EBI 4 champion Eddie Cummings will be replaced in the sixth edition of the Eddie Bravo Invitational by Team Renzo Gracie teammate Gordon Ryan. Cummings previously dropped out of EBI 5 this past December and was replaced by training partner Garry Tonon, who went on to win the event on two-week’s notice. Ryan, a 20-year old native of Monroe Township, New Jersey, has trained under the guidance of three-time EBI champion and EBI 6 entrant Garry Tonon since he was in high school.The teacher and student have a potential match-up in the semi-finals of the 16-man, single elimination, submission-only tournament.
Ryan has quickly ascended from prospect to star over the past year as he went from purple belt to black belt after numerous tournament and super fight victories. His list of championships includes the Brown Belt NoGi World Championship, Grapplers Quest championship, PGL championship, and NAGA World Championship. He also owns super fight victories over former UFC heavyweight Carmelo Marrero, Enrico Cocco, Devhonte Johnson, and Nathan Orchard. Additionally, Ryan finished second at the 2015 ADCC North American Trials. He was recently awarded his black belt from Tonon, Tom DeBlass, and John Danaher.
His addition into EBI 6 establishes an intriguing student vs. teacher story line if he and Tonon both advance into the semi-finals. Tonon and Ryan are close friends who have trained thousands of hours together at Brunswick BJJ, Renzo Gracie HQ, Ocean County BJJ, Dante Rivera BJJ, and Ricardo Almeida BJJ. After helping each other prepare for numerous competitions, they know each other’s games inside and out. Tonon faced a similar situation at EBI 3 when he faced training partner Eddie Cummings in the semi-finals, which he won in regulation by submission.
EBI 6th takes place this Sunday, April 24th starting at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST from the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Tickets for the event are available at Ticketmaster and the event can be watched live on UFC Fight Pass.
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