Five on Five - Submission Grappling Duals

“5 on 5” is my vision for grappling as a professional team sport.  The team dynamic contributes to the excitement of the competition, and is something that’s missing from other grappling promotions in the market today.

In my opinion, there is nothing more boring than “submission only” grappling.  In baseball for example, the excitement peaks in those situations where your team is down by 1 with a full-count in the bottom of the ninth inning.  The score and the context of the game creates drama.

That’s what makes a dual meet so exciting to watch.  You can have a situation where the overall team score is on the line and the pressure is on in the final match.  If your team is behind, you may need a submission to win, or your team could be in the lead and you need only survive without being submitted to secure the team victory.  The team score will impact the tactics we see and makes for an interesting and exciting show for the fans.

What are the rules and how will the matches be scored?

Each individual match will be 10 minutes using ADCC rules and scoring.

Team points will follow the system used in a collegiate wrestling dual:

Minor Decision (win by margin of <8): 3 team points

Major Decision (win by margin of 8 or more): 4 team points

Technical Superiority (Margin of 15 points): 5 team points

Submission: 6 team points

Which teams are competing and how were the athletes selected?

Each team has a coach/team captain who is responsible for putting together their strongest 5-man roster.  We’ve got four outstanding teams scheduled for this event: Gracie Barra, GF Team, B-Team, and Team Alpha Male.

What are your thoughts about each team?

What I love about these teams is we are going to see a real clash of styles.

Gracie Barra represents the old school of Gracie jiu-jitsu.  GB is one the largest and most successful affiliations in the history of the sport and they are particularly strong here in Texas where they win the team trophy in just about every IBJJF event.  Coach Ulpiano Malachias has selected some of his best athletes from his Westchase academy in Houston as well as athletes from GB affiliations around the country.

GF Team is also known as a more traditional BJJ team as they’ve historically had a lot of success in the Gi.  These days everyone is training both Gi and Nogi and GF Team will be looking to prove that their Jiu Jitsu continues to evolve with the times.  Co-founder of GF Team, coach Marcus Bello is bringing some of GF Team’s biggest stars to represent the predominantly Brazilian team.  GF Team Nao Parra!

B-Team embodies the new generation of Nogi grappling.  Founded by Australia’s Craig Jones and several former members of “Danaher’s Death Squad” this team has quickly earned a reputation for their effective use leg-locks in no-gi competition.  Coming on the heels of ADCC, I expect these guys to be in peak form for this event.  Will their exclusive focus on Nogi give them the advantage?

Team Alpha Male is the real wild card in the group.  Urijah Faber’s gym in Sacramento is regarded as one of the best MMA teams in the world.  As such, the athletes on this team have a well-rounded grappling style with a heavy emphasis on wrestling.  With the ADCC rule set penalizing guard pulling, expect to see them leveraging their wrestling ability for a tactical advantage.

How can fans watch the show?

If you’re in Houston, you can buy tickets through www.paradigmcombatsports.com to watch the show live at Paradigm Training Center.  Seating is limited.