UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s premier combat sport’s streaming service, announced today it will stream Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night, the biggest combat jiu-jitsu event of the year, live and exclusively on Friday, February 22 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET).
The four-man single elimination tournament will feature former UFC heavyweight champion and multiple-time BJJ world champion Fabricio Werdum; former UFC heavyweight champion and catch wrestling expert Josh Barnett; world-class wrestler-turned BJJ star-killer Rustam Chsiev; and Gordon Ryan, the four-time EBI champion widely considered the greatest pound-for-pound submission specialist in the world.
Under Combat Jui-Jitsu rules, openhanded palm strikes to the head and body become legal when the grapplers are on the ground.
“This is the biggest event I’ve ever promoted,” said Eddie Bravo, grappling legend and creator of Combat Jiu-Jitsu. “The response and anticipation have been crazy, and I’m so pumped we are able to put this on FIGHT PASS. Combat Jiu-Jitsu rules are the most exciting thing to happen to grappling in years, and I can’t wait for this epic four-man tournament to happen.”
The tournament will begin with Werdum taking on Ryan and with Barnett facing Chsiev. The winners of the semi-finals will face-off minutes later to decide the Combat Jiu-Jitsu Absolute Champion.
Ryan holds grappling victories over both Chsiev (on points in the finale of the EBI 6 tournament two years ago) and Barnett, whom he submitted when they crossed paths in the team vs team Quintet format in October.
Added Bravo: “Werdum is maybe the most decorated submission guy to ever hold a UFC title and we know he has sick ground strikes. Then you have Chsiev, an experienced MMA fighter, who’s maybe the physically strongest of the four, the hardest to submit, and who has beaten some of the best grapplers in the world. And finally, we have Josh Barnett, who has that catch wrestling style and can generate some serious power into strikes on the ground.”
The event was previously scheduled as a Pay-Per-View event, but Bravo worked with UFC to ensure this super-card would be available to FIGHT PASS subscribers at no extra cost.
FIGHT PASS coverage of the event will also include a world-class undercard featuring several alternate bouts. The venue and ticket information will be announced at a later date.