Finishers Sub-Only Returns to Sea on USS Iowa Nov. 14

Finishers Sub-Only will stage its next submission grappling card aboard the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro, California, on Saturday, November 14, teaming up again with the We Defy Foundation to raise money for combat veterans through Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Doors on the historic battleship open at 11 a.m. Pacific time, with a free livestream starting at 11:30 a.m. PST on the FloGrappling YouTube channel and matches getting underway at noon. The event is also listed on FloGrappling's official schedule for the date.

Why Finishers Sub-Only Is Fighting at Sea Again

This marks the second time Finishers Sub-Only has brought its submission-only format to a battleship as part of We Defy's Warships Series. The first came in June aboard the USS New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, which generated enough donations to fund 20 veteran athlete scholarships. That success is why the partnership is back, this time on the West Coast aboard the USS Iowa, with a We Defy seminar featuring top-level instructors kicking off the weekend on Friday, November 13, before the fight card takes over the deck Saturday.

What the We Defy Foundation Gets Out of This

Every match on the card doubles as a fundraiser for veterans dealing with military-connected disabilities. We Defy says it costs roughly $2,500 to fund a veteran's one-year jiu-jitsu scholarship, and the organization already reports more than 1,900 scholarships awarded and over 500 veterans currently enrolled across all 50 states, U.S. territories and several countries outside the U.S. The nonprofit runs on three pillars, community, health and service, and uses events like this one to both raise money and put a spotlight on what jiu-jitsu training can do for veterans working through trauma and isolation.

What This Means for Grappling Fans and Bettors

Finishers Sub-Only's format strips away the stalling and point-chasing that drags down a lot of grappling cards, and that fast-finish style tends to produce clean, decisive outcomes that are easier to read than a typical jiu-jitsu super-fight. Submission-only tournaments reward aggression and cardio over conservative positional grappling, so bettors who track these cards should lean toward competitors with finishing rates and overtime stamina rather than past IBJJF medal counts. With the card free to stream and no official odds market built around it yet, the early value for fans who like to wager on grappling is in studying who on the lineup has a track record of forcing finishes under the sub-only clock, since that style tends to translate directly into betting-friendly, non-decision results once books do start pricing these events.

The broader story here, though, isn't the line movement. It's a submission grappling promotion using a 1940s battleship as a stage to fund real scholarships for veterans, and doing it for the second time in five months.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Finishers Sub-Only USS Iowa event?

Finishers Sub-Only holds its grappling card aboard the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro, California, on Saturday, November 14, with doors at 11 a.m. PST and matches starting at noon.

How can fans watch the Finishers Sub-Only Battleship Iowa card for free?

The event streams live and free on the FloGrappling YouTube channel starting at 11:30 a.m. PST on November 14, and is also listed on FloGrappling's official schedule.

What cause does the Finishers Sub-Only USS Iowa event support?

The card partners with the We Defy Foundation, a nonprofit that funds Brazilian jiu-jitsu scholarships for combat veterans, following a similar event in June aboard the USS New Jersey that funded 20 veteran scholarships.