EBI 21: The Absolutes full card lineup and preview
Check out the participants competing in the talent-stacked EBI 21: The Absolutes this Sunday, June 2 in Austin, TX.
Ten years to the day of its inaugural event, the Eddie Bravo Invitational returns to its roots with a traditional EBI ruleset bracket contested in the absolute division.
On June 2, 2014, the Eddie Bravo Invitational debuted with two 16-man brackets contested in the Featherweight and Welterweight divisions. In the featherweight finals, Geo Martinez defeated Jeff Glover via ride time in overtime. Garry Tonon submitted Geo’s brother Richie Martinez via inside heel hook in the welterweight finals.
EBI 21 will be the fourth absolute tournament in the promotion’s history. EBI 6 was one of the early breakout performances in Gordon Ryan’s career as he won his first of four EBI crowns. AT EBI 14, Gordon Ryan won another absolute crown. He defeated Craig Jones in one of the most exhilarating jiu-jitsu matches in history. Just one event ago, EBI 20 saw Nick Rodriguez defeat Kyle Boehm via RNC in overtime to win his first EBI title.
New Wave jiu-jitsu product Daniel Manasoui looms large in this bracket. A towering figure, Manasoui has an incredibly dangerous and well-rounded game. Manasoui is a two-time ADCC trials champion and ADCC world championships veteran.
His New Wave teammate Giancarlo Bodoni is looking for redemption at EBI 21. At EBI 20, Bodoni defeated Austin Baker in the first round but was forced to withdraw due to injury. The 2022 -88kg ADCC world champion is adept at passing and exposing back attacks. Bodoni excels in overtime as he is able to rack up ride time while he hunts submissions.
Two-time combat jiu-jitsu Middleweight world champion Ryan Aitken is a dark horse threat in this bracket. A dynamic finisher, it will be interesting to see his jiu-jitsu on display in the traditional EBI format.
EBI 21: The Absolutes lineup
- Daniel Manasoiu
- Ryan Aitken
- Giancarlo Bodoni
- Calon Sabino
- Declan Moody
- Austin Baker
- Jesseray Childrey
- Franco Pana
- Romulado Lucas
- Ramiro Leon
- Joshua Leduc
- Amir Allam
- Abraham La Montagne
- Adrian Nez
- Brandon George
- Fedor Nikolov
Special Matches
- Musab Raza vs. Sean Magnus
- Sean McCleary vs. Robert Randall
- Ally Wolsky vs. Laren Sears
How to watch: EBI 21: The Absolutes takes place on Sunday, June 2, and will air live on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required) at 8:00 PM ET.
