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MMA Fighters Smoke Weed Together Before Fighting At BJJ Tournament

MMA Fighters Smoke Weed Before Fighting At Los Angeles Tournament

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MMA Fighters Smoke Weed Together Before Fighting At BJJ Tournament

Gregory Costa/Pixabay

MMA Fighters Smoke Weed Together Before Fighting At BJJ Tournament

No drug testing here. These MMA fighters smoked weed during a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, competing for an incredible prize.

All fighters must smoke weed before competing in this MMA tournament. High Rollerz, a California-based Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu weed, held a submission only competition this past weekend with a sought-after prize: a whole pound of marijuana, worth between $3,000 and 4,000.

A Brief History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Marijuana

Some say that the majority of professional athletes, from jiu-jitsu competitors to football players, take marijuana in some form. Most use cannabis as an anti-inflammatory. CBD, when used as a topical, can soothe athletes’ aches and pains.

But in Jui-Jitsu, marijuana use goes beyond a medical topical: Fights often smoke weed to prepare for a fight. According to Joe Rogan, UFC commentator and marijuana user, “More UFC fighters smoke pot than don’t smoke pot.”

For some athletes, this means smoking weed to relax pre-fight nerves. Others, liked famed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor Eddie Bravo, uses it to fight more creatively.

Despite the relationship between martial arts, or sports in general, and weed, sports organizations continue to bar athletes who fail drug tests. Last year, UFC Strawweight Cynthia Calvillo received a 9-month ban for testing positive for THC. Before her, UFC fighter Nate Diaz received a whopping $165,000 fine and 5-year suspension.

Cannabis Friendly BBJ Fighters and Competed and Attended

On Sunday, High Rollerz held the lastest marijuana-infused Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Los Angeles. PR firm manager and weed connoisseur Matt Staudt, known as Mighty Matt, and Lonn Howard, Big Lonn, hosted the event. “I’d say half the tournament were pro fighters,” Mighty Matt told Green Rush Daily.

Eddie Bravo, the face of marijuana for Jui-Jitsu refereed. Nick Diaz, older brother to Nate Diaz, was present at the BJJ tournament, only a few weeks after the police arrested him for domestic violence.

In the last fight of his career, Jeff Glover beat Georgi Karakhanyan. “We agreed it would be in the spirit of things, to split the pound of weed 70/30,” Glover posted on Instagram before the fight. “We ended up giving a half pound and a custom rig to every person who won,” Matt added.

MMA Fighters Smoked Weed Before (and During) Matches

“The nature of the event was to destigmatize cannabis and provide the platform for athletics, jiu-jitsu specifically, and cannabis to merge,” said Mighty Matt. This meant that all the competitors smoked up before their matches.

At one point, two competitors were threatening to turn a match into a real fight. To calm everyone down, the referee passed around a joint, and the crowd went wild.

High Rollerz Is Bringing Weed and BBJ Together

This is only the beginning for marijuana-infused Jiu-Jitsu. In a couple weeks, Staudt Agency, headed by CEO Matt Staudt, will host a no-gi jiu-jitsu tournament that will include female fighters. “It was a passion project,” said Mighty Matt, who sees cannabis-themed events as the future for changing the perception of athletes who use marijuana.

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