The Swiss Grappling league is an established tournament league that is growing every year. We sat down with its creators Patrik Berisha (right in picture) and Ivo Colic (left), who both happen to be originally from the Balkans. Check out their story:

1. Hi guys, before you talk about your tournament can you please introduce yourself to the BJJ Community of Eastern Europe?  and briefly guide us through your Jiu-Jitsu journey.

PATRIK:
My name is Patrik Berisha, I’m 28 years old, Albanian native living in Switzerland and have been practicing Grappling/BJJ since almost 7 years. In BJJ I’m “just” a Blue belt due to political reasons though plus my personal career focus was more on MMA than on BJJ. I’m a Cage Warriors Veteran and holding a MMA title in Germany. I train at many places, but my Home-Team is “TKBC”. My profession: „Product Manager” for an IT-Company 20 minutes from where I live.

IVO:
My name is Ivo Colic, I am 33 years old and I was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I am a purple belt in Carlson Gracie JJ. I am an Accounting Manager and I work and live in Switzerland. I started with No-Gi Grappling the first time in 2004 on a Seminar that was given by one of the MMA Pioneers in Europe, Robert Sundel. I lived in different European countries (Germany, Slovenia, Netherlands, Switzerland). I am training on a regular base with Masters like Robin Gracie (Barcelona), Sergio Zimmermann “Canudo” (Munich) and with Carlson Gracie Jr. when he is visiting us in Switzerland. I like to keep an open mind when it comes to BJJ and I love to see different possibilities of its execution. I am also a certified NAGA Referee where I support the NAGA tournaments in Europe.

2. Please tell us about your tournament and the first edition. How is this format different from other tournaments?

We started out as a regular tournament back in the days in 2010. It was just a regional show with a regular tournament and KO-Modus. After the first two tournaments, we figured out that we had to adjust and improve if we wanted to bring it to the next level and separate us from the regular BJJ-Community which is infiltrated by politics and ruled by money.
That is why we started our own version of Tournaments, Swiss Grappling League – Submission Only (www.swissgrappling.ch for more information)

The tournament is split in two Phases – the Group-Phase and the Final-Round.
The Group Phase starts with 3 to 5 competitors fighting in each group (depending on the amount of competitors in each division of course). Each fighter faces all others in the group. So yes, if you’re un/lucky and you’re in a group with 4 other competitors, you have to fight 4 times to get to the finals. After the Group-Phase, the winner of Group A fights against the second of Group B, second of Group A vs. 1st of Group B -> pretty much like in the Football World cup. And from there on, it’s a KO-Phase.
The most important thing you have to understand in our System is, you have no points, no advantages, nothing. The only thing what matters is the Submission.
It happens sometimes, that the fight runs out of time and there was no submission. In this case there is a sudden death, this means the first competitor who gets a “point” for a dominant position, gets the victory.
It takes a huge effort for us, but if you think how many times you get the chance to fight, it’s incredible.
In the major tournaments, you have at least one fight. If you lose, you might get another chance if there is a double elimination system, if.. But in our tournament, you get at least as many fights as there are people in the same group.

3. You both have roots from the Balkans please tell us more about your attachment to your origins and do you follow the local BJJ/Grappling scene there?

Patrik: My parents are from Kosovo, I was born in Switzerland but I have been in the Balkans and Kosovo in general a lot. It just feels like “home” when I’m there. The mentality is pretty similar in all Balkan even though there are so many different nationalities and religions. BJJ-Scene, everyone knows that Balkan-Guys are f’kin tough guys, so if you can teach them discipline they become monsters! So even though the scene is young, in my opinion, it has made huge steps forward in BJJ/Grappling and also in MMA. Fighting is a natural thing for Balkan-People, so we’re only “following our instincts” pretty much. Balkan has already few fighters in the on big stage, so we don’t need to hide from anybody or nation, we just need some more time..

Ivo: As previously mentioned, I was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. My parents are Croatian and Bosnian decedents. I was living in Slovenia until I was 13. My family is spread all over Balkan starting in Slovenia and ending in Greece. I am regularly visiting my family and friends there. The Balkan community is big in Switzerland and therefore we also have contact to grapplers from the region. We have a very good contact with the Rukus BJJ Clan guys from Switzerland who then have a very good contact with Bojan Mirkovic, one of Werdums black belts. My current BJJ Coach is from Poland and has his own Team close to Lucerne.

4. What is next for you and your team in 2014/2015?

Finish the year successfully and Plan more competitions for the next Year. Also we want to unite all teams no matter who they are representing. If you’re here to compete, you will get your chance to prove yourself. No politics, no bullshit.
We would like to offer foreign fighters also the chance to compete in our tournament and test themselves. Therefore we can connect you with the local, affordable hotels very close to the venue, so you might stay overnight if you’re from far away. Plus, Lucerne is an amazing place to visit. You can book cheap flights to Switzerland as well. We have guys on our tournaments as far as south Italy or France and even from Brazil.
So don’t miss the chance.

5. If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free.

We want to thank all the competitors that take the time to compete at our tournament and helping the growth and recognition of the sport. We also would like to thank you (BJJ Eastern Europe) for this opportunity of introducing us to your readers.
Please take the Time and visit our Website www.swissgrappling.ch or our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Swiss.Grappling.League

6. Thanks guys and all the best!

Thank YOU!