Eddie Bravo is one of the most popular figures in the BJJ world but after dedicating decades of his life to the sport, he may be done rolling very soon. He’s been a key figure in the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in the US for several different reasons, as he’s had an influence on every aspect of the sport. As a competitor he shocked the world by submitting the legendary Royler Gracie and he immediately set about becoming a coach, a role that he really poured everything into over the next few years. 10th Planet grew from being his own small project to one of the biggest affiliations around, with academies all over the world.
He took things a step beyond most too, by creating a whole bunch of promotions and different rulesets like EBI and Combat Jiu-Jitsu. After spending so long pushing the envelope both on and off the mats, Bravo is now 55 years old and dealing with a litany of issues as a result:
“I have some lingering injuries, man. I’m 55 years old… I’m trying to rehab my shoulder. I re-injured my shoulder again.”
Like any serious practitioner Eddie Bravo is already taking steps to improve his recovery in an attempt to give himself more time rolling, but it’s quite a lot for him to maintain:
“They’re telling me I need another back surgery. I’m a mess. I do yoga almost every day and I’m lifting weights to stay in shape.”
With the affiliation he’s built around him and the dozens of black belts he’s produced, Bravo also has some amazing training partners. The problem is then that elite grapplers will often lead to more taxing training, and that’s got Bravo questioning how long he can keep going:
“It’s hard to roll, man. There are so many animals in my room. I keep getting hurt. Every time I come back, I get hurt again. My body can barely take it.”
The full interview with Eddie Bravo where he reveals that he’s almost done rolling was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the Grappler’s Perspective Podcast:
