Jiu Jitsu Oracle

How has Belal Etiabari progressed in grappling so quickly? Despite only training jiu jitsu for four years, the heavyweight will be a key part of Team Australasia at CJI 2. Belal speaks to Ross on the Jiu Jitsu Oracle about his development, including going from meeting Craig Jones in Australia, to being a part of CJI 2 this summer. The Melbourne-based grappler also discusses training with Levi Jone...

Top European grappler Taylor Pearman was in the most controversial match of a wild CJI 2 Euro Trials. What was it like to take part in such a lively atmosphere? And did the event go too far in the attempt to entertain? The trials were designed to fill positions on the Euro team that will compete in the second Craig Jones Invitational. Five grapplers from the continent are now heading to Las Vegas...

The divisions for the CJI 2 European Trials are locked in but who will make the cut? Grapplers are aiming to take three slots available in the -77kg, -88kg and +99kg divisions, for the Euro team at the 2025 Craig Jones Invitational. On the latest Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Ross picks who he thinks will come through each of the four-man brackets to join Owen Jones in the squad00:00 Introduction to CJI2 Euro...

The latest team for grappling supershow CJI 2 is now known as the Australasia line-up has been revealed. Two grapplers were already in, Levi Jones-Leary and Lucas Kanard. Coach Lachlan Giles then announced his wildcard pick - Fabricio Andrey. Finally following the Giles trials, the two heavier weight slots have been confirmed, with Declan Moody and Belal Etiabari completing the 5-man squad. On the...

Who are the big names that have recently been ruled out of this year's most exciting event in grappling, CJI2?And who are the grapplers competing in Australasia and Europe to make it on to those squads for the 2025 edition of the Craig Jones Invitational? Find out on the latest edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle.00:00 Introduction to CJI2 Latest News and J-Rod's Exclusion from B-Team05:34 Aus...

Is Victor Hugo the wildcard for B-Team at the second Craig Jones Invitational? On a recent interview, CJI organiser and B-Team founder Craig named who will be on his gym's squad for the tournament. The names were beeped out, but reading the lips appeared to suggest the line-up will be Ethan Crelinsten, Jozef Chen, Chris Wojcik and Nicky Rod, along with Victor Hugo. Every squad has the chance t...

Gordon Ryan wasn't impressed with what he saw at the recent Who's Number One? event. We think he's right. The show was headlined by Nicky Rod against Kaynan Duarte. After the match Gordon criticized the performance of both athletes. Gordon's out of action and right now, nobody looks close to taking his place as the best heavyweight in jiu jitsu. Luke Griffith and Victor Hugo had a...

In Gordon Ryan's absence who's the number one active heavyweight grappler? At WNO27 Kaynan Duarte, Nicky Rod, Victor Hugo and Luke Griffith all try to get closer to claiming that title. There are also some potentially explosive matches with young guns Andrew Tackett, Fabyury Khrystyan, Julian Espinosa and Owen Jones. Teenager Helena Crevar faces a tough test against Liz Clay. And the legen...

Grappling great Gordon Ryan may not compete again, while John Danaher's time coaching at the elite level could be over. Those were the takeaways from a fascinating interview jiu jitsu pioneer Danaher gave here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRZhLgSDmrk&t=572s Gordon seemingly continues to battle illness which is keeping him away from competition. Meanwhile, John faces surgeries that coul...

Craig Jones will face Gable Steveson in a superfight at CJI2.The CJI2 promoter and one of the B-Team founders is going up against one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the world. How will the match go? And will Gable call on the help of Gordon Ryan, seeing as they have a mutual friend in Jon Jones? The could be an interesting plotline given Gordon and Craig are not best of friends...We discuss al...

Every team at CJI2 will be able to select one wildcard. What is a wildcard? And who are the leading contenders to fill those slots? It appears five gyms will have entries in the Quintet-style tournament at the 2025 Craig Jones Invitational. B-Team, New Wave and 10th Planet are confirmed. Atos and Pedigo are rumoured. There will also be three squads representing continents - Europe, Americas and Au...

There will be 3 Misfits teams at CJI 2, but who should be in them? We pick the grapplers we think should make up the 5-man squads representing Europe, the Americas and Australasia. The 2025 Craig Jones Invitational features a 8-team tournament. It appears there will be 5 entries from prominent gyms. New Wave and B-Team seem to be in. We believe Atos and 10th Planet will take part, that leaves one...

We are closer to seeing Gordon Ryan and John Danaher at CJI 2.New Wave's participation in the 2025 Craig Jones Invitational has been confirmed by the Australian. On the latest Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Calum and Ross discuss the teams who will be in the event, which grapplers we think will make the rosters and who we think are the early favourites. We also talk about the recent fight pass invitational...

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for athletes looking to excel in Jiu Jitsu competitions. We will cover vital aspects of preparation, including physical conditioning, tactical planning, and mental resilience. Our expert insights aim to equip competitors with the tools necessary to maximize their performance and achieve their goals. Tune in to discover how to give yourself the best chan...

Nicky Rod is on the verge of being the best active heavyweight no gi grappler in the world. The B-Team big man, who won the CJI +80kg division, has upcoming grappling matches against Victor Hugo and ADCC double champ Kaynan Duarte. On the latest Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Calum and Ross discuss those jiujitsu contests and how with Gordon Ryan being inactive, the crown of heavyweight BJJ champion is there f...

Why is team jiu jitsu so popular, with Polaris, CJI and AIGA all using that format in 2025? The first big team grappling event of the year is Polaris 31 on Saturday 8 February, where the UK-based promotion return to their Squads format. A European six-man crew featuring Jozef Chen and Owen Jones takes on North America, who boast PJ Barch and Mike Perez. In this edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle, hos...

Who were the grapplers that stood out at the 2025 IBJJF Euros? And what did we like about their performances? The European Open was the first major grappling event of the year and from the 6,000 jiu jitsu athletes who competed, there were four in particular that caught our eye. We explain why, before discussing the comeback performance of BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia at One Championship. 00:00 Highli...

The first IBJJF major of the year is here. The gi is very much alive. The adult black belt divisions are deep at the Europeans, with Tainan Dalpra, Adam Wardzinski and Diego Pato among a host of elite level grapplers ready to do battle in Lisbon. On the one-year anniversary edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Calum and Ross preview the competition by picking out the BJJ athletes they are most looking...

Marcelo Garcia is one of the greatest grapplers of all time. He stepped away from the elite competition scene in 2011 to focus on coaching and running his gym. Marcelo was then diagnosed with stomach cancer. But he has recovered from illness and is returning to competitive grappling. The Brazilian faces Masakazu Imanari at One 170 on January 24. In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Calum and R...

Who will win the battle between two of the most exciting grapplers in the world? Keep listening to get our predictions on the battle between Tommy Langaker and Dante Leon at One FC. 00:00 Match Preview: Dante Leon vs. Tommy Langaker 01:32 The Stand-up Battle 04:18 Ground Game Dynamics 11:24 Physicality and Mentality 13:13 Predictions 15:19 Closing Thoughts and Future Content Send your comments and...

Shay Montague joins Ross and Calum to predict what we will see in jiu jitsu year. Which grapplers should we be watching? What is the META? Should PEDs be allowed in grappling ? We discuss a lot of topics in a wide ranging chat with one of the world's best BJJ roosterweights. If you want to learn from Shay, sign-up to his Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/shaymontaguebjj 00:00 Intro 02:21 CJI 2 0...

2024 was a great year for #grappling but who was the best of the best? Tune in to this edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle podcast to find out who wins our awards for their outstanding jiu jitsu. Contenders for male grappler of the year include Mica Galvao, Nicky Rod, Kaynan Duarte and Kade Ruotolo. Meanwhile, female of the grappler of the year will go to Gabi Pessanha, Adele Fornarino or Ffion Davies...

There was plenty to like about IBJJF No Gi Worlds including great performances from the likes of Cole Abate and Gabi Pessanha. But there was one thing that really annoyed us as well and it needs stamped out as soon as possible. 00:00 IBJJF Nogi Worlds Overview 00:52 Cole Abate's Performance and Technique 05:51 Other Notable Male Competitors 08:56 Submission Rates and Techniques 11:23 Wrestling Dyn...

2025 is already looking like a great year for grappling after Craig Jones announced the return of CJI in August, while legend Marcelo Garcia makes his comeback to competition in January. Before all that though we had events from Who's Number One? and UFC Fight Pass Invitational featuring the likes of Kaynan Duarte, Felipe Pena and Mikey Musumeci. On the latest edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Calu...

After the excitement of ADCC and CJI we've been waiting for the big names to return to action. Now, no gi grappling is back. This week we'll see the likes of Kaynan Duarte, Felipe Pena and Mikey Musumeci competing across two BJJ events. Who's Number One? is on Wednesday, then we have UFC FPI on Thursday. On this edition of the Jiu Jitsu Oracle, Ross and Calum preview all of the notable matches on...