The Eddie Bravo Invitational 18, EBI 18, is set to take place Sunday, December 09, 2018. EBI 18 will occur inside the Onnit Academy located in Austin, Texas. The event can be seen on Pay-Per-View through www.ebiofficial.com or watch on UFC Fight Pass at 8:00 pm EST/7: 00 pm CST. The crowning of a strawweight queen will take place. One of those competitors set with their sites on the title is “Harley Quinn” Fiona Watson.
Introduction to BJJ
Watson’s introduction to BJJ came one of the “BJJ Dirty Dozen” Professor Gazzy Parman. The “BJJ Dirty Dozen” referred to the first 12 women in BJJ outside of Brazil to receive their black belt. “I got introduced to BJJ by my first professor Gazzy Parman. She taught me my foundations and gave me a strong understanding of the dedication involved. She also introduced me to the competition scene,” Watson told MMA Sucka. “When my time with her came to an end, I went to a couple other academies but it never felt like home to me until I met my current professor, Macio Bittencourt.”
Bittencourt is a fourth-degree black belt, receiving his black belt from Fernando “Boi” Marques, an Andre Pederneiras protégé. “I’ve been training under his [Bittencourt] close guidance for the past six years. He really developed my fundamentals with his old school mentality. He took me to the next level as far as competing at the black belt level,” Watson stated. Strength coach Jared Forestieri and recovery coach Kevin Rupinski were also credited by Watson. Above all, her mother is probably her biggest supporter.
“I also give a huge amount of credit to my mother for always dealing with my crazy schedule and helping me stay on track mentally during the big tournaments and super-fights. She’s been my biggest fan and she’s been my rock during the difficult training camps,” Watson stated.
EBI Stage
The EBI stage provides a platform for jiu-jitsu practitioners to showcase their skill on a large scale. UFC Fight Pass has been a valuable tool to spread not only MMA but jiu-jitsu as well. With MMA still truly in its infancy compared to other popular sports, the individual aspects of MMA such as jiu-jitsu are still to gain momentum with casual fans. Currently, EBI has two women’s divisions with champions, flyweight and bantamweight.
“I’m super excited to be on the EBI stage again especially since it’s on UFC Fight Pass. It brings a lot of exposure to my career, my academy, and it’s always thrilling to be recognized on something that so many people will be watching,” Watson told MMA Sucka. Watson previously competed at EBI 12 in July 2017 which was eventually won by Invicta FC fighter Erin Blanchfield in the female flyweight division.
“Fans can expect me to be entertaining. My very technical submission only game always give the fans excitement,” Watson said. “I love to go for submissions from upper body to lower body and of course I’ll be dressed up as Harley Quinn on the stage.” This Sunday, December 09, 2018 on UFC Fight Pass at 8:00 pm EST/7: 00 pm CST EBI 18 will take place so make sure to catch all the action.
