No-gi shoulder injuries usually come from three sources: a kimura or americana you resisted too long, an underhook loaded wrong in a scramble, or a hard fall onto an outstretched arm during a takedown. Most are rotator cuff strains or AC joint sprains that heal in two to eight weeks with rest and graduated rehab,…
The body lock takedown is a no-gi clinch technique where you wrap both arms around your opponent’s torso, clasp your hands low around their hips, and use hip pressure and a trip or lift to put them on the mat. It requires no leg grab, which makes it the lowest-risk takedown against the guillotine, and…
Polaris 40 headlines a lightweight title rematch between Garry Tonon and Sam McNally on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at Southampton Central Hall, live on FloGrappling. McNally beat Tonon 3-0 on points in the opening round of the 2022 ADCC World Championships — the single biggest upset of that tournament. Four years and a full MMA…
The no-gi calendar never slows down, and this week it was the grassroots side of the sport that stole headlines instead of the usual superfight drama. Two separate ADCC-branded opens packed mats on opposite coasts of North America, a Polish heel-hook specialist locked in his next target in Rome, a Japanese debutant made a loud…
No-gi knee injuries fall into three main buckets: ACL tears (usually from heel hooks or knee reaping, 9-12 months back to full rolling, surgery in most active grapplers), MCL sprains (lateral pressure in leg entanglement, 2 weeks to 6 months depending on grade), and meniscus tears (twisting under load, slower-onset swelling and joint-line locking instead…
Rib injuries in no-gi grappling are usually caused by body lock pressure passing or hard bridging under an opponent’s weight, and they fall into three tiers: bruises and intercostal strains (2-4 weeks), costochondral separation (8-12 weeks), and fractures (4-6 weeks but slower if you keep training through them). The real mistake isn’t the injury —…
Turf toe in BJJ is a sprain or partial tear of the big toe’s base joint (the 1st MTP joint), caused when the toe gets forced upward past its normal range during a scramble, bridge, or forward roll. Grade 1 sprains heal in about a week with taping and rest, Grade 2 needs 3-6 weeks…
UFC BJJ 13 takes place October 29, 2026 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and it’s the first UFC BJJ card in the promotion’s two-year history with both titles on the line sitting vacant. William Tackett fights Jay Rodriguez for the middleweight belt Ronaldo Junior gave up to injury, and Jalen Fonacier meets UFC BJJ…
The long step pass no-gi works by pinning one of your opponent’s legs between your knees from the headquarters position, then stepping your free leg in a wide arc around their hips while they can’t grip your rashguard to stop it. You finish by driving your trail knee to the mat and pinning their far…
Weight cutting no-gi means dropping water weight in the days before a tournament to compete in a lower division, then rehydrating before the first match. Done safely, the acute cut stays under 3-5% of body weight and relies on water loading and sodium manipulation, not saunas or diuretics. ADCC’s 2026 move to day-before weigh-ins gave…
Kesa gatame — the scarf hold — is a side-control pin where you trap your opponent’s head under one arm and their near wrist against your ribs, legs splayed wide for a low base. In no-gi it works through body weight and head control instead of gi grips, which is why judo players, wrestlers, and…
Gordon Ryan says Grok AI helped him treat a staph infection without antibiotics, a judo historian pushes back on his persona, Masaki Takeura submits via heel hook in his ONE debut, ADCC’s Open series spans five countries in a week, and Cesalina Gracie credits jiu-jitsu with saving her life on Everest.