2024 ADCC & CJI Thoughts and Reactions (Most Exciting Weekend of BJJ Ever)
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Today I'll talk about one of the most historic weekends in Jiu-Jitsu history.
I'll discuss ADCC & CJI, the pros and cos of both, and more.
If you are a BJJ or No-Gi grappling fan, then I'm sure you enjoyed it too. Let me know your thoughts on both tournaments down below.
What did you like?
What did you not like?
Who was the biggest star of each show?
and which upset was the most surprising?
I'm excited to see your responses. Thanks for watching.
- Chewy
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CJI was the best grappling event I have ever seen
💯
Rutolo vs Tacket was extreme
yes sir
I have to agree. I watched a Fight Pass event with Nicky Rod the next day and every match had the action stopped and restarted by the ref multiple times. The angled walls alone changed the energy.
it was the first bbj event ive ever watched live or not, and I ended up watching something like 12 hours over 2 days, would have watched longer if UFC wasn't on at the same time.
worst thing about the event is that I have to wait a year for another
I thought I'm going to hate mma scoring but I've actually loved it. And pit with almost 0 resets and pauses is pretty awesome
The Alley
I thought the same thing but the event was still great even if there were some scoring issues (Pat Downey for example)
I scored CJI, KR vs AT under a scoring system incorporating the best rules of wrestling, judo and bjj:
Kade Ruotolo = 54 points (RD1 14, RD2 24, RD£ 16)
Andrew Tackett - 51 points (RD1 13, RD2 13, RD3 25)
{This was the highest scoring bout of any CJI bout}
2 Points - Submission Attempt (Must be close)
2 Points - Guard Pass
4 Points - Takedown (Must be grounded, if opponent pops back up this is not a takedown. If you sit and butt scoot or pull guard your opponent will receive points for the takedown)
4 Points - Mount (Front or back, must have at least one hook in)
4 Points - Escape from submission attempt and get back to feet
4 Points - Reverse position from bottom to top
1 Point - Pin (For every 10 seconds you're grounded your opponent will receive 1 point, this timer will restart during close submission attempts or when in 50/50 positions.
Please let me know if you approve or disapprove of this scoring system.
@michaelgidwaney8153
If I try to submit you from a dominant position and you escape to your feet I get no points(even thought I'm beating you up) and you score 4?🤔
@@richardgallagher4880 apologies, this requires editing. There no longer points awarded for escaping a sub (that was short sighted of me) there are 2 points however for getting back to your feet after a takedown.
In your example given, if you were in dominant position you would have already acquired 4 points for either a takedown or a reversal/sweep. If you then attempt a sub which is close (it would not be sufficient to spam submissions) you will be awarded 2 more points. During this time it is possible to gain points by pin (10 seconds of your opponent in bottom position, even if they have you in closed guard). Therefore, you vs myself with you in dominant position attempting subs, if I could get back to my feet within 20 seconds of the takedown the score would be 8-2 in your favor.
I’ve never seen so many people talking about BJJ, it went just as well as I hoped.
I've never done or seen Jujitsu, but I watched Saturdays event until the cameras quit rolling.
I can appreciate what Craig is trying to do for the community, and figured I would show my support with a bit of time, but it was really enjoyable to watch.
i had a BBQ on Saturday.. towards the end of the night i put CJI on to watch a few matches.. im the only one who practices Bjj, but my wife, my 30 year old son and his wife loved it.. they enjoyed it so much after they went home .a hr later i received a msg from my son asking for a link so they can carry on watching the CJi at home...that's when you know its working, when none practitioners are hooked..
Same I was hosting for a canoe paddling tournament that was held in my hometown and had friends and family whom never had and interest in bjj freaking out on both days of CJI and by day 2 people whom never watched or trained in bjj knew most athletes by first name basis and choosing there favorites to win especially in the under 80kg bracket.
Sorry, you hosted a what now? 😅@@goukhanakul
Exactly!
I don't believe you.
Only watched CJI since it was free on the tube....wife got into it as well (not into jitsu). She became somewhat of a Gabi fan too hahaha. She also found the -80kg way more entertaining than the +80kg.
Win/win
Same situation here. Fiance wasn't too impressed with the pace of the big guys. She got really into the -80 guess because they were really going for it. She doesn't like tackett much though lol.
Did you tell her Gabi and MacKenzie competed against eachother? Might be some lore for her to get into
Craig Jones is the Deadpool of BJJ. Wacky personality but skill level is unreal and he actually delivers when it counts.
CJI was a game changing moment for BJJ, arguably the biggest since UFC 1. Might get more people interested in competitive jiu jitsu and jits in general. I also appreciated that the athletes actually got paid and the rule set made the matches legit interesting and competitive.
Variety of events is good for the sport. Gives everyone more options.
Great comparison….. even tho Deadpool is a fictional character, we understand how the creators and Ryan made his personality come to life and CJ is exactly that…..Deadpool for BJJ
I tell my friends he’s the joker bc hell take something everyone cares about and make it a laughing matter willing to ruin it but actually have a real point about it.😂
Well said
Im so excited for the amount of hype this has generated for the sport! Better pay for athletes, and CJI was just simply more entertaining
Completely true. it was a masterclass
💯
I watch UFC, WNO, etc in our living room whenever good events are on and my Fiance couldn't care less. She came over to grab her ipad and then saw the Tackett vs Kade match was on and was like what is going on. When Tackett got out of the head and arm she was literally yelled "how did he do that!, Can you do that? How did he do that" and she sat and watched the rest of the event. I asked her why and she said "it was really fun and cool to watch but alot less of the blood and stuff compared to when you watch UFC. Also i thought the one girl throwing the other girl was cool"
CJI figured out the only way to take BJJ mainstream.
CJI is the new standard
The reason CJI was so successful was big matchups, high stakes and free on CZcams. I had my family watch it and they were really intrigued. Craig Jones is truly growing the sport in a big way.
Cji pit was amazing, but my favorite tournament format ever was quintet
Now imagine a quintet tournament inside the alley ;)
@@1millioncicades183 yep. That’s what I’m thinking. It would be great. The alley is the best format for grappling bar none.
All the sets of BJJ twins in a tournament in the Alley hahaha
@@Lockdown335 Yeah, twintet.
CJI should be the new model for professional grappling tournaments. Having said that on ADCC side I like the idea of having a no point period of time but they have it backwards. The first half should be points and the second half no points. The current setup incentives people to stall the first half and then get a single scoring move the second half and then stall more. At least if you switched them the first half would be a battle and the person down on points in the second would have to fight for a sub.
Damn that’s a great point
Someone’s got to host a tournament with this idea. Love it
nah the no point time period if someone is up ahead in the earlier point period its very easy to play defensive and coast to a win. It just needs to disappear unless its a literal no time limit no points fight to finish super fight event
I like the CJI pit and rounds… promotes continuous action.
Worst thing about CJI was the main event between Ruotolo and Levi. Ruotolo vs. Tackett in the semi finals showed what BJJ could be with takedowns, scrambles, and fast paced grappling on the feet and ground. Basically MMA grappling without strikes and something that can appeal to even casuals. Then Ruotolo faced Levi in the finals, and Levi instantly sat to his butt and played the typical BJJ guard/buttscooting game and all the action that happened in the semi finals was almost undone by that performance. Sure, its technical, but no one, even hardcore jiu jitsu people, want to consistently watch those types of matches. If CJI wants to actually try to go mainstream, they need to address the guard pulling/buttscooting issue, and also the endless hand fighting on the feet issue we saw at the heavier weight classes where people don't actually shoot for takedowns.
Great point
It's interesting that a lot of people have a different opinion on that match.
@@Chewjitsu I think jiu jitsu people appreciate the technicality Levi brought, but there's a reason why the B Team CZcams page has a dedicated clip to the entire Ruotolo vs. Tackett match, while they haven't posted a dedicated video to their own finals (Ruotolo vs. Levi).
ADCC: Pulling guard at any time is penalized with a negative point.
Kade vs Andrew was obviously super entertaining but all Levis matches were awesome, including the final. How can you call guard/buttscooting a problem? Do you train bjj? Every time we have a period where we practice takedowns in my culd 2/3 of the people mysteriously disappear (including me). i really hate Atos style of bjj, just hanging on the neck and hand fighting. literally robbing us BJJ fans from watching actual bjj. If it was up to me every match would be mandatory that one guy sits down so we dont have to waste our time watching wrestling when we want to see BJJ. Watching Levi being unpassable by the top athlets in the world was beyond entertaining
I was hooked on watching CJI because it was free...left the house even but had it going on my phone all day. Was so awesome and exciting. Tried to watch the ADCC replays and couldnt. And still havnt, and wont. I think if i do ill get bored
CJI reached way over a million viewers. ADCC was hidden behind Flo’s paywall. This is how the sport grows. Well done Craig Jones!
CJI was phenomenal. It had everything, even comedy. It had a very unique atmosphere that I honestly think only Craig could manifest. I'm excited to see these guys putting on a show and getting paid for it accordingly.
Completely agree on the need for ADCC to update the match format and scoring. I was surprised that I liked the CJI round and scoring format so much. You could put that roster of athletes in any format and it would probably be exciting, but it was obvious that it made a difference seeing it side by side with ADCC.
I went to ADCC in 2022 and 2024. The energy in the arena was completely flat compared to 2022. Tons of empty seats, people weren’t engaged in the action, and way too many long, boring matches. It should be a huge indicator that changes should be considered when we have several 40+ year old guys who have been winning by gaming the rules for the last decade or more.
CJI is the future. They need an open that takes place the day before the invitational to really ramp it up
That’d be cool, coming to watch cji and fight in the ally yourself.
As a fellow Aussie Craig is the absolute GOAT, and I understand why he may not resonate with the Americans as his sense of humour is a very niche Aussie sensibility, which the fact that most Americans don’t get the subtlety makes it all the funnier for Craig. But his event was noticeably better than ADCC, the angle walls kept the refs from having to stop and reset the action and made for much more interesting matches.
I like Craig a lot but the gay stuff is a little too forced and just too much sometimes
@@slavicvolk yeah to my point about the differing sense of humours, the gay stuff is hilarious I couldn’t buy the “Mountin Dudes” rashie fast enough 😂 I wear it all the time, and Craig knows how uncomfortable it makes Americans and Brazilians which makes it more enjoyable as well
Anyone who says that stuff isn't funny is just not wanting to have fun. Everyone I know in America thinks its absolutely hilarious. The people who take yourself too seriously is the exact reason that its funny. Its aimed right at you. relax and enjoy life. Craig is the most accepting and kind person.
@@dschapin kind? I think Craig is an a**hole. He uploaded a video laughing at Meregali's broken shoulder. You may not like each other, but that's just trash behavior
CJI was exceptional and the rule set, alley etc were innovative for jits and made for a more fluid competition and great entertainment. In contrast ADCC just looked very stale and was very dull to watch. Plus Flo’s production and broadcasting was even worse than normal.
It's incredible how well the CJI worked. The alley, scoring, and production all surpassed expectations.
I only got a chance to catch the first half of the heavyweight division of cji but yeah it was really great. A lot of variety and the KC pit worked really well.
Saturday was packed, man. Especially towards the end.
Yeah, it was crazy. When I was there Friday I was annoyed, looking at an empty seat and thinking "If that seat had been available to buy, I would have bought it" only for that seat to be full Saturday. I'm guessing a lot of people came into Vegas after work on Friday and so they didn't show. Just came on Saturday.
friday was packed as well, especially after 6pm when ppl came back from work. The crowd was way more energetic than Tmobile.
Here is my take on ADCC and CJI as a spectator of both events.
CJI: Friday start time of 10ish and starting with +80k was a bit rough for viewing. Plus the interview after each match dragged the event into 1am. Keep in mind there was no re-entry so being stuck there with sht food was rough. Saturday was packed especially during Kade vs Andrew match. The flow of matches was waaaay better which led to an arena type of energy only comparable to major UFC or prize boxing type of events. The overall big winner was the ally setup - we had mid seats and was able to watch most of the action. The addition of the wall made it way more entertaining vs the constant resets you see at ADCC.
ADCC: was a bit shocked how empty Saturday was and parts of even Sunday (especially Gordon’s super fight was pretty empty). The energy and matches were similar to 2022 (my first ADCC) in my opinion but with a much better pace. The negative for ADCC was the horrific music during matches. The base was waaaaay too much and was making it very hard to stay and watch. Also for some reason the mat design and setup made it look like a lot of empty space, wish they put chairs down there or something to fill it up.
Overall great weekend of celebrating jiu jitsu but really hope in the future that both events don’t happen on the same weekend. If I had the travel budget for just one based off my experience from this past weekend I would attend CJI and catch the stream of ADCC.
The pit and rounds format of CJI made it very spectator friendly. Great event to watch. I think it set the standard for events in the future.
Best upset we can't forget, Meregali was subbed by a purple belt. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
He tapped on the throw not really the sub but i hear you
@@justinshaughnessy1073 he got his shoulder dislocated by throw but when people say subbed they dont necessarily mean completed submission, but just winning based on a tap and not points
@@justinshaughnessy1073 he was losing anyways. Sick of the dananher nut huggers . His entire team lost despite CJI having half the talent away lol Lucas Lepri black belt Bodoni saved his ass basically.
I've got a special video about that one coming out soon.
@@REXAZOR CJI absolutely did not have half the talent for heavyweight divisions.
Been training for years and this is the first time ive watched a grappling tournament, it was absolutely insane i loved it. I still havent seen any highlights of ADCC and dont even know who won. CJI won and we all won with it.
Iv been watching mma/martial arts since 1997 and the CJI show was the best grappling show iv ever seen.
Shorter rounds is what Jiu Jitsu needs 🙏🏼
CJI was amazing. The pit arena is perfect. You can’t run, can’t force a reset, the competitors will not get hurt. CJI is the future of bjj 👍
What if they flipped it and did points first. Maybe that would make the no points submission only part at the end.
What about a comment on athlete's pay? Everyone at CJI made 10,001$, a dollar more than the biggest winner at ADCC.
Yeah this review was kind of weird, wouldn't that be a really important point. Why does traffic at concessions matter? maybe people really wanted to be in the area to see what would happen. The energy at CJI was electric.
As I said in the video, it was a very small thing. I was just comparing it to other events I've been to. Plus those vendor areas are important as those are sponsors who are helping pay for the event. The CJI was amazing and did fantastic with such a short lead up time. I'm sure it'll be packed next year.
@@Chewjitsu Thanks for the answer, Mestre ;-)
The round system was a surprisingly good thing. Particularly for the audience. I was skeptical at first but it was great. The Ally was an obvious home run and needs to be incorporated in more events.
CJI was a case of 'if you build it, they will come'
The athletes were top class.
The 'alley' worked brilliantly.
The judges were great, they seemed to understand the judging criteria and there were very few contentious results, if any. Counter-example: on the same night one UFC judge 'Howie Booth' was fired right away after his scoring of Tuivasa v Rozenstruik.
The commentary team were excellent, showing comprehensive sporting and (new) rule knowledge and doing sponsorship duties without being annoying.
Most importantly of all, this event has made me inspired to go back to the gym. OSS.
Went to both and met you at CJI. CJI was by far way better more entertaining for the fans and for the athletes it’s obviously financially better for them too. ADCC is the new fight to win. CJI is the future for the pros
The ADCC can become the qualifies for the CJI.
Earn a name at the ADCC and a few dollars, then make the big bucks at CJI.
kinda true for sub80 kg division but ADCC heavyweights are much more stacked than CJI. Only NRod and Hugo can hang with Kaynan, Yuri, Pena and Gordon.
This is the way forward.
The rounds and open scoring system made it awesome. Grapplers knew if they were ahead or behind and could make the adjustments in between rounds.
Super cool meeting you briefly in Vegas!
Likewise bro. Glad we could cross paths.
One thing I loved about CJI it was free on CZcams. Flo grappling is too expensive for me to watch adcc once a year , I’m a casual practitioner and even less of a casual viewer. Making it free on an app that everybody uses makes it so easy to watch. Angle wall/pit was great also, it was great to not see the ref get in the way of the match constantly. Love the video man!
A lot of people have more negative to say about the Kade vs Levi match than Pos. But I’ve never been more impressed with a guard than I was of Levi’s. I’m not a guard puller as my background is in wrestling prior to BJJ, but his guard was undeniably impressive. He was constantly on the hunt and demonstrated that it’s a choice because as we saw his top game was solid as well. Kade wanted nothing to do with it. Levi looks to be very well rounded with a preference towards the guard and leg lock game. Very technical match both athletes are amazing!
“Something to Chew On” - I like it.
I started BJJ last September and got my blue belt in June. I’ve never watched competitive BJJ before. CJI was incredible and exposed me to so much cool BJJ.
I would for sure like to go to CJI next year. I agree I don't care for the off-the-mat craziness, but the event was awesome to watch. and keeping it free on CZcams is the way to go for the future of these events. I thought CJI was fun and exciting even for those who normally don't watch BJJ events. It had exciting grapplers that kept it entertaining! I like ADCC in 2022 better for some reason. I don't know why but I think it's because after watching CJI, I wanted more CJI format. Very cool to see Brandon at ADCC, and all the new blood in the tourney. CJI needs a women's bracket even though the Super fight was pretty awesome
It was a great event. So fun and exciting to watch. Seeing the empty seats makes me sad too.
It was cool talking with you. We will go to CJI next year and I had so much fun at adcc. I think it would be fare the winners make 50-100 k to keep ADCC, but because there are two weight divisions, it made it kind of neat to see more options of athletes going against each other. Ty for keeping it real
CJI blown ADCC out of the water completely!!
Far better show on all accounts
I'm with you, the alley really helped the action, might not be the easiest thing for all promoters to create, but if the promoters have the resources it is really fun. I hear what you are saying on the rounds too, it gave competitors a chance to catch their breath so they action was more high paced. The MMA style scoring was cool too. with multiple rounds and scoring it gave coaches and competitors a chance to calibrate to what was being rewarded on the score card. It takes high level judges to see the difference between actual action and the simulation of action for points. All in all CJI was a really exciting event to watch!
Hey Chewy! I was at both events, front row seats, and my impressions were similar to yours with a few exceptions.
At CJI, even though I was front row, I wasn't in the VIP section, which was right in front of me. As a result, my view angles sucked because whenever the athletes were on my side of the slant wall, I couldn't see anything. Also, the VIP area seemed to have a similar problem, as they would stand up to see, and then I definitely couldn't see anything. So I spent more time looking up at the screen instead of directly at the action, which left me feeling pretty ripped off lol. I think of you were on CZcams, you probably had the best viewing experience. Crowd energy seemed better at CJI, and I think the smaller arena definitely helped with acoustics because when the crowd popped, it was big. The day 1 crowd was patchy as you said, day 2 seemed to fill up more.
With ADCC, front row seats were amazing. Clear view angles, no obstructions whatsoever, and close to the action. The crowd was definitely not packed, as I had empty seats on both sides of me, and lots of pockets in the crowd. The bigger arena definitely muffled the crowd roars and pops, and the energy didn't seem as intense.
Another aspect that bothered me was pacing. CJI was VERY slow paced on day 1. It took 9 hours to show 24 matches, which is way too long. While the matches are taking longer because of the round structure, they also had 5-10 minute buffers between each match which doesn't sound like much, but it adds up to 2-4 hours over 24 matches. Maybe at home it isn't so bad, but in person people were complaining all around me and just wanted the event to be over. Day 2 was better simply because there were less matches, but still I felt pacing needs to be much faster.
ADCC day 1 as you mentioned was better than ever. Very fast pacing, 3 matches at once, and new matches begin within a minute of one ending. This might sound like too much too soon, but in grappling, when there is a lot of dead time, more is better. One fault here is no replay cameras, which should have been in full effect in the arena, because you do miss things and then can't see it and have to look back later on Flograppling. Day 2 for me was much slower paced and similar to CJI pacing, which perhaps I'm too old now, lol, but I want to see the action transpire quickly and not over 9 hours. Day 2 energy was not as intense as day 1 and seemed to falter in my opinion.
Regarding rulesets, you are right on. ADCC needs to adapt and stop holding onto traditions. Take out the the no score period, add 1 point push out rule, and remove the turtle no score loophole and the action will explode to another level, plus it would make it easier to follow. You are also correct in the time limits. Making the time limits longer makes the match more boring - not more entertaining. I like the idea of no overtime either. Just score the entire 10 minutes and pick a winner. It would also speed up the event tremendously, which I appreciate.
With CJI, they made a big deal before about calling stalling, but never really did. There were certainly many matches, especially the over 80kg+ that could have used it. While I personally don't like rounds (I feel it breaks up the action and removes realism from strategy), I can appreciate the format making it easier to judge and for casuals to follow. So my only advice on the rules is to enforce the stalling calls and actually use them.
The biggest stars in my eyes for CJI was obvious: Nicky Rodriguez, the Ruotolo brothers, and Andrew Tackett.
For ADCC, that's trickier. Kaynan Duarte showed up in a big way, subbing 7/8 opponents to a double gold and Adele Fornarino pulling off a similar feat (4/6 submissions) for double gold as a 55kg woman. Mica Galvao pulling off the super grand slam was impressive, and I feel the old salty dogs in Rafael Lovato Jr, Robert Abreu, and Vagner Rocha all getting silver medals in their 40's was very impressive.
Upset was obvious as well, Lucas Kannard taking out Victor Hugo and Michael Pixley taking out Nicholas Meregali were big shockers that I don't think anyone saw coming.
lol i realised that right away, going higher with cheaper seat had better viewing angles.
@@canadians1982lesson learned for me 😂. I don't think I would go in person for CJI in the future based off that, as I would be better off watching it at home.
At CJI: We definitely didn’t have 20-30 minute breaks between matches on day 1. We had a 3-5 min break every four matches. The broadcast was 9h30m long so for 24 matches, the avg total time was
@@Asymptote01Really? Perhaps I had some serious time dilation, but I have hard time believing that. There were breaks between every match, not every 4 matches, and matches weren't pumped out back to back quickly. But I guess we can check the times in the livestream...
...I apologize, I looked back at the livestream and I guess I did have some serious time dilation, lol! It looks more like 5-10 minutes on average between matches. Even so, on the low end with 24 matches we are adding an extra 2 hours minimum on the low end, or 4 hours on the high end with delays between matches. Personally, I want the matches to be churned out quickly - the moment one finishes, get the athletes out and bring in the next match.
It's one thing if you have a MMA fight card with 5 fights, then you can stretch it out a bit, give interviews, give people time to go to the bathroom and get concessions. But with 24 matches, there is no need to add filler. Just get the action rolling and keep it rolling. The only interview that was memorable to me was Nicky Rod calling out Gordon Ryan for the bet match at the end of the show, as all the other interviews were empty of content (because the fighter still has matches to focus on and not really thinking about something clever to say).
This is just my opinion, so don't take it personally, and I apologize for getting the times way off (I'll edit the original comment to reflect that).
Appreciate the thoughts David. Always welcome your insights on things.
Yeah I sat right above the VIP area and had a great view. But I remember looking at the people down on the floor and was wondering how the viewing angle was.
And I have a second video coming out next week. I was definitely impressed by the older crew who medaled this year. They had some of their best performances against people who were 20 years younger in some cases.
+1 for the "CJI was amazing" group. Seeing the stadium at capacity Saturday was amazing.
After having met you at the last ADCC and you spending so much time listening to me and being a real human , turning other people away while we were talking, and just listening - I have and have always had the most respect for you. Always been a huge fan.
CJI SLAUGHTERED ADCC and heres why (IMO).
I'm a combat sports fan. started with Boxing and after I had my spine reconnected and was able to train in another sport I was turned onto Jui Jitsu. I trained hard and took bronze at worlds heavyweight.
Now, scoring in either of those isn't easy (there are several different types of fighters in boxing...... and as I've learned JJ.)
It's hard to explain a points system to a "sitter-by" (like my ex, or a girlfriend, partner, boyfriend, whatever...) But CJI made it simple. It's up to the 3 judges based on the rules and they tell you the points. Now, if they care to ask why as a practitioner you can explain that. they had said the rules several times but even for the lay person it made sense. "Fight hard, agress or digress, don't stall without a negative"
Guard play looks boring to someone that doesn't know J.J and how the points work. You can work from the bottom and we saw that. Look at the -80 final... It was boring when it got there but both were still working.
Most people are wanting the same as striking in Jiu Jitsu. Thats not always the case. Play to win, and thats what happened. Same as boxing. "oh hes not hitting""oh hes not advancing" so they must be a coward!"
Nope they're working like you don't know how.... It's a fire fight. Whose bow breaks first.
Its a chess match, which itsn't always entertaining to the lay person.
Everyone wants to see a knockout without understanding the sport.
Brandon did great. I think he can hang with those guys. He will improve a lot over the next two years. CJI was so entertaining.
What's up Chewjitsu. We saw you at ADCC. Had a great time between both events.
6:41 CJI was packed Saturday night, ADCC looked pretty empty on Sunday during absolutes
I was at work so I put it on over lunch and we just fast forwarded to the matches. My whole crew was into it. Cji for the win
i’d love to see them do a 30 second clacker rather than a 10 second one.
knowing the round will end in 30 seconds gives competitor a chance to throw a hail mary sub with very little risk of being punished for it
Boxing like scoring and alley were a genius way to keep action moving. Even the guard pullers were forced to be actively hunting for a limb exposure under the CJI rule set and mats.
Even if all that this event did was popularize the alley, that would be a huge step forward for the sport.
100% agree. I thought CJI was way more entertaining than ADCC.. there were a couple of exciting matches at ADCC but CJI had me way more entertained. The Kade vs Andrew Tackett match was unbelievable. Greatest Jiu Jitsu match of all time. I was sweating and my heart was racing the whole match.. it sucks that only 1 could move on but at least Andrew got $20,000 bonus for most exciting fighter
CJI was #1 in my youtube feed for 2 days and I just found out ADCC passed so... The algorithm is REAL!
The Alley is a gamechanger for all of jiu jitsu. It encourages non-stop action and creativity from the competitors. The scoring was great because everyone knew where the competitors stood.
I still really enjoyed ADCC as well. There were some incredible matches in all weight divisions. If ADCC had 3 individual alley style mats it would be even better. Flograppling has to do better as far as production quality. They've been in the game long enough to give high-quality streams at all times
CJI is dope AF. Straight up. Elevating Pro Jiu-jitsu in every way.
The stage, lighting, fighting arena, comic relief announcement, lol, etc, keeping the party professional and fun to watch.
Had a party watching the fights.
We were all entertained.
Rolled, ate pizza, and had a few wobbly pops! 🍻🤙💪
The Pit is the most 🫨🙌🏻 moment for me. I never knew what I was missing.
Appreciate you admitting you were wrong about CJI, Chewy! Means a lot that you’re able to do that, and that you lead with that. Love that you did a breakdown too, I’ve been wanting more afterthoughts from BJJ influencers like yourself.
Doing another video about the events coming up next week since I've gotten so many comments and some interesting stuff happened after the event.
I loved the CJI format, really made for entertaining viewing, without the stop start you often have in 'traditional' format events. New to BJJ and this event was such a good showcase for the sport.
CJI was the first tournament I watched every match because I was so captivated
CJI was so much fun. The first time I've really seen serious jj without ego filled shite. Unfortunately the Brazilians go on about ego but seems to thrive in it at the same time.
I look forward to seeing another one.
I'm chewing on those ideas - hahaha
Yeah. The Pit is like when the octagon first came out. Like, the dynamic it creates is improving things. Whether like Karate Combat or CJI, the pit just changes things in a positive way.
Watched everything online. Wish I could have been there. CJI was more exciting and I am a big fan of the alley/pit as a Jiu-Jitsu stage for competition. ADCC was still an awesome event, but CJI definitely took some of the shine off of it this year.
i think the 10 point must system and 3 rounds is perfect for crossover appeal for casual spectators. most people just want an easy way to know who’s winning.
also liked the open scoring
They should keep BJJ points scoring even with the three round format, that way there's no subjectivity. Win a round 6-0, cool, now you're up 10-9. Win a round 10-0, sweet, that's a 10-8.
I went to both events and met you at the ADCC. It was really cool to meet you in person.
I think the ADCC was more spectator friendly with less downtime between matches. Downside is a lot of the time 3 matches going on at the same time so sometimes I missed things.
The CJI matches were great. The rules and alley helped the matches to be more exciting. I think the event was aimed more for the spectators at home and not so much in the arena. The bad about the event was a lot of downtime in the arena because something was being broadcast for the at-home audience.
The CJI format and mat style was great. No one really playing the nuance of the rules to win a match. By the end of a match, you pretty much knew who was the winner.
I thought it was messed up that the crowd booed Levi-Jones Leary for pulling guard. It wasn't against the rules, he was actively engaged, and in fact he broke something in Tye Ruotolu's leg in one of the previous matches.
I mean, I kinda get it from a casual watchers point of view…while it’s technical, and perfectly within the rules it’s fucking boring to watch when one guy is dynamic and visually interesting to watch (Ruotolu) and the other is pulling guard and butt scooting for 3 rounds 😂
People are gonna boo in any sport if your style isnt as exciting. It happens in mma with wrestlers often. I thought his guard was astonishing and though I like Kade more to watch Levi's defensive game is unreal
But he wasn't pulling guard was he, in the sense that people usually mean whey they say pulling guard i.e. closed guard, he was connecting to a leg or ankle with a dynamic open guard, k guard, etc
@@SwampCityRadio1974 I mean he was pulling guard pretty hard no? He got onto a leg which some may use to try a take down and he literally let it go and sat back down haha I dont have anything against him at all and i quite like Levis game but the event was geared towards new fans and entertaining matches from the start, that's why the Kade v Tackett match is now historic in many peoples eyes.
We all know guard is apart of BJJ but ONLY playing guard is a bit of a let down and the open scoring regardless of consistency told him his strategy was no longer winning him rounds leading into 5 and he simply didn't do anything to change the outcome.
A few wrestle ups alone could have won him that match even if they lead to nothing or just a scramble.
@@SwampCityRadio1974 yeah I get that, but put yourself in the head of someone who doesn’t have any real knowledge of BJJ technique…it would just look like one guy sitting on his ass and shuffling around a bit while trying to trap a leg, and the other guy doing big dynamic moves like cartwheel passes and back flips 😂 without the knowledge you obviously have, who would you say was dominating the action in that match?
I think CJI doesn't need to take away from ADCC but serves to elevate it as well. Competition is always healthy among tournaments and since ADCC didn't really have a competitor for so long there was no incentive to change. Next year since ADCC isn't on we will hopefully see even more stacked brackets in CJI, and the year after there will be some innovation in ADCC. Also the alley is the most incredible thing to happen to grappling as a sport and i think that stands in not just BJJ (imagine olympic wrestling with the alley). If tournaments don't start picking up the alley in there competitions they are going to slowly fall out of mainstream just because of how small of a change it is and how big of a difference it makes. the Ruotolo vs tackett match would have been incredibly boring if it was in ADCC just because of how much out of bounds calls would have happened.
Cji matches were so exciting to watch. That kade vs tacket match was amazing.
Much better format than ADCC…fighters getting a decent purse for showing up is class too…fight camps cost money, so I imagine that 10k is a big help 😎👌
The pit was awesome!! Wonder if gyms will start adding slanted walls... I'd love to scrap in the alley
Chewie - I'm with you. being a 'mature aged gent' , starting my Jiu Jitsu in Rio back in '87 - I am not about the trolling and crazy social stuff - I'm just about the Jiu Jitsu. And - it seems to me a fulltime job, just to keep abreast of developments, over these past 15 years ... let alone finding time to keep up with the latest 'social stuff'. I had a few long discussions this morning - around the point scoring system as applied to the CJI. here's my question: (I have my own answer but I'd like to hear opinions of others) ... 'What if a guard player (ie: Levi Jones-Leary) pulls guard - but doesnt threaten much - and the passer tries to pass, but doesnt succeed - skill-sets aside - who wins?) My analogy is if it were two boxers - one just slipping/weaving but not hitting - and one trying to hit, but missing every shot - who wins? I think, the one trying to attack wins ... but , would love to hear other ideas. Thanks Chewie. You made a gr eat point re: the new blood in the ADCC - excellent. I also fully agree on getting rid of the no-point time. Respect from downunder.
I agree. The bottom player should have to be aggressive and not simply reactionary. I'm doing a second video and I'll include this.
Hey Chewy. I agree 100% Craig and Gordon are childish (IMO) and I don't look to them for opinions on Ukraine. But I respect their grappling knowledge and mastery. I enjoyed CJI! I would watch it again. Fun event.
From a spectator perspective, moving it to the T Mobile with assigned seats was the best!
I wonder what would be different in the way people competed if first got 1 million, second got $250,000, and third got 100,000? It seems like it's a pretty good scale, especially since the least they'll get paid is $10, 000. 10,000 seems like a lot for just showing up to a jujitsu match, but 100,000 seems like an incredibly impressive amount more and not so in the clouds as a million. I'm also thinking that if the final was Kade and Tackett, first place would have completely earned their million and second place would have completely earned their $250,000. Also the match for 3rd and 4th Place to get 100,000 would be a huge deal as well. Just a thought!
It seems really petty that ADCC would schedule their event on the same weekend as the CJI.
They must feel threatened.
Only two things I would change at CJI is make the matches happen closer together - maybe alternate the -80 and +80 matches back and forth so there’s less down time. Other thing is PGF style aggressive calls for stalling. The refs really didn’t enforce the rules the way they were explained.
So glad the event exceeded everyone's expectations.
Man CJI was way more entertaining crazy matches, and 1 million for winning and the level was so high and again super entertaining
There wasn't many vendor and they didn't have many sponsors either. If you remember the pit had mostly b-team , el segundo podcast... home brand from the b-team. Not enough time and also the uncertainty. Most people don't know how to navigate craig Jones, is this legit, is the event happening... I went to both and ended up leaving early each time ADCC. THe main issue for me was T-mobile arena. It is so big and the crowd was never really popping like cji was. Thomas And Mack Center has a better vibe with cheaper prices! also there are water fountain so you can drink without having to pay 7 bucks for water at Tmobile. I felt like a walking dollars bill at tmobile. I won't be coming back to ADCC, i will be coming back to CJI. ADCC 3 matches as the same sucks as well. The pit and the round is the best way to do bjj as a competition.
I also wanted to thanks you for being an awesome human being, you took the time to talk with us and seemed interested into knowing our stories. Wishing you the best.
Yeah. The short lead up time was the cause. I'm sure it will be packed with sponsors next time. Especially considering how they killed it with the youtube stream.
I bet the reason there was no crazy drummers or pyrotechnics is because ADCC had to start paying show money to keep athletes. CJI is even helping ADCC production!
4:31 I haven’t thought about that. Those round made some competitors perform better than the expected once they didn’t have to worry so much about gassing out. Andrew Tackett showed how those rules can benefit someone. He almost got Kade, and I think he could also beat Levi. Amazing event!
Pros ADCC: A bit more professional, as to be expected, and less downtime between matches.
No rounds, idk if I'm in on the round yet. As evidenced at CJI guys have complex guards that 4-5 minutes might not be enough time.
Production overall was great.
Provides a good ruleset and time period for those who actually show up to go at it such as Bodoni, Mica, Jayrod.
Cons ADCC: audio wasn't super great at times the bass was so high that commentary or videos couldn't be heard.
Lot of OT and decisions for those that play that game. Less enjoyable obviously.
Pros CJI: The alley. No pushouts and resets is great.
Open scoring. Excellent. .
Allowed the athletes who actually go out and engage in BJJ to showcase themselves, such as the Tackett and Ruotolo brothers and NickyRod.
Free streaming while I was there it was nice to engage with friends back home about the matches who were watching along without a crazy subscription.
Million dollar prize.
Cons CJI: little bit unorganized and no schedule to follow, to know when breaks are, who's up next.
Not many booths or things to engage with in merch areas.
Too tolerant and even rewarding of butt scooting and sitting guard.
And just as preference would prefer EBI style OT. It's much more exciting and would have been great for that already engaging crowd. Make winners clear and no more claims of "robberies". I'm sure CJI will make some adaptations before next time and hope they do. First time event was very good. Glad I was able to attend both.
To answer the question in the thumbnail: Yes.
Another thing I think will happen with CJI is more fights. UFC fights used to be one ever few months now we can watch a fight every weekend. I think Craig should have more fights more often (not every 2 years) and expose more people to BJJ and showcase more athletes. There’s a ton of SAVAGES out there I think CJI will shine a light on them
My only complaint about CJI was that they didn't incentivize submissions enough. This is one thing I absolutely loved about the Chewjitsu open I competed in. Subs were pushed REALLY hard and it was so exciting.
The only thing I disliked about CJI was Renato and the amount of curse words. Like, maybe throw in a few but there were tons of "motherfuckers" and "motherfucking" and "fuck fuck fuckity fuck". I couldn't legitimately share it with my kids without feeling a bit frustrated by that. Other than that, it was the greatest jiu-jitsu event I've ever seen. I love the alley, I love the rule set, great competitors....just all around awesome.
Yeah I know several parents who weren't fond of that side of it with their kids.
Great matches. Tye and Nolf, Kade and Tackett, Nicky Rod 100% subs, Pixley upsets Meregali, Kenard upsets Hugo, Jones-Leary takes out Jimenez and Ruotolo. Love to see some guys in jackets or hoodies doing some judo/gi beat downs in the alley next year 🤘.
Went to both events. ADCC i believe got it very wrong. The created a sound barrier between the audience and the competitors. Loud Hip Hop music with a saturated bass that drowned the crowd out and it felt disconneced. They only stopped the music for the finals. CJI on the other hand played music between the fights allowing the crowd and competitors to connect in a more intimate way.
yeah, I wasn't a fan of the music either.
Nice analysis. ADCC matches seem too long, but I don't like the 6 min alternative either. Sometimes it is about tiring someone and getting the sub late.
CJI: Best competition format, matches, coverage, mat space and scoring that I've seen. The new standard. The only negative was the last two rounds of the sub 80 million $ match, where the crowd seem to hate on Levi. Kade seemed hesitant to pass and Levi wouldn't deviate from the game plan, despite being behind. Not sure how you fix the last bit.
ADCC: Some bright spots in terms of matches (J Rod, Mica, Fornarino etc). Poor broadcast even though its behind a paywall. Gordon with two grinding wins in exhibition matches for 'titles' seemed hollow. I think they need to adapt in order to survive.
Big man for admitting you were wrong about CJI. Your friends and family are lucky to have you in their life.
I dont enjoy watching bjj matches but CJI was so fun to watch. I watched the whole event 🔥