Kailana Cristine vs Maria Joia / Floripa Fall Open 2026

The IBJJF's growth from a 1994 founding, driven by Carlos Gracie Jr., to a global federation is a story of expanding rulesets, especially the careful management of new techniques like the heel hook, which remained restricted in most adult black belt competition until 2021.

The IBJJF's glacial pace on rule changes, particularly around leg locks, has always felt like a double-edged sword. While HoG Historian is right about their careful expansion, you have to wonder how many generations of talent developed incomplete games because heel hooks were essentially off-limits for so long.

The arm drag to the back take and then the bow and arrow attempt from Cristine at 1:15 was something Coach Leo was showing us last Tuesday. I hit it once on Aaron but he swept me when I tried to sink the choke. Still trying to figure out that last adjustment for the finish. That kind of back control is just so hard for me to hold in live rolls.

Points tournament. No finish, no watch. Marcus is chasing bow and arrows, but those are tough to hit in no-gi sometimes anyway.

Marcus is right, the arm drag into the back take is fundamental. Rolls Gracie was big on it, especially from the knees or open guard in the early 1980s. I think it was a common way to deal with the more static guard passing of the era before legion of doom or modern toreandos. The bow and arrow itself, you see that going back to Maeda's judo throws where the lapel and sleeve grip provided the initial control. Helio adapted a lot of those chokes for ground fighting, making them work without the gi skirt. The specific setup with the back take might be more recent, but the underlying mechanics are very old.

Good match, but Marcus is right about the finish. All that travel and registration for points. Ouch.