10th Planet Jiu Jitsu – MMA Gym
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Year Established: | 2003 |
| Founder: | Eddie Bravo |
| Head Coach: | Eddie Bravo |
| Notable Title Wins: | UFC Interim Lightweight Championship |
How was 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu established?
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu was established by Eddie Bravo in 2003. Before opening his own gym, Eddie went to compete at that year’s ADCC tournament in Brazil.
At the tournament he had the match of his life beating all time great competitor Royler Gracie. Beating him using his patented rubber guard to set up a triangle choke.
Upon returning to the US, Bravo’s coach Jean Jaques Machado awarded him with his black belt. This would lead him to opening his own school 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in Los Angeles.
10th Planet is more known for their Jiu Jitsu competitors, but they have produced numerous UFC fighters.
Eddie Bravo
The mastermind behind 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu and its system is Eddie Bravo. He came up with the entire rubber guard system that he specifically made for MMA.
Bravo’s thought process was that by using the rubber guard a fighter could keep their opponent’s posture broken and block their strikes. Then with their posture broken, a fighter could land numerous submissions.
At first, Eddie was faced with backlash from BJJ traditionalists, but he found his niche. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu techniques are commonly taught within No-Gi Jiu Jitsu and MMA.
Eddie has coached a number of MMA fighters including former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson.
10th Planet Coaches
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is an affiliation, so it’s harder to list the coaches since there are several across the world. Here are some of the more prominent coaches that run 10th Planet gyms.
Ritchie/Geo Martinez
The Martinez brothers run 10th Planet Freaks in San Diego, California. They are two of the best No-Gi grapplers in the world and routinely compete in professional grappling shows.
Before they learned Jiu Jitsu under Eddie Bravo, they were professional breakdancers. They translated their athleticism and flexibility from breakdancing to Jiu Jitsu and have won multiple titles. Including a combined 5 EBI titles.
Nathan Orchard
Nathan Orchard runs 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Seattle and is another one of the best grapplers in the world. Before he went into just competitive grappling, Orchard fought MMA and gained a record of 2-0.
He then retired from MMA to coach and compete full time in Jiu Jitsu. On top of competing in Jiu Jitsu, he routinely competes in combat Jiu Jitsu events that Eddie holds annually.
Ben Eddy
Ben Eddy is the 2nd in charge behind Eddie Bravo at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu headquarters in LA. He is known for being a phenomenal coach and a competitive athlete.
He routinely helps the MMA fighters at 10th Planet headquarters, while preparing for his own competitions. Eddy is now a fixture on combat Jiu Jitsu events. Having nearly won the last tournament this year.
Notable 10th Planet Fighters
10th Planet is more known for their Jiu Jitsu, but they have produced high level MMA fighters. Including one interim champion and 2 TUF series winners that have fought for championships.
Tony Ferguson
By far the most notable MMA fighter to come out of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is Tony Ferguson. Tony accumulated a 10-2 record before getting on the The Ultimate Fighter 13 series.
Ferguson would go on to win the show and earn a contract in 2011. In his decade with the UFC, Ferguson has had an amazing run.
From 2013-2019, Ferguson would win 11 fights in a row boosting his record to 25-3. In that time, Ferguson would win the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship before sustaining a devastating knee injury.
Kelvin Gastelum
Another one of the most known 10th Planet MMA fighters is TUF winner and title contender Kelvin Gastelum. Gastelum got on the Jones vs Sonnen TUF season when he was only 5 fights into his career.
He would stun the audience as he edged out a split decision against season favorite Uriah Hall in the finale. After winning the season, Gastelum would continue winning, beating his next 5 opponents.
Kelvin would then go through a rough patch with his weight and be forced to move up to middleweight. But once he became focused he would get back to his winning ways. Including knocking out 2 former champions in Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort.
One of his best moments came against Israel Adesanya in their interim title bout. He would lose a decision, but would gain immense respect with fight of the night honors.
Kelvin continues to be a top 10 fighter in the middleweight division and never turns down a fight.
Alan Joubain
The recently retired Alan Joubain was a standout UFC welterweight that came from 10th Planet. Jouain is also a brown belt under Eddie Bravo.
During his career, Joubain would go 17-7. Having 13 of those fights within the UFC that would span from 2014-2020.
Joubain would earn a 8-5 record before deciding to retire in 2021. He is now a full time broadcaster covering UFC events at ESPN.
Ben Saunders
Former TUF contestant has had two stints in the UFC spanning from 2007-2019. During that time, Ben would also fight in Bellator where he would make it to the welterweight tournament finals twice.
Ben was the first ever fighter to win by omoplata in the UFC in 2014 against Chris Heatherly. What made the win sweeter was this being his returning fight in the UFC after being in Bellator for 3 years.
Saunders is currently a free agent that has not fought since 2019 pre Covid-19.
The legacy of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
Eddie Bravo and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu have carved out a path all their own in the combat sports world. At first, their style of Jiu Jitsu was questioned, but since then have silenced all their doubters. Now 10th Planet has grown immensely and has gyms all over the world.
Bravo and his crew have also proven that the can produce some of the best MMA fighters in the world. He has already realized his dreams for 10th Planet, but Eddie would look to train more champions in the future .
