On Saturday October 22, nineteen of the top prospects in women’s submission grappling brought the heat in El Paso, TX for the third edition of Medusa Female-Only Jiu-Jitsu Invitational. featuring an EBI-rules Bantamweight Tournament, a Combat Jiu-Jitsu Flyweight Tournament, and two action-packed special matches from Eddie Bravo's burgeoning all-female promotion. 

Standout performance: Claire North

Coming off a double gold performance at Jiu-Jitsu Con No-Gi in September and a runner-up finish at No-Gi Pans the previous weekend, black belt Claire North came ready to conquer the Bantamweight bracket under the EBI ruleset. 

North spent barely five minutes total across her three matches at Medusa, defeating all her opponents by submission with plenty of time left on the clock. Her first match lasted 57 seconds, concluding with a Z-Lock on Gracie South Bay’s Leticia Yuka. Her second match against Sophia Casella ended via choi bar in 1 minute and 28 seconds. Her third and final match against Peyton Letcher was the longest — 2 minutes and 46 seconds — and ended with a kimura. 

Rivalry in the making: Peyton Letcher vs Trinity Pun

Rising star Peyton Letcher and prodigious teenager Trinity Pun have gone head to head more than once in 2022, and if their last few performances have been any indication, they’ll be a rivalry to watch in the lightweight divisions of submission grappling tournaments for the foreseeable future. 

At Midwest Finishers Sub Only’s 145-lb tournament in August, Letcher narrowly won their matchup in overtime by ride time. In September, Pun matched up against Letcher again in the Absolute Division of the ADCC Open, and submitted Letcher via armbar in under one minute. In their dynamic opening matchup at Medusa 3, Letcher avenged her loss to Pun with an armbar of her own in Round 1 overtime. 

Buzzer-Beating Submission: Jessica Delboni’s dogbar 

In the final moments of her opening match in the Flyweight Combat Jiu-Jitsu tournament, Invicta fighter Jessica Delboni snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the measured Chrissy Briggs. Her "dogbar" kneebar came with seventeen seconds left on the clock in regulation time. 

In a tournament where top submissions included the usual suspects–heel hooks, rear-naked chokes, and armbars–Jessica Delboni’s dogbar stands out as one of the most noteworthy finishes of the evening alongside Claire North’s Z-lock. 

Noteworthy Debut: Zelie Dolan 

Over the last year, B Team has built its reputation on an elite squad of male competitors, including Nick and Jay Rodriguez, Izaak Mitchell, Damien Anderson, Ethan Crelinsten, and Craig Jones. Zelie Dolan might be the first indication of a female competitive presence brewing at the B-Team, along with teammate Paola Ambriz, who is set to compete at a special match at EBI 20 Invitational on Sunday night.

Recently placing third in the 70kg at the ADCC Open, Dolan came in submission-hungry in her Medusa 3 matchup against 10th Planet Black Belt, Rene Gamet, finding a slick heel hook finish within the first three minutes of regulation time. 

EBI Bantamweight Tournament Results

Opening Round

• Peyton Letcher defeats Trinity Pun via armbar in Overtime, Round 1
• Aislinn O’Connell defeats Joanie Chamberland via Rear-Naked Choke Overtime, Round 2
• Sophia Casella defeats Lauren Jones via Armbar in Overtime, Round 3
• Claire North defeats Leticia Yuka via Z-Lock at 0:57, Regulation Time

Semifinals

• Peyton Letcher defeats Aislinn O’Connell via heel hook at 4:05, Regulation Time
• Claire North defeats Sophia Casella via armbar at 1:28, Regulation Time

Final

• Claire North defeats Peyton Letcher via kimura at 2:46, Regulation Time

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Flyweight Tournament Results

Opening Round

• Sheliah Lindsey defeats Angela Hil via fastest escape in Overtimes
• Kiaya Jackson defeats Alesha Zappitella via rear-naked choke at 4:41, Regulation Time
• Bre Stikk defeats Alandria Brown via Rear Naked Choke at 5:29, Regulation Time
• Jessica Delboni defeats Chrissy Briggs via Kneebar at 9:43, Regulation Time

Semifinals

• Kiaya Jackson defeats Sheliah Lindsey via guillotine at 6:11, Regulation Time
• Bre Stikk defeats Jessica Delboni via kimura at 2:34, Regulation Time

Final

• Bre Stikk defeats Kiaya Jackson via fastest escape time in Overtimes

Special Matches

EBI Bantamweight Special Match

• Zelie Dolan defeats Rene Gamet via heel hook at 2:24, Regulation Time

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Flyweight Special Match

• Brittany Cowan defeats Alandria Brown via armbar at 0:55, Regulation Time