Butterfly guard sweeps in no-gi are some of the most reliable attacks in grappling because they don't depend on grips you can't get without a gi. Your hooks, your underhooks, and your hips do all the work.
In The Babu Jiu Jitsu Program, Sergiio "Babu" Gasparelli — BJJ coach to Nogueira, Machida, and Belfort — runs butterfly guard as an offensive weapon, not a stalling position. The system works around constant transitions and threat chains.
The foundation is body position. Sit up, don't lay back. Feet hooked inside the opponent's thighs, knees pinched, underhook secured on one side. In no-gi, that underhook is EVERYTHING — it replaces the sleeve and collar grips you'd have in the gi.
The basic elevator sweep starts when your opponent drives forward into you. Use their momentum. Drop to the side of your underhook, elevate with the butterfly hook on the same side, and roll them over your body. Your bottom foot drives off the mat to generate the lift.
But here's what makes Babu's system different from a basic butterfly tutorial. He chains everything. When the sweep gets defended, you don't reset — you transition. The guillotine is always available when they posture out of your sweep attempt. As Babu drills with his students: defend, adjust position, then change fast to guillotine when the opening appears.
The defensive side matters too. When your opponent tries to flatten you out, Babu teaches getting your hands inside first — hands inside the legs to rebuild guard before they can establish a passing position. Knees stay active, always framing, always making space.
No-gi butterfly guard rewards the aggressive grappler. If you're sitting in butterfly and waiting, you've already lost the position. The sweep, the transition, and the submission threat all have to be constant.
For a broader look at guard positions and when to use each one, check out our BJJ guard positions guide. Get the full no-gi system in the Babu's BJJ Mastermind.