EBI 20 is fast approaching and the promotion has pulled out all the stops for it’s return to the absolute division, something that hasn’t been done since 2017. The promotion has only ever put on two absolute tournaments in the past, with EBI 6 in 2016 and EBI 14 the following year. Both of those tournaments were won by Gordon Ryan in a series of performances that helped to catapult him to the forefront of BJJ and turn him into the superstar that he is today. To date, he remains the only person who has ever won the EBI absolute division and it’ll be interesting to see if the eventual winner at EBI 20 is able to have anywhere near the same success that he has had since.
Ever since Eddie Bravo first announced that his namesake promotion would be making it’s return in 2022, fans have been eager to see if it would still hold the same ability it used to have in finding elite new grapplers. The promotion’s first event this year has already been a massive hit as Alan Sanchez emerged victorious back at EBI 19. Now with the return to the absolute division at EBI 20, the promotion has managed to book several big names for the event. Gordon Ryan’s teammate Giancarlo Bodoni will be competing, alongside Tenth Planet’s Kyle Boehm, Travis Moore, Luke Griffith, and B-Team co-founders Nicky Rodriguez and Craig Jones.
Additionally, a superfight has already been announced for the event too. B-Team will be heavily represented as Ethan Crelinsten looks to compete in a match under Combat Jiu Jitsu rules. Crelinsten recently won the Lightweight division of the CJJ World Championships and he will be facing off against the reigning Featherweight world champion, Tenth Planet’s Keith Krikorian.
The news of the lineup for EBI 20 was announced in a post to the promotion’s official Instagram account: