in the end. Richie Martinez and Joao Assis squared off in one of the more anticipated matches of the tournament and it did not disappoint. Richie absorbed a quick takedown by Assis and put him right into rubber guard, clearing the neck with his foot and putting the heat on with the threat of the gogoplata. Joao’s trademark Checkmat pressure and directional changes negated any attempts, forcing the match to a draw. Geo Martinez gave up a significant size advantage to Satoshi Ishi, nearly succumbing to a couple of tight kimura locks; however, he utilized his breakdancing background and flexibility to hold out for the draw. Andrei Kazusionak pulled off an impressive rolling kneebar against Amir Allam, but he would be outmatched by Adam Sachnoff after giving up his back early. Sachnoff would nearly finish Mikhail Dopidze, holding a significant size advantage, riding his back for the majority of the match, though the end of the four minutes brought the match to a draw.
10th Planet advances to face Team Reebok in the final via Ref’s decision.
Team 10th Planet vs. Team Reebok
- PJ Barch DRAW Daisuke Nakamura
- Richie Martinez WIN by D’arce vs Kazushi Sakuraba
- Richie Martinez LOSS by armbar vs. Haisam Rida
- Geo Martinez* WIN by guillotine vs. Haisam Rida
- Geo Martinez DRAW vs. Hideo Tokoro
- Amir Allam WIN by RNC vs. Dong Sik Yoon
PJ Barch had a mostly dominant performance, shaking off one early kimura exchange by Nakamura to ride the back for the majority of the fight, going the distance. Richie came out and threatened Sakuraba early with a twister, but the two would soon be stood up. Sakuraba went for a calf slicer from the bottom, but Richie shook his head indicating it would be ineffective. He would keep the pressure on then secure a tight d’arce on Sakuraba, finishing the fight. Haisam Rida would take on Richie and secure a quick guard pass and armbar setup; however, Geo came in defense of his brother with a vengeance by tapping out Rida within a minute, giving up 30 kilograms in the process. Geo displayed excellent reverse de la Riva guard against Hideo Tokoro, but neither fighter could break through. Amir Allam came in from icing his knee from the first round to secure an early takedown, riding the back and concluding with an emotional victory via rear naked choke, an impressive comeback from what seemingly appeared to be a major knee injury in the first round.
Great match! Team 10th Planet moves to the Finals to take on Team Reebok! No finals spoilers from us. Enjoy the matchup. #QUINTET2 pic.twitter.com/q0n8KOryhN
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) July 16, 2018
Team 10th Planet came out victorious in the end behind heroic performances by Eddie Bravo’s braintrust. Quintet 2 runs a unique tournament format, and it will be interesting to see how many different rule and tournament styles continue to sprout up.
