Ruleset
Submission Only
The umbrella for pure submission-only formats (Kasai, Subversiv, Finishers, and similar): no points, finish or draw/decision.
How the ruleset works
Submission-only is less one ruleset than a family: no points, no advantages, and a match that only truly ends with a tap. Promotions in this family (Kasai, Subversiv, Finishers Sub Only, Third Coast Grappling and others) differ in what happens when nobody finishes: some use judges, some use overtime formats borrowed from EBI, some accept draws.
We group these events together because the competitive incentives are the same: submission hunting over positional maintenance.
At a glance
- Attire
- Varies by event
- Format
- Submission-only (varies by promotion)
- Overtime
- Varies (EBI-style, judges, or draws)
- Time limit
- Varies
- Submissions
- Generally everything legal
What wins under Submission Only rules
Most active under Submission Only rules
Lucas Barbosa
19 matches
Renato Canuto
17 matches
William Tackett
15 matches
Roberto Jimenez
15 matches
Aaron Johnson
14 matches
Fellipe Andrew
13 matches
Craig Jones
13 matches
Nicole Mathew
13 matches
Vagner Rocha
12 matches
Pedro Marinho
12 matches
Rankings across every ruleset live on the stats page and the BJJ Elo rankings.
Biggest Submission Only events
Match records
| Fighters | Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Flores | def. | Nick Digiacomo | Heel Hook | 2025 Finishers Fall Classic | |
| Madeleine Avila | def. | Vanessa Comeau | Decision | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Gabriella Bermudez | def. | Alysa Couce | Rear Naked Choke | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| George Whitehead | def. | Ezra Outlaw | Decision | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Nicholas Willey | def. | Jack Reynolds | Kneebar | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Elijah Flores | def. | Savion Marañon | Submission | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Asher May | def. | Steven Eisner | Kneebar | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Jack Sudduth | def. | Nate Chappell | Arm Triangle Choke | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Cory Kennedy | def. | William Keith Highfield Jr | Rear Naked Choke | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Jonathan Lopez | def. | Thomas Salas | Kimura | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Nick Digiacomo | def. | Efrain Garcia | Decision | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| My Bao Nguyen | def. | Nicole Bye | Armbar | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Derin Yusufi | def. | Jordan Juliano | Split Decision | Finishers: Summer Bash 4 | |
| Nick Cashdollar | def. | Alejandro Villalobos | Split Decision | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Sid Tavolaro | def. | Yorgos Vassilou | Armbar | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Lucas Jones | def. | Jack Sudduth | Choke | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Logan Hicks | def. | Nick Cashdollar | Submission | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Kevin Miller | def. | Ben Smith | Choke | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Jonathan Lopez | def. | Brandon Bigelow | Heel Hook | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank | |
| Nick Digiacomo | def. | Roberto Vargas | Decision | 2025 Finishers Money in the Bank |
