Nicky Ryan shared an interesting piece of news when he joined this week's FloGrappling Show - the first member of the B-Team's CJI team and how they plan to pick the squad. While Nicky was sure to stipulate that he's been out of the gym because of his rehab schedule so plans can change, the current expectation is that the Austin-based B-Team will hold inter-team trials among the pro members.

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The relevant section here begins at 1:05:08.

He also shared that if he were healthy, the match for the -77kg spot would be between him and Jozef Chen. Because Nicky is recovering from ACL surgery, Jozef is the B-Team's man for the spot and their first publicly confirmed athlete. Jozef is an ADCC Trials champion who has developed into one of the best guard passers at any weight class and figures to be a challenge to anyone in the field.

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At -66kg, the current plan is to have top-10 ranked teammates Owen Jones and Ethan Crelinsten face off for the spot. They both are stellar submission hunters, with Ethan playing more of a top pressure game (with some of the best rear chokes in grappling) and Owen focusing more on leg entanglements and outside passing. Either man would be a great representative in a potential Quintet format.

Nicky also said that the B-Team is considering using their wildcard (meaning an athlete not on the team who can join for the event) at heavyweight, potentially on Victor Hugo. The Six Blades big man is one of the best and would be a pretty major addition. With Victor at +99, that's a major factor with his unique combination of size, guard play, submission expertise, and experience.

That does also make you wonder where Nick Rodriguez would go. Usually he would be the man at +99, on any team let alone the one he helped found. When asked on the podcast, Nicky Ryan said "there's two heavyweight divisions" which is actually a very interesting thing to say. Maybe he means that Nick and Victor will share a heavyweight spot but it could also mean a shift is coming.

It also remains to be seen if that is hinting at a future move down to -99kg for Nicky Rod. If he were able to make the weight, just under 220lbs, he would certainly be even more of a physical force than he usually is. With Rodriguez's noted attention to diet and body composition, it's not out of the question (depending on how weigh ins are held) and Ryan's comments will add some fuel to that speculative fire.

The B-Team is an Austin-based professional grappling team, featuring athletes like Nick Rodriguez, Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, Damien Anderson, and many more. Craig Jones, a co-founder of the team, runs the Craig Jones Invitational and has invited the squad to field a team at this August's sequel event. The tournament will run in a modified Quintet format, with squads from different regions, along with proper teams like 10th Planet, B-Team, and New Wave.

B-Team Jiu-Jitsu CJI Team

• -66kg: Owen Jones or Ethan Crelinsten
• -77kg: Jozef Chen
• -88kg: TBD (Potentially Jay Rodriguez or Chris Wojcik)
• -99kg: TBD
• +99kg: TBD (Potentially Nick Rodriguez or Wildcard Victor Hugo)
• Coach: Dima Murovanni

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