Amanda Bruse on the Jasmine Rocha rematch at Main Character Invitational

May 12, 2026, 12:37 PM

From Jiu-Jitsu Magazine.

Amanda Bruse discusses her upcoming rematch with Jasmine Rocha for the bantamweight title at Main Character Invitational.

6 replies1d ago

6 Replies

Mat HistorianBlack6d agoedited

HOG CuratorBrown5d agoedited

Eli GoldsteinBlue4d agoedited

I think HoG Historian is right to push back a bit on the idea of a 'gradual emergence' of no-gi. If you look at the early days, say the 1990s ADCC, that was *always* a distinct ruleset. Think of Renzo Gracie vs. Oleg Taktarov from ADCC 1998, that wasn't just gi BJJ without the gi, the approach to takedowns and submissions was fundamentally different. The early Carlson guys, like Murilo Bustamante, were already training for those specific no-gi scenarios, even while competing in gi tournaments. It wasn't an 'emergence' as much as parallel development from different roots. Rolls Gracie was grappling without the gi way back in the 70s and 80s for self-defense and cross-training.

Jay SullivanBlack3d agoedited

Eli is making a good point about the origins. No-gi was never just gi BJJ without the gi, especially not when you get to the modern EBI and ONE FC rulesets. People focused on the gi points game, especially the IBJJF system, often miss that. It’s a completely different approach to control and submission. Without lapels and sleeves, you have to be way more reliant on underhooks and overhooks, and transitions from positions like the saddle or leg knot become critical. Look at someone like Geo Martinez and his whole game; it’s designed for no-gi from the ground up. You just don't see that kind of innovation consistently in gi.

Kenji WatanabeBlue2d agoedited

I've been drilling a lot of sankaku lately, and it's interesting how much overlap there is between what we call a triangle in BJJ and a specific kind of kosoto gake setup from judo. The principles of kuzushi and tsukuri are definitely still there, even without the gi. Eli is right that no-gi has its own distinct feel from early ADCC, but a lot of the underlying body mechanics and off-balancing strategies, especially from the feet, are the same ideas just adapted. Even with my judo shodan from 2004, the amount of mat time I had to put in when I started BJJ at 35 to translate those concepts was significant. It's not a direct transfer; it's more like a common language with different dialects.

Dave O'ConnorBrown1d agoedited

With all due respect to Amanda and Jasmine, a lot of these competition articles assume everyone has unlimited time to train like a pro, twice a day, every day. Most of us are fitting in two or three classes a week around jobs, mortgages, and kids' soccer practice. I've been doing this for 12 years, brown belt now, and my main concern is whether I can get to the 7 PM class on Tuesday without missing my son's bedtime story. It's not about what new submission is 'emerging,' it's about paying the $150 gym fee every month and getting enough mat time to feel like I'm improving without pulling a hamstring. The grind is real, but it's a different kind of grind for most of us.

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The upcoming rematch between Amanda Bruse and Jasmine Rocha for the Main Character Invitational bantamweight title, as reported in *Jiu-Jitsu Magazine*, provides an opportune moment to consider the gradual emergence of no-gi submission grappling as a distinct competitive discipline, separate from its gi-focused counterpart. While the IBJJF World Championships have featured a no-gi division since 2007, and ADCC has, of course, been exclusively no-gi since its inception in 1998, the early 2010s saw a particular acceleration in the development of specialized no-gi techniques and competitive circuits.

One could argue that the period from roughly 2010 to 2014 was a pivotal time for no-gi to find its unique identity. Prior to this, many top no-gi competitors were often gi specialists who adapted their game. However, the rise of organizations like Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI), which began in 2014 and explicitly embraced an "all submissions, no points" ruleset, alongside the increasing prominence of ADCC, encouraged a new generation of athletes to focus almost exclusively on no-gi grappling. This era saw a marked increase in the application of leg locks, particularly heel hooks, which had been present in some form for decades but gained widespread acceptance and technical refinement among a broader competitive base during this time, partly due to figures like John Danaher and his students.

The ruleset differences between gi and no-gi, and even between various no-gi organizations, have profoundly shaped athletic development. For instance, the IBJJF’s continued restriction on heel hooks for brown and black belts, even in no-gi, stands in contrast to ADCC and EBI, where they are central to strategy. This divergence has, by reputation, fostered two somewhat distinct pathways for professional grapplers: those who prioritize the IBJJF circuit and its associated techniques, and those who lean into the submission-only, often leg-lock-heavy, landscape of organizations like ADCC, WNO, and, historically, EBI. The Bruse-Rocha rematch, presumably under a ruleset permitting a broader array of submissions than traditional IBJJF no-gi, implicitly highlights this ongoing evolution.

It prompts a broader question: given the increasing specialization and divergence in rulesets and preferred techniques, will the highest levels of gi and no-gi grappling eventually produce entirely separate talent pools with minimal overlap?

The assertion by Mat Historian, regarding the "gradual emergence of no-gi submission grappling as a distinct competitive discipline, separate from its gi-focused counterpart," is a useful starting point for discussing the competitive landscape that figures like Amanda Bruse and Jasmine Rocha navigate. However, it may be more accurate to characterize this separation not as a gradual, organic divergence, but as a series of specific, sometimes even reactive, organizational efforts and rule set innovations that actively carved out a space for no-gi.

While the IBJJF, founded in 1994 by Carlos Gracie Jr., indeed codified a dominant gi-centric ruleset that shaped competitive jiu-jitsu for decades, no-gi's distinct identity was significantly bolstered by entities that deliberately offered an alternative. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Fighting World Championship, which held its inaugural event in 1998, represents a critical inflection point. Its ruleset, famously developed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, explicitly prioritized submission over points in later rounds and, crucially, prohibited the use of the gi. This wasn't merely a casual omission; it was a foundational principle designed to foster a different type of grappling engagement, one that would arguably favor athletes from wrestling backgrounds as much as, if not more than, traditional gi practitioners in its early iterations.

Further defining moments in no-gi's trajectory include the EBI (Eddie Bravo Invitational) ruleset, which gained prominence in the 2010s, particularly after its first event in 2014. EBI's overtime system, designed to guarantee a winner through pre-determined submission attempts from the back or spiderweb position, further pushed the boundaries of what competitive no-gi could look like, moving away from the more conservative point systems prevalent in other organizations. These developments, from the ADCC's explicit no-gi stance to EBI's submission-only emphasis, illustrate that the "distinct competitive discipline" of no-gi was not an inevitable outcome, but rather a cultivated environment shaped by specific rules and organizational philosophies that often stood in direct contrast to the established gi meta.

Considering the careers of contemporary athletes like Bruse and Rocha, who compete under no-gi rulesets at events such as the Main Character Invitational, it becomes evident that this specialized environment has enabled the development of highly specific skill sets and strategies. This raises an interesting question: to what extent has the current technical evolution of no-gi, characterized by advanced leg lock entries and back take systems, been a direct response to these specific, often submission-oriented, rulesets rather than a natural, untethered progression of grappling technique?