The UFC Fight Pass Invitational have just announced some pretty big changes to their rules and the format of their matches, taking a surprisingly similar approach to the one that the Craig Jones Invitational pioneered. Unfortunately for fans of uninterrupted action, they won’t be using a pit structure like CJI, and the similarities are confined to the actual match and judging instead. Although the exact direction that they’ve taken is a bit of a surprise because CJI is not available on UFC Fight Pass, the promotion has changed the way they operate multiple times in quite a short space of time.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational originally started out by using the Quintet team-based format before quickly moving on to EBI tournaments and eventually settling on cards full of individual matches, but even then the rules have changed several times within that structure too. They have alternated between using EBI rules and a points-system similar to the IBJJF, but they’ve also changed the scoring criteria slightly at times too. It seems as though the promotion is searching for the best possible format to produce entertainment for the fans and given the success of the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational last year, it makes sense to try to emulate that.
It also brings the grappling arm of the UFC more in line with the MMA product that they’re much more well-known for, because they will now be using the same format of three five-minute rounds for each match. They’re also doing away with the idea of scoring points for specific transitions or positions too, and will now be scoring each round using the 10-point must system. While submissions attempts, aggression, and activity will have a positive impact; stalling and passivity will have a negative impact on the round. It’s a good idea in principle and although people were skeptical when CJI rules were first announced, they ended up being a resounding success too.
The new rules and format for the UFC Fight Pass Invitational were announced in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
