After a short interruption to our schedule (thanks, jiu-jitsu flu) we are back and we recap the major topics and best performances from the world of jiu-jitsu in 2025.  Topics of discussion include: • Big money cash prizes from CJI and AIGA, but whether it's sustainable or not• ADCC's weird "in-between year" • The proliferation of team jiu-jitsu events (best for entertainment?) • The feeling that superfights just aren't so super any more • How UFC BJJ wasn't the big industry shake-up people we so worried about • Gi participation numbers are up, but nobody seems to care • The growth of jiu-jitsu in emerging countries and regions• The return of ACB, the Russian powerhouse BJJ event series • The competitors and athletes that impressed us most in 2025 • Which trends we're predicting in 2026  Episode 13 of Unknown Pressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.  Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst.  Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a    Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures/ Follow Matt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.benyon Follow Hywel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hywelteague 

Hollywood has made some great films about fighting, but few about MMA and none at all about jiu-jitsu. In this episode Hywel and Matt discuss 2025 movie The Smashing Machine, which stars The Rock and Emily Blunt and tells the story of the infamous Mark Kerr, former UFC and ADCC champion. We question why Hollywood hasn't embraced jiu-jitsu despite it's popularity, how a series of influential BJJ documentaries inspired a generation of grapplers, and Hywel gives an update on the controversial Red Belts documentary. Episode 12 of @UnknownPressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else. Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst. Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts: Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a  Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures/ Follow Matt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.benyon Follow Hywel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hywelteague 

Matt and Hywel are back from their travels and have much to discuss, including: what it's like to train with leglock legend Imanari, what makes Helena Crevar so unique among pro grapplers, how a brand new gi brand has come out of nowhere to land a monster contact, and why UFC BJJ needs to start telling compelling stories. In addition to stories of eating ridiculous amounts of delicious Japanese dumplings, we discuss: - How Matt's brand has quietly positioned itself as a leader in South Korea thanks to a very industrious local licensee - Why a multi-billion dollar company is investing in pro jiu-jitsu in Brazil - How an unknown apparel manufacturer came out of nowhere to land one of the biggest contracts in all of jiu-jitsu - The business model that powers pro events - Why story telling is so integral to capturing audience's attention - The professionalism of a young athlete that should act as inspiration for all pros Episode 11 of @UnknownPressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else. Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst. Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts: Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a  Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures/ Follow Matt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.benyon Follow Hywel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hywelteague 

Superstar competitor Helena Crevar is known as much for her distinctive look as she is for her incredible jiu-jitsu skills. In this interview Helena talks about her competition mindset, how she manages her personal brand, what she learns from (very occasionally) losing, and her plans for the future.

Welcome back, friends. Polaris 34, aka the Squads Final, was non-stop action and you should definitely watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. As for your hosts, Hywel was uncharacteristically sat doing nothing except watching some great matches while Matt was running around and being stressed. In this episode we discuss the standout moments fro Polaris’s last ever event on UFC Fight Pass, and talk about the exciting opportunities now they’re moving to FloGrappling.

The recent Quintet 5 event in Dubai saw the long awaited return of Japan’s coolest and most iconic grappling show. There were some great matches, some weird cultural dynamics between the Arabic and Japanese organizers, but the overall atmosphere was an authentic Quintet show just like the old days. We also discuss the upcoming Polaris Squads event, which will see Team Europe go against Team Asia & Oceania.

Matt is back from the Scramble training camp in Spain so we talked about our training stories (good and bad), plus discuss the upcoming Quintet 5 grappling event in Dubai, which features some legends of the most epic era of Japanese MMA.

Mikey opens up about the criticism he faces from the jiu-jitsu world, discusses his desire to see new stars created in the sport, and even discusses the two hot topics of autism and steroids.

Steroids in BJJ, what you need to do to get sponsored, and whether the gi is dying... We opened up our inbox to questions from listeners and in episode 5 of Unknown Pressures we give our professional opinions on the state of BJJ in 2025.

The UFC recently created a brand new jiu-jitsu event called UFC BJJ. Dana White has promised millions of dollars of investment, and Hywel and Matt discuss the implications for the grappling community.

Matt talks about the evolution of Polaris over the past decade, and the many challenges faced in organizing an international grappling event, and how Polaris created a sustainable business model while other events came and went.

Matt and Hywel discuss the Trials and give their take on the Europeans who qualified, and share some of their stories from behind the scenes of man y of the ADCC World Championships they’ve been to.

Matt Benyon and Hywel Teague discuss the recent controversies around the Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) event, as well as the problems with matches under the submission-only ruleset, the growth of UFC BJJ and more.