Light Heavyweight bout:  Tito Ortiz vs.  Forrest Griffin

Welterweight bout:  Josh Koscheck vs.  Anthony Johnson

Welterweight bout:  Paulo Thiago vs.  Jacob Volkmann

Light Heavyweight bout:  Luiz Cane vs.  Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Welterweight bout:  Amir Sadollah vs.  Phil Baroni

Unbelievably they won’t televise Caol Uno’s fight. MORANS!

A disappointing main event but I think Forrest will win via not being an old washout who can’t string a sentence together. Sudollah possibly the same.

Now, if you happen to get really sick of watching people walk out wearing t-shirts that look like a zombie vampire crypt-dwelling cybernetic killing machine drank too much Goldschlager and vomited onto a piece of cloth that a dog then slept on and chewed up a bit, check out Scramble Stuff.

I have launched an online store.

Scramble Stuff

It’s a shop, based in the UK but ships anywhere in the world, that brings you, BJJ, grappling and MMA fans, some absolutely awesome and pretty damn unique stuff.

At the moment, you can get:

• Scramble T-shirts on pre-order
• Yukinori Sasa Paraestra Jiu Jitsu Instructional – Top Game
• Yukinori Sasa Paraestra Jiu Jitsu Instructional – Guard Game
• Loads of BJJ Spirits (Jiu Jitsu Damashi) and Grappling Spirits magazines
• Robert Drysdale’s Japan Only No Gi Instructional Magazine/Book
• ART JUNKIE very exclusive imported t-shirts!

Everything is posted off first class as soon as humanly possible. In the UK or Europe, you should get your stuff in a matter of days. US and the rest of the world, a little longer.

Please have a click through. If you’re a fan of my blog, or even a fan of any of the stuff there, please do me a favour and share the link. Tweet it, facebook it, put it on your blog. It would really, really mean a lot to me.

I’ll be writing reviews of the products here and hopefully collaborating with Fightlinker and other respectable folks from the online MMA and BJJ world in the coming weeks.

YOROSHIKU!

My buddy Ben Tong, some tough guys, Jeff Lawson, and an idiot.

Some quick thoughts on the No Gi open that have been rattling around my head…

I moved out of my comfort zone and tried the takedown followed by top game. What sucks about this is that I realised I had almost no real experience doing this, especially in training where I have mostly been using my guard to nullify my big strong training partners. Good thing about this is, I suppose, the losses and the lessons learned from them will ultimately help my jiu jitsu. But I kind of feel like a kid does when their parents tell them to clean their teeth at night and the kid is all “but cleaning teeth sucks” and the parents are all “but you really should do it otherwise you’ll have teeth like a Japanese schoolgirl” and you’re all “god I hate you” and they’re all “go to bed” and you’re all “up yours dickbrains I’m going to go and smoke tea rolled up in rizla papers and talk about naked girls and stuff” and… oh, dear. Anyway.  I think I did the right thing ultimately but now that I think about it, it would have been nice to sit back and play some guard for a while, something I have a lot of experience in. Hey ho, live and learn!

I was happy that one of the guys I give some lessons to asked me straight away for a class, so I could continue training just the day after the competition.

On Friday night I went to the Bulldog Gym to do some filming for Jeff Lawson, who wants to send a little intro video to Japan. I brought my kit with me and was grateful when Jeff told me to get changed and have a roll. An MMA class was going on at the time, with some fairly hefty lads smashing seven bells out of each other. As I went into the changing room I heard Jeff telling them not to punch me, which was nice.

I rolled with a couple of people. I think they were a little miffed as to who I was and what I was doing there but when we started rolling it was pretty clear that we all speak the same language. I am very grateful to them for letting me join in, and refraining from punching me in the face. We posed for a picture and I managed to confirm to myself, yet again, that I am the ugliest feckin’ eedjit in Britain. We all had a good laugh at my gangly legs.

Then today we had a nice little group session. If everyone turned up at the same time who I teach during the week, and who has shown an interest in the class, there would be ten people on the mat, easily. As it is, only a handful turn up at a time. Once I get settled and can focus on organising and promoting myself a bit better, the class will start filling up.

We went over the Brabo choke. I had Robert Drysdale’s book Shortcut to Submission Win (only available in Japan, and through me… watch this space!) which devotes an entire chapter to the Brabo. I am going to make that “our choke” and work on it every week.

Here is a highlight video of the open. You can see my disputed armbar tap (I don’t see me tapping anywhere!) and some shots of Andy. Enjoy!

Osu!

I’m a copywriter and photographer and videographer and all around martial arts media guy!

Please peruse at your leisure then email me right the hell now if you want something done!

Matt Benyon Media CV

Grappling Dummies BJJ TV: No Gi British Open 2009 from martial farts on Vimeo.

Team Scramble’s little sojourn to Birmingham for the No Gi British Open.

You can see:
My bad form on kettlebells!
Andy’s absolute robbery of three points for passing the guard and securing side control that wasn’t given!
My not defending a triangle very well!
My serving up my neck on a silver platter for someone!
The inside of a Holiday Inn in Birmingham!
AND MUCH MORE!!!
(Actually not much more.)

This is about the BJJ!

Team Scramble!

First up was Andy, who’s been training MMA for a while, and grappling only a few months. My advice to him was to “be first”, knowing that the person who initiates or completes the first takedown has a huge psychological (and points) advantage. Andy pressed the action straightaway and had his opponent on the back foot. They scrambled for a while and eventually hit the floor. I can’t quite remember exactly what happened but Andy ended up fighting to keep the guy from taking his back.

In a moment of clarity, as the guy started sinking in an armbar, I yelled to Andy “Step over his head with your left leg!” at the top of my voice. Andy heard, pointed to his right leg, I shook my head, he pointed to his left, I nodded, he stepped over and saved himself from the armbar. Awesome!

After that, Andy passed the guys guard and had a good grip for side control. He held it for one… two… thr— the guy started wriggling and… no points! What?! The match was over with Andy losing to two advantages. Points really could have been awarded for Andy’s guard pass but hey ho, that’s the way it goes.

He put in a sterling effort for his first competition, and on such a big stage, too.

A couple of hours later I was up.

I had purposefully changed my plan of attack for this. I am tired of being a BJJ guy who pulls guard or drops down like an octopus with a hangover, and had been practicing my shots. I did shoot. It felt good, but looking at the video it was pretty lame. Still, at least I have a shot to call lame now. My little shot, that I will pet and groom and feed until it gets big and strong. Anyway, my opponent, Aaron, was kind of pulling guard at the time so an easy two points for me.

He had a tricky guard and although I felt strong pinning his arms and standing up to try to break it, it wasn’t happening. I fended off a couple of triangle attempts and found myself in an armbar. Aaron spun to sink it in, then I felt the pressure suddenly ease off so I followed him to the ground and passed his guard. Then I realised the ref was tapping me and everyone was shouting.

I think the fact that just about every official there was from Braulio’s (my opponent’s) team meant they were a teensy bit eager to call the match. I was honestly flummoxed as I had not even started to tap. Luckily they recognised it and allowed the fight to continue.

Then I got triangled. Balls! Aaron was good; his triangle just crept up on me and before I knew it I was seeing stars. (He went on to win the gold via triangle too, so that’s good.)

Aaron and some butt face.

After the fight he told me he read my blog, which was cool. Interestingly he had seen my videos and noticed that I liked to play guard a lot, which is why he had pulled guard himself. And I had surprised him with the takedown! That tickled me.

The judge told me straight away I would be fighting again for third place, which was a good consolation. I really wanted third place.

I had about 20 minutes or something, and then fought again. Same deal, shot for the takedown, ended up on top. He had some deep hooks but I defended the sweep pretty well.

I put my head down for the Arimaki pass, usually a staunch and reliable soldier in my arsenal. However, I didn’t tuck my head in enough and presented my pencil neck for him to wrench off, which he dutifully did. It’s still sore now.

So, two fights and two losses. Bums.

There was plenty of good news though.

The fights were fun, and I didn’t get slaughtered. I learnt two very important lessons. 1) If you feel a triangle creeping up, do something about it. 2) Tuck the head in during the Aramaki pass.

I didn’t feel out of my depth at all, which was different to my first comp at blue belt. I was pleased about that. I felt physically strong enough to compete at the same level as my opponents which was also a good feeling.

We hung out most of the day with John from Art of Jits, who’s acquaintance I’m very happy to have made.

I met another guy, Daire Darragh (hello Daire Darragh) who confessed to being a reader of my blog.

And I sold a couple of magazines.

LOOK AT THE LOVELY MAGAZINEY YUM YUMS

I had a little chat with Roger Gracie, with Braulio, with Lagarto, with Nick Brooks, and generally hob nobbed with the very likeable British BJJ crowd.

There were some excellent fights, with Nick Gregoriades competing against Luciano Cristovam (I may have totally butchered those two names… oops.) at the Elite class, and some guys from London Fight Factory absolutely cleaning up a whole bunch of divisions. Two of their fighters fought each other in the final and put in a very acrobatic display of awesomess.

Flying sockbar

Look out for the video soon!

Lots of peoples.

BJJ Spirits 6

2) If you see me or any of my guys, please come and say hello! Especially if you own a blog (but not exclusively) and we can do some kind of joint blogalising mega explosion.

Mati, Andy, Ben, Jeff and some moron

In the end, it’s only me and Andy competing with A coming up for moral support.

Andy should do well. He’s competing in the beginner’s category, but he is strong and fast and determined. It depends on who he comes up against but he should have a good showing. Hope there aren’t any blue belt sandbaggers in there.

I’ll be in the advanced division and I think it will be tough but that is fine. I am very prepared for a battle. I look forward to it. I don’t want any easy fights; I’d rather lose to a good opponent than get a cheap win.

Fortunately at this level (purple belt) everybody is tough.

Although I haven’t been training regularly at a proper school. I have been training fairly well. I’d like to give a massive thanks to Jeff Lawson who has been rolling with me a little bit in preparation. Jeff is like a jiu jitsu calculating machine… input some limbs and a position, and beep beep beep he spits out a painful submission every time.

I received a package stuffed full of top secret jiu jitsuey stuff today. I am now carrying around a towel as every time I think about it as drool gushes forth uncontrollably.

All will be revealed, probably in December, so watch this space.

We leave for Birmingham on Saturday and stay overnight, then compete on Sunday. Most likely we will be sleeping in the kind of flea-bitten vomit-encrusted hovel that would make a tramp quiver in fear, so that’ll be good.

Bye!

Enjoy a happy social network for maximum times and stylish jiu jitsu life!

BJJ SPIRITS!