(REGISTRATION OPEN TIL FEB. 9)
Last August, Ralph Gracie’s beloved and unorthodox head instructor, Kurt Osiander, debuted a submission only event unlike any other, with his first “KO Finisher” series in San Francisco. Next week, his KO crew packs up and heads to the Los Angeles area to host the event’s second installment at the Business Expo Center in Anaheim, CA on Sunday, February 16th.
The tournament uses round-robin format brackets for white, blue and purple belt adult male and female divisions, including absolute divisions for each belt. As for the advanced belts, an 8-man absolute bracket for brown and black belt divisions is in place. The 8-man super fight brackets include recognizable competitor talent from some of California’s top academies. BudoVideos.com will be live at the event to record and provide commentary for the day’s super fights.
Aside from the unique submission-only format, what stands out most about Osiander's tournament is the variety of sponsorships the team has garnered. The winner of each brown and black belt bracket goes home with $800 and $1,200, respectively! Aside from a “swag” bag for the first 100 competitors who sign up, the lower belt division prizes include: Shoyoroll gis, BudoVideos gift certificates, Forza 300 rash guards and Porrada Gear apparel packages (t-shirt and beanie). The fastest submission and best submission of the day each take home a Lucky Gi (Competitors must submit footage to the KO team by March 1st).
Some of the prizes we are offering at the KO finisher!
The KO Finisher Series has partnered with the Hip Hop Chess Federation (HHCF), on a co-event including a “Mind over matter” discussion panel, which shows the similarities shared between chess and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A portion of the spectator revenues goes towards inner city youth programs for chess by HHCF. The HHCF will showcase a speed chess tournament with a guest appearance by the RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, who will defend his title.
RZA of the Wutang Clan
There’s still time to get in the KO tourney! Registration for the KO Finisher 2.0 is open through SUNDAY Feb. 9th. $80 per Division or $100 Division + Absolute
Q&A with Kurt Osiander:
When did you come up with the idea and why the submission-only format?
Ralph used to put us to train like this format-- short and aggressive rounds. We needed to go for the finish. With a short round, urgency and submission only, it’s a lot more exciting. I was always taught to go for the finish.
Why LA for KO Finisher 2.0.?
There are a lot of tournaments already in LA, but the crew thought it was the best place next because there are many people who train and compete down there. They thought there were many people who’d jump in to compete in the area. I want to grow it here (in CA) first before we go on the road elsewhere. My team is in charge of our logistics and I’m here for the ride!
You refereed the super fights at the first event, what will your role be this installment?
Same thing. I want to get in there and get my hands dirty, I want to do even more each event.
How do you feel about the super fight brackets… Any “big” names in there? Anyone you’d like to see compete in your event down the road?
We are stacked in the brown and black belt divisions. The talent is really up there. Some big time guys out there have big egos and want things handed to them on a silver platter. I like the high level of talent we have with this group of guys competing next week. And it will be exciting to have BudoVideos there to record it for everyone to see.
Do you plan to have a women’s bracket or super fights in the future?
Yes, at the next one, we want to have at least female super fights. The women are becoming a bigger and bigger presence in jiu-jitsu and we want to showcase them.
What are your predictions for the super fight brackets?
Ahh no, I can’t be biased….There will be a tribunal who votes for the aggressor in the event of a no-submission match... We need this since one person has to advance to the next round. (Note- this does not apply to the white-purple belt divisions.)
What would you like to see for this event years down the road from now? ...i.e. location and frequency?
I want a ½ pipe, speed metal band and tattoo artist on site. A really cool event that everyone has something there they like. Extreme people, tattoos, live music -- all together. We had a suggestion for Las Vegas down the line, but we want it to be homegrown & strong first.
If you'd like to get in some extra training just before the KO finisher, we'll be offering a rare oppurtunity to train and learn with Kurt himself! Plus a once in a lifetime opportunity to train at Budo HQ! Seminar tickets can be purchased here:
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