Eddie Cummings - Top BJJ Submission Grappler

1. Eddie Cummings’s Details

2. Eddie Cummings’s Biography

Eddie Cummings is a well-known BJJ black belt who trained under the legendary coach John Danaher. He is one of the top fighters in Danaher’s Death Squad. Cummings helped revolutionize submission grappling by improving various submission positions like the ashi garami, heel hook, and saddle.

2.1. Eddie Cummings’s Early Childhood

Cummings was not an athletic kid in his childhood. He did not participate in sports. It was not until high school and college that Cummings played soccer, but he was still not interested in sports.

2.2. Interest in BJJ

In 2010, when Cummings was enrolled at Stony Brook University as a mathematics student, he was introduced to BJJ by one of his colleagues training under Matt Serra. Stony Brook University started holding jiu-jitsu classes in a basement room for sports. Cummings joined the jiu-jitsu club and started training at the age of 26.

2.3. First BJJ Coach Krishna Mirjah

At Stony Brook University, Cummings’s first BJJ coach was Krishna Mirjah. Mirjah was more inclined toward No-Gi BJJ. Under his training, Cummings also developed an interest in No-Gi BJJ. Mirjah also prepared Cummings to compete in tournaments. BJJ eventually became more than a hobby for Cummings. After demonstrating his BJJ skills in local tournaments, Cummings was promoted to blue belt by Mirjah.

2.4. Joined Renzo Gracie Academy

After training in jiu-jitsu for almost three years at SBU, Cummings wanted to join an official jiu-jitsu academy. To continue his BJJ training, he went to New York and joined Renzo Gracie Academy.

In New York, Cummings started studying physics and worked as a school lab tech before he became a professional grappler to pay for his expenses. He trained twice per day and became a regular student during his early jiu-jitsu days.

Here is a video of Cummings training at Renzo Gracie Academy with Garry Tonon.

2.5. Learned BJJ Under John Danaher

At Renzo Gracie Academy, Cummings continued his jiu-jitsu training under Danaher. When Cummings joined Renzo Gracie Academy as a blue belt, he had a decent grasp of leg locks. Danaher recognized Cummings’s expertise in leg locks and trained him further in this specialized field. Danaher turned the blue belt into a feared grappler, especially in submission grappling. Cummings competed and won various competitions under Danaher.

2.6. Joined Submission Grappler

Cummings decided to join submission grappling because of its purity and merits. According to him, a grappler reaches the heights of success due to their skills. A submission grappler has a lot of chances to execute their skills without taking advantage of the gi.

“I decided to make the switch from Jiu-Jitsu to submission grappling mostly because of the purity of the sport, the merit-based nature of it, as stressful as it is and you know it's a very unstable profession, to say the least. You know it's always being chased by injuries and issues and all sorts of problems. But we are only answerable to our own merits if we are skilled grapplers we succeed, if we are not skilled we won't. I like the competitive approach. You know I watched my training partner Garry Tonon come up through those ranks by competing and demonstrating his skill but mostly is making a name for himself in these you know sub-only events for the most part or local shows or big shows. That's what I'm planning on. I think that's the best way to demonstrate skill by beating other skilled grapplers on a big stage.”

2.7. Promoted to Black Belt

Cummings was promoted to black belt after his fabulous performance in various competitions. He received his black belt from Danaher in January 2015 in a record time of less than five years.

2.8. Two-Time Eddie Bravo Invitational Winner

Cummings is a two-time Eddie Bravo Invitational winner in 2015 and 2016 in the 145 lbs weight class. In EBI 4 and EBI 7, he won first place. In EBI 3, Cummings won a bronze medal, and in EBI 10, he ended up as the runner-up.

2.9. Nicknamed “Wolverine”

Cummings is also known as the “Wolverine.” He mentioned on his Instagram account,

“They ask me why people call me Wolverine. It’s because I am small, furry, and mean-spirited”

2.10. High Submission Rate

Cummings has a high submission rate, having won 21 out of 25 matches via submission. On the other hand, he lost only three matches, with only one being via submission. Cummings won nine matches with an inside heel hook and eight matches with an outside heel hook.

2.11. Helped Develop Various BJJ Techniques

Cummings also played a major role in the development of various BJJ techniques, including leg locks, ashi garami, outside heel hooks, inside heel hooks, escapes, and counters against leg locks. He has conducted seminars on ashi garami and there are instructional DVDs available on the market.

2.12. Eddie Bravo on Cummings’s Leg Locks

Eddie Bravo has been impressed with Cummings’s leg locks, admitting that escaping from them is almost impossible. According to Bravo,

“Eddie Cummings is just ripping up the competition, it seems like very few people on the planet can survive his leg attacks. He is just one on an entirely different level from anyone else when it comes to leg locks. Eddie Cummings seems unstoppable, especially at 145 lbs. It’s going to be very hard to survive those leg attacks. Who wants Eddie Cummings? Hardly no one man. He is just ripping through the competition scene.”

3. Eddie Cummings’s Historic Fights

3.1. Eddie Cummings Vs. Corey Brown

Cummings faced Corey Brown at Grappler Quest All-Star 2015. Both fighters started in sitting positions. Brown tried to strangle Cummings's legs from the start to prevent Cummings from using his famous leg locks. When Brown tried to go for a mount, Cummings countered by putting pressure on his back and head.

When Brown tried to escape, Cummings took advantage of the opportunity to attempt his leg locks. First, Cummings wrapped Brown’s legs inside his legs and then pinned them with his arms. Cummings submitted Brown via an inside heel hook in one and a half minutes.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2015	Grappler Quest All-Star	Corey Brown	Win	Inside heel hook	N/A	155 lbs

3.2. Edward Cummings Vs. Walter Gomez

In the 2015 ADCC Trials, Cummings faced Walter Gomes in the finals of the -66 kg weight class. At the start of the match, both fighters tried to take each other down. Gomez actively grappled Cummings’s legs and took him down onto the mat. Cummings countered by grappling Gomez’s head and applied a full guard.

Cummings slowly moved his legs upward and tried to apply an armbar. Cummings submitted Gomez via an armbar and won the 2015 ADCC Trials finals.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2015	ADCC Trials	Walter Gomes	Win	Armbar	Final	-66 kg

3.3. Eddie Cummings Vs Chad George

Cummings faced Chad George in the EBI 7 quarterfinals. This was one of the most historic fights of Cummings’s career. The fight started with both fighters in sitting positions. As Cummings tried to grapple George’s arm, George tried to move away and escape. Cummings responded by grappling George’s leg and applying an inside heel hook. Cummings submitted Chad George within 22 seconds via an inside heel hook.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2016	EBI 7	Chad George	Win	Inside heel hook	4F	65 kg

3.4. Eddie Cummings Vs. Bill Cooper

Cummings faced Bill Cooper in the EBI 7 finals. Both fighters started in a sitting position. Cooper tried to strangle Cummings's leg to keep him from using leg locks but failed. Cooper once again tried to grapple Cummings’s leg to subdue him. Cummings used that leg to counter Cooper and shift into an advantageous position. Cummings applied his famous inside heel hook, submitted Cooper, and won the EBI 7 finals via submission.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2016	EBI 7	Bill Cooper	Win	Inside heel hook	F	65 kg

4. Eddie Cummings’s Main Achievements

4.1. Eddie Cummings’s International Achievements

Year	Event	Weight Division
2015	EBI 4	145 lbs
2015	ADCC US Coast East Trials	66 kg
2015	Polaris Invitational 2 Superfight	70 kg
2016	EBI 7	145 lbs

4.2. Eddie Cummings’s Main Achievements as Black Belt

Year	Event	Belt	Position
2015	EBI 4	Black Belt	1st
2015	ADCC US Coast East Trials	Black Belt	1st
2015	Polaris Invitational 2 Superfight	Black Belt	1st
2015	EBI 3	Black Belt	3rd
2016	EBI 7	Black Belt	1st
2016	EBI 10	Black Belt	2nd

5. Eddie Cummings’s Professional Record Break

5.1. Eddie Cummings’s Professional Record

29 Matches	25 Wins	3 Losses	1 Draw
By Points	0	0	0
By Advantages	0	0	0
By Submission	21	1	0
By Decision	4	0	0
By Penalties	0	1	0
By DQ	0	1	0
Draw	0	0	1

5.2. Method of Submission

Method	21 Wins	1 Losses
Inside Heel Hook	9	0
Outside Heel Hook	8	0
RNC	3	0
Armbar	1	0
Triangle Armbar	0	1

6. Eddie Cummings’s Fight History

Year	Competition	Opponent	W/L	Method	Weight	Stage
2015	Gracie Nationals	Dennis Prokopos	W	Outside heel hook	ABS	SPF
2015	ADCC US Trials	John Joseph	W	Outside heel hook	66KG	4F
2015	ADCC US Trials	Ruben Alvarez	W	Inside heel hook	66KG	SF
2015	ADCC US Trials	Walter Gomes	W	Armbar	66KG	F
2015	EBI 3	Lauri Karppinen	W	Outside heel hook	77KG	R1
2015	EBI 3	Enrico Cocco	W	Inside heel hook	77KG	4F
2015	EBI 3	Garry Tonon	L	Triangle armbar	77KG	SF
2015	EBI 4	Kevin Berbrich	W	Outside heel hook	65KG	R1
2015	EBI 4	Russ Miura	W	Outside heel hook	65KG	4F
2015	EBI 4	Baret Yoshida	W	Inside heel hook	65KG	SF
2015	EBI 4	Joe Soto	W	Inside heel hook	65KG	F
2015	ADCC	Asadulaev Surkhay	W	Outside heel hook	66KG	R1
2015	ADCC	Augusto Mendes	L	Pen	66KG	4F
2015	Polaris 2	Reilly Bodycomb	W	Inside heel hook	70KG	SPF
2016	Grappling Ind.	Mansher Khera	W	Referee Decision	ABS	SPF
2016	Polaris 3	Augusto Mendes	D	---	70KG	SPF
2016	PTL Sunday Open	Nathan Orchard	W	Outside heel hook	ABS	SPF
2016	EBI 7	Sergio Hernandez	W	RNC	65KG	R1
2016	EBI 7	Chad George	W	Inside heel hook	65KG	4F
2016	EBI 7	Mike Davila	W	RNC	65KG	SF
2016	EBI 7	Bill Cooper	W	Inside heel hook	65KG	F
2016	EBI 10	Alessandro Costa	W	Outside heel hook	61KG	R1
2016	EBI 10	Alexis Alduncin	W	Inside heel hook	61KG	4F
2016	EBI 10	Baret Yoshida	W	Inside heel hook	61KG	SF
2016	EBI 10	Geo Martinez	L	EBI/OT	61KG	F
2017	F2W 31	Samir Chantre	W	Referee Decision	70KG	SPF
2017	F2W 56	Jacob Sandoval	W	RNC	70KG	SPF
2018	Kasai Pro 2	Renato Canuto	W	Referee Decision	72KG	SPF
2019	F2W 108	William Wolk	W	Referee Decision	65KG	SPF

7. Top fight links

Photo Credit: @eddiewolverinebjj