The Breakdown
One of the fastest rising stars in competition jiu jitsu is Edwin Najmi. Known for his dramatic flying triangles and quick finishes, Edwin is perhaps one the most prolific young jiu jitsu athletes on the scene today. He is a stark contrast from many previous study subjects because of his youth. We actually included some of Edwin’s brown belt matches in this study to help fully-define his game and strategy. So what makes Najmi such an exciting competitor?
Edwin Najmi At A Glance
- 93% win rate
- 84% of his submissions were from the bottom
- Finished 33% of matches by flying triangle
- Triangles made up 7 of 13 submissions recorded in the study
- Secured his opponents back in 27% of matches
- Scored first in 93% of his total matches
- Average match length was 5:51
- Full study will be available in the next issue of Jiu Jitsu Style Magazine
The Study
Edwin Najmi is very widely known for one technique in particular – and for good reason. Najmi is known as a master of the flying triangle. The flying triangle is one of the most spectacular finishes in jiu jitsu; largely due to its rarity inside competition; however Najmi has found a way to make it a threat in every match he engages in.
In the matches we viewed, Najmi secured a flying triangle in 33% of them. Think about that for a second. That means in 1 of every 3 of the matches in our study Edwin Najmi flying triangled his opponent. We’ve never had another study subject come anywhere close to that number of standing submission finishes. What’s more, Najmi actually has the most statistically dangerous triangle we’ve studied. Over 46% of his matches ended with him submitting his opponent by triangle.
Another very clear part of Najmi’s style of jiu jitsu is his dominance from the bottom. Najmi scored 84% of his submissions from the bottom with 63% of those coming from triangles and 27% coming from leg or foot locks.
Najmi can only be described as an exciting fighter. His average match length was less than 6 minutes and he had an astounding submission rate of 87%. That’s one of the highest submission rates we’ve recorded. In fact, he was so dangerous from his guard that he actually had a very low sweep rate and pass rate compared to many of our previous study subjects.
When he wasn’t submitting his opponents, Najmi often used the De La Riva guard or Berimbolo to sweep his opponents, and approximately 83% of his passes were leg drag or leg weave style passes. He was also very good in attacking his opponents back. He was able to secure the back position in 27% of his matches.
Ultimately, Najmi is clearly one of the most dominant competitors we’ve studied so far. It is arguable that he has not been tested to the same degree that many other subjects have, but the success he’s demonstrated so far is impressive nonetheless. Najmi also appears to be another athlete that has been very successful minimizing techniques and sticking with a defined strategy inside of his matches; much like we see with Rafa Mendes.
Najmi’s star is obviously on the rise. He is coming off a gold medal at the Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship and has to be considered to be one of the top names in his division no matter where he competes. He will likely be terror for his opposition for long to come.
See the full study in net month’s Jiu Jitsu Style magazine.
The Details
All matches observed of Edwin Najmi, used in this small sample occurred at IBJJF, UAE World Pro, or professional jiu jitsu events, inside of his weight division, and in the years 2013-2015. Only techniques, occurrences, and outcomes that were recorded are displayed in the data below (i.e. if no butterfly sweeps occurred, there will not be a representation of that in the sample data charts). Matches were selected at random based on freely available matches. This is a limited sample – but given the estimated amount of matches in this time period – it is well above the percentage necessary to create a scientifically validated trend sampling.
