What is combat jiu-jitsu (CJJ)?

It’s a form of no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu that allows for open palm strikes when on the ground.

It was invented by the founder 10th Planet, Eddie Bravo in 2013.

In this short article, I’ll explain the origins of Combat Jiu-Jitsu, it’s rules, and more.

“Combat jiu-jitsu is a really interesting concept. At the beginning, I was like this sound silly. But now, I’m like this is f***ing great. When guys are in 50-50 or when they’re diving on heel hooks, and there face right there — guys are getting TKO’d. I’ve watched quite a few TKOs with just palm strikes to the face. You’re getting smashed from the top. And you realize, hey, you can’t just grab legs when this guy has full use of his hands and he’s standing over you. You’re realizing what things are actually practical.”
–Joe Rogan

What Is Combat Jiu-Jitsu?

Combat Jiu-Jitsu is BJJ that allows you to use open-hand palm strikes against your opponent when on the ground.

Eddie Bravo was inspired by the way Brazilians used to train BJJ.

He started it so that BJJ could integrate more realistic forms of self-defense into the sport.

“The traditional jiu-jitsu practitioners should embrace combat jiu-jitsu. It’s the way Brazilians use to train. It’s a giant step towards realism. It’s jiu-jitsu data for MMA.”
-Eddie Bravo

Competitive CJJ matches first began during the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) in 2017.

Then, in 2018, the first Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds took place. It was a tournament that consisted of only CJJ matches.

Since then, many Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds events have taken place. The last one was in December of 2024 in Cancun, Mexico.

In 2019, Gordan Ryan was slated to fight Febricio Verdum in CJJ, but the fight never came to fruition.

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Rules

Here are the rules for CJJ:

• When you are on the ground, you can strike your opponent with open-handed palm strikes.
• It is a submission only match: you can only win by submission, and there is no decision.
• If you’re on the ground and on your back, you can kick up at your standing opponent.
• If you and your opponent are both standing for too long (1 minute or longer), the referee will make you start wrestling from the ground.
• CJJ matches are 10 minutes in length.
• Up to 3 overtime rounds of 10 minutes are allowed.
• If there is no submission or technical knock-out in the first three rounds, the match is decided by EBI overtime rules.

As far as the BJJ rules go, it follows a similar format to Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) ruleset.

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Gear

Looking for CJJ gear? 10th Planet has you covered.

They’ve got ranked BJJ rash guards:

And casual CJJ T shirts:

If you wear these in your gym, prepared to get slapped!

Takeaway Thoughts

As an assistant BJJ instructor and BJJ hobbyist of several years, I’ve never tried CJJ yet.

Someday, I’d like to try it. It would be a fun way to make BJJ feel more like a real fight.

Have you tried CJJ? How did it feel? Did it feel more like “real fight”?

Join the discussion and let me know your thoughts or questions below.

Happy rolling. 🤙

Tsavo Neal

Tsavo is the founder of BJJ Equipment, author of BJJ For Beginners, creator of the BJJ Missions app, and a brown belt instructor at InFighting. He launched BJJ Equipment to help grapplers at every belt level train smarter, make faster progress, and find the best gear for their game.