On August 22, 2015 Varna, Bulgaria was host to the 2015 Combat Wrestling World Championships. Athletes from thirteen countries travelled to match their skills against one another. There were national qualifiers in each country and as a result each competitor was a national champion in his own right.
Combat Wrestling is similar to no-gi Sambo. Big differences from Brazilian Jiujitsu include disallowance of crossed ankles including in the guard and the back and guard pulling is prohibited. Rounds are based on points, submission, or a 12 point mercy. Pinning is acceptable but only once during a match. Reaping, compressions and slices are legal.
Noteworthy Combat Wrestling competitors include Masakazu Imanari and Takanori Gomi. This year’s World Championship brought out competitors from many disciplines including Judo, Sambo, Roman Greco Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Noteworthy competitors included Roli Delgado (BJJ), Okatomo Yuki (Greco Roman Wrestling), Kamen Georgiev (MMA), Boris Velichkov (Sambo) and Nural Nazmiev (Freestyle Wrestling).
Having only a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and limited formal wrestling experience, Matthew Kaiser of Victoria BC, Canada fought for the 74 Kg (163 lbs.) world title. He beat a tough opponent, Karl Mifsud of Malta in the semifinals with a tight ankle lock. For the finals, purple belt Kaiser was not favored to win against second degree Brazilian jiu Jitsu black belt Roli Delgado of USA. Delgado shot a hard, quick inside leg trip takedown and landed inside Kaiser’s guillotine choke. Kaiser capitalized and ended the match due to a submission that resulted in unconsciousness for Delgado.
We interviewed Matthew Kaiser about his experience.
Here’s a highlight Kaiser put together of his trip to Varna, Bulgaria:
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