Close Out Not Allowed at Sao Paulo BJJ Pro. Jiu-jitsu is the only sport that allows closeouts. A close out is used in the finals that lets two teammates who meet in the finals decide which one of them will accept the gold medal. There will not be any such gentleman’s agreements in Brazil because they have been banned.
This year at the World Championships, there was one closeout when middleweights Otavio Sousa and Gabriel Arges agreed who would take the gold and silver. Sousa took gold and Arges respectively settled for silver. Within the past five years, one or two World Championship finals were decided by closeouts. In smaller tournaments, closeouts are more common. The IBJJF also restricts close outs in the Pro series. One thing has been made clear and that is that no close outs will take place at the Sao Paulo BJJ Pro IBJJF Championship this weekend.
