Top American black belt Keenan Cornelius showed a back-to-basics approach at the U.S National Pro Jiu-Jitsu tournament last weekend in Long Beach, California. 

Photo: Grapple.TV

His dangerous guard was in full effect, but generally absent of his lapel-based trickery. Instead of unleashing the 'worm guard', Keenan played a simple yet effective open guard game reminiscent of top spider guard proponent Romulo Barral: solid lapel control and simple triangle set-ups were the theme of the day, which Keenan used to finish three of the four matches below. 

It wasn't all plain sailing for Keenan: Magid Hage caught him in a solid omoplata-armbar attempt, and Joseph Moku sent him for a ride with a huge slam. Still, the Atos black belt looked unfazed by his opponents and cruised to victory. The final results: three submission wins, and a 6-0 points win over Hage. 

Keenan Cornelius vs William Nyman (1.59)

Keenan Cornelius vs Jason Youseph (0.52)

Keenan Cornelius vs Magid Hage (7.05) 

Keenan Cornelius vs Joseph Moku (5.16)