by Philippe Balmant

I traveled from New York City with the (mG)inaction team to Long Beach California for the 4 day Mundials event for my first time ever. I found myself in a feeling of Jiu-Jitsu Nirvana. When first arriving at the Walter Pyramid I was blown away. This looks like something out of the movie Stargate. I said to myself, “What a perfect venue to host the Mundials.” Once inside the electricity is running through my body. I felt a great festive atmosphere inside the Pyramid. This event marks my first time linking up with the entire Alliance team. Meeting Mestre Jacare and the General Fabio Gurgel to me was worth the trip alone. Watching the white/blue belts competing in 8 rings at the same time kept me looking everywhere.

The acai stand was my source of a much needed refreshing energy boost when one was needed. I limited myself to two acai bowls per day. One thing was obvious from jump street, that this energy I felt was only going to go up, till the black belt finals on Sunday exploded in full effect! From Friday through Saturday the matches were coming and going non stop. One thing I found hard was when there were 3 or 4 world champions fighting in different rings all at the same time, now that was crazy. When Sunday June 6th arrived, where there were 8 rings are now only two.

There is a connection at the Mundials, like to the BJJ life source we all share, within your own team, between academies from fighters to supporters. It’s a high dose of Jiu-Jitsu on its biggest platform with a sprinkle of a carnival type atmosphere. I fell in love with it. My best experience was meeting Rickson. My favorite moment was when my professor Marcelo Garcia won his 4th black belt Mundial title, even though the last 8 seconds had me on Skype with God. Yes!!!!

Great matches, great victories, gracious defeats, quick submissions, a back and forth war, by 1 point, by 1 advantage, or by judges decision, with BJJ history being made. Mega props to Roger Gracie. The 2010 Mundials had it all. By the end I had pretty much lost my voice, was running around on pure adrenaline and hollering at Caleb and Dan from The Fightworks Podcast. Podium, medals, pictures. That’s all folks. Except for the voice of Tony Torres still in my head saying, “You have now been DQ’d………” Nobody says it better than that guy.

A few hours later with a celebratory dinner for team Alliance, the General gives us our first toast in which he brings to light that today June 6th 2010 marks 28 years since the legendary Mestre Rolls Gracie passed away. With Alliance winning its 5th World title, and Mestre Jacare receiving his red & black belt, our entire Alliance team ended this amazing night with joy, laughter and happiness.

- Caleb

The author and his Alliance teammates.

From the proverbial “thirty-thousand foot view” to examination of microscopic details that others miss, not many are able to put together a review as detailed as this piece volunteered by J-Sho on the men’s competition at the 2010 BJJ World Championship. (If anyone would like to contribute a review of the women’s brackets, please get in touch.) All photos courtesy of cohost Dan. Enjoy! – Caleb

With the free live web stream provided by Budovideos and the live blogging of Caleb on the FightWorksPodcast giving many 1,000s of BJJ fans a window into proceedings, this, the 15th Mundials of the modern era did not disappoint. Upsets, submissions, controversy and the crowning of the greatest player of our generation.

10 male Black Belt finals, 2 advantage decisions, 1 referee’s decision, 1 close out, 1 injury, 2 submissions, 3 points victories – that was what this weekend came down to.

Some numbers to start us off…

28: Brazilian quarter finalists (from a possible 36). Well, it is called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…

16: Roger Gracie’s row of submissions in these past 2 Mundials ended by a game Ricardo Abreu

15: The numbers of Black Belt medals Roger has picked up at the Mundials since 2003; the number of Mundials that Wellington “Megaton” Dias has competed in.

10: Roger Gracie’s black belt gold haul since 2003

8: The number of absolute finals Roger has been in since 2003

7: Number of degrees on those Red & Black belts now worn by Mauricio Gomes and Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti (2 of Rolls Gracie’s “Famous Five”) and Sergio Penha.

6: Felipe Costa now has six bronze medals in his division.

5: The absolute silver medals that remind us Roger is human too sometimes; the number of men’s titles Alliance took this year, matching their haul last year – still some way short of the 8 Gracie Barra managed in 2002 (admittedly after Nova Uniao removed themselves from CBJJ competition).

4: The absolute semi finals that Xande Ribeiro has faltered in (2004 Jacare Souza, 2005 Braulio Estima, 2007 Romulo Barral, 2010 Romulo again); the number of Gracies contesting black belt divisions (3 of whom were in Medio); the number of Americans quarter-finalists (Rafael Lovato Jr, Bill “The Grill” Cooper, JT Torres, Ryan Hall)

3: The number of absolute gold & double golds Roger has won; the number of Gracies contesting Medio Black Belt this year (Clark, Kayron, Kron); the number of Japanese quarter-finalists (Naoya Uematsu, Makoto Sawada, Matsumo Yoshihiko); the number of major finals Rafael Mendes has now beaten Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles in (World Pro Gi, ADCC, and Mundials).

2: The number of records Cobrinha missed out on (most titles in one division in a row; most Pan Ams and Mundials in the same year in a row);

1: Closed out finals. Granted a small number of but still 1 too many in my opinion; the number of Gracies other than Roger to have medaled at Black Belt since Royler Gracie in 1999 (Kayron); the round that saw the shock exit of the reigning champ Guilherme Mendes to Paulo Melo; the number of Australian quarter-finalists (Mick Wilson); the number of non-Brazilian Medalists (Lovato).

Tarsis Humphreys’ leg attack ends the Mundials aspirations of Romulo Barral.

Meio Pesado

Tarsis Humphreys (Alliance) vs. Romulo Barral (Gracie Barra)

A repeat of last year’s final (and with the prospect of more déjà vu for Romulo to come) saw Romulo control much of the match from the top before Tarsis caught Romulo’s foot and twisting his leg in all sorts of seemingly unnatural positions. Romulo was forced to submit due to his injury and hobbled past Roger waiting for his own match. Tarsis was ecstatic to get what some may be surprised to learn is only his first black belt Mundials gold. Fans would be left waiting to see if Romulo could possibly recover for the Absolute final or if Roger would get a walkover.

Tarsis wins by leg lock @ 6m23s.

Roger Gracie refrains from snapping Demente’s arm in two.

Super Pesado

Roger Gracie (Gracie Barra) vs. Ricardo “Demente” Abreu (Nova Uniao)

Déjà vu for Roger as well, a repeat of last year’s finals on the cards for him as well. Gracie has submitted all en route to both finals. Would the end of this match be the same as last year? Abreu (no relation to Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu) pulled guard and seemed to try to sweep Roger but Roger’s base was proof against this initially. Another attempt and he swept Roger to get some points on the board but Roger promptly reversed, Demente then reversed, almost took Roger’s back (had the hooks in but no control) forcing Roger to regain his composure and successfully defend the position.

Abreu found himself defending from the half guard, with Roger briefly passing, taking the back, trapping an arm and leg and then engaging in some seemingly armbreaking armbar attempts from different positions. Demente, living up to his name perhaps, did not tap even though from some angles the arm seemed clearly hyper-extended. The commentators speculated Roger was being a good sportsman by not cranking it on further. With a scramble ending out of bounds, Roger pulled guard and then dragged the arm, looking for the back (as per his earlier match vs. Bruno Bastos). Taking the back again and stretching out Ricardo, he secured 4 points to take it to 4-2.

Demente’s attempts to protect his neck were initially successful but Roger then underhooked an arm, rolled to his back and then worked for a choke. Demente had put on a very solid defense, proving more game than any other competitor Gracie had faced this weekend but Roger worked to transition to the mount and started looking for his trademark choke from mount. Demente was again able to put up some very solid defense and Roger was not able to repeat his feats of last year (winning all matches by submission and beating Demente in the final by submission), winning by 13-2. Roger secured his 7th weight division black belt gold in a row and 9th Gold overall and would be left waiting to see if he would contest the Absolute final for his 10th.

Roger wins 13-2.

Galo

Bruno Malfacine (Alliance) vs. Caio Terra (Gracie Elite)

Another rematch from last year saw Malfacine looking to continue his domination of this weight, having won both the CBJJ and CBJJE Mundials last year and the Pan Ams and Brasilieros this year. The match saw Terra, representing the newly formed Gracie Elite team, on the bottom and Malfacine on the top for the majority of the match, doing an excellent job of negating Caio’s guard. Terra’s sweep attempt and scramble to take the back at the death almost unseated Bruno, but the advantage awarded was not enough to snatch victory.

Malfacine wins 0-0 (3-2).

Pluma

Samuel Braga (Gracie Barra) vs. Pablo Silva (Gracie Barra)

The shock exit of Guilherme Mendes to Paulo Melo in the first round was unforeseen; the closing out of the bracket was not. Braga bowed out to Silva, taking his first gold, with Samuel giving up the opportunity to take his third. Braga gets to take this silver home though, having been DQ’d last year after showing disdain at Guilherme Mendes’ post fight celebration.

Silva wins by gentlemen’s agreement.

Rafael Mendes’ hand is raised in another defeat of his rival Cobrinha.

Pena

Rafael Medes (Atos) vs. Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Maciel (Alliance)

The king vs. the pretender to his throne. With Cobrinha having already submitted former champ Mario Reis again and looking to surpass the kind of featherweights Royler Gracie and take his 5th consecutive gold, Mendes shot straight to pull half guard and then started working for a leg or foot lock rather than going for his trademark 50/50 guard. With Mendes and Cobrinha tied 3-3 in head to heads so far and Cobrinha’s avowed intention to retire from competition (temporarily at least), would the king leave on a high, or would he be forcibly dethroned? Mendes was 2-0 up for an early sweep but Cobrinha returned the favour for 2 points of his own at the 4 minute mark.

Leg spaghetti (trademark Caleb) ensued with both men jockeying for position and both men then going for toeholds. Cobrinha’s flexibility was defense enough but Rafael managed to score another sweep and 2 advantages in the meantime. Cobrinha threatened a kneebar and used that to get another sweep to tie the match on points if not advantages. Cobrinha snapped on a wickedly tight footlock, Rafael took one too but neither man could finish.

A kneebar by Mendes also went nowhere but 2 points appeared and then disappeared from the board for Cobrinha, 4-4 (3-1) for Mendes so far with 90 seconds left and all to play for. Cobrinha looked for another footlock, Mendes replied in kind, the clock ticked on, less than 30 seconds to go. More footlock attempts, Mendes lost his but Cobrinha is dethroned, 4-4 (5-3) and Mendes and Atos have finally stopped the relentless Alliance medal haul this weekend. Let us hope Cobrinha changes his mind and we see these two continue their rivalry.

Mendes wins 4-4 (5-3).

Leve

Michael Langhi (Alliance) vs. Celso Vinicius (Gracie Elite)

With Langhi looking for his 2nd gold and Celsinho his 4th, the number 0 figured heavily here, with no points or advantages scored in the first 9 minutes. A sweep attempt by Langhi saw some frantic attempts by Celsinho to seal his victory as this one went to the referees. Almost nothing to call between them! Would Langhi get it for the near sweep or Celsinho for maintaining his top position? Langhi had done enough with the sweep and took his second gold. By Michael’s own reckoning, he has not lost in more than 2 years. Celsinho will no doubt be looking to break that run at the next suitable juncture.

Langhi wins by referee’s decision.

Marcelo Garcia works to escape the closed guard of Claudio Calasans.

Medio

Marcelo Garcia (Alliance) vs. Claudio Calasans (Atos).

A very strong field this year with all 8 quarter finalists confident of victory (3 CBJJ world champions and 2 world champions under other federations amongst them). The final was another Atos/Alliance contest, with Calasans looking to maintain his momentum of 2010, having beaten ADCC and Mundials champ Braulio Estima twice at the World Pro Gi this year (and under BJJ math, if Calasans beats Braulio and Braulio beats Marcelo, can Claudio beat Marcelo too?). Garcia, who has dominated middleweight since 2004 and the disappearance of Terere from the competition scene, was looking for his 4th black belt gold here and probably some personal redemption having lost out to Pablo Popovitch in the ADCC final last September. He had been impressive en route to the final, but so had Calasans. Calasans attempt to launch Roger into orbit in the absolute of last year was not totally successful, but his top game was initially match for Marcelo’s guard game. Claudio pulled off a butterfly guard pass on no one in particular and then got wrapped up for a footlock sweep by Marcelo.

Calasans worked from guard and looked to work a cross collar choke, but to no avail. Wristlock fans were briefly elated then disappointed. You won’t see Marcelo’s posture in guard advocated on his instructional videos, but when you make the rules, you can break them too I guess (don’t try this at home kids). Calasans working grips to try set up an unconventional looking omoplata, tried to threaten the sweep but could not fix the requisite grips and with the clock moving regularly (even if the competitors weren’t) he would still need to score to prevent the online BJJ community inventing new superlatives to describe Garcia. Calasans shot his leg out but Garcia stuffed it and went for his high step over guard pass. Claudio worked from open, then half guard and was rolled by Marcelo in a scramble. 8 seconds to go. A takedown would be needed to draw. An awesome flurry of sweep and throw attempts by Claudio was not enough and Marcelo’s ownership of the title best Middleweight in the world continues, for the moment at least.

Marcelo wins 2-0.

Alliance’s young title hunter Bernardo Faria defeats Xande Ribeiro.

Pesado

Xande Ribeiro (Gracie Humaita) vs. Bernard Faria (Alliance)

Garcia was all smiles after his final, by contrast when the camera panned to Saulo and Xande, they were deep in thought, Xande not having not had a great day yesterday, tested by Antonio Braga Neto and then beaten by Romulo Barral in the Absolute division. Pesado has seen a number of young guns emerge recently, with Alexandre Ceconi, Cyborg, Faria, Rodrigo Pinheiro adding to the elite ranks of Braulio & Xande. With Braulio injured and Cyborg campaigning successfully at Ultra Heavy this year it was Faria (who has taken double gold at the Pan Ams this year) who made it to the final hurdle. He started brightly, shooting for half guard and starting to look for his omoplata game. Xande’s day seemed brighter on Sunday, storming to another final, the last person to beat Xande in a weight category here was Roger and that was back in 2005 when Xande stepped up to Super Pesado to go after Roger.

Faria working mostly from the bottom and Xande on the top, Faria worked hard for a takedown with Xande desperately defending; Faria even pulling Xande back into the centre of the mat to try to launch the throw. Faria went back to the deep half guard, from the other side this time, 0-0 (2-1) in favour of Xande with little time left. Xande looked to flatten out Faria and work for mount, but with a double underhook Faria managed to sweep and get 2 pts. 0-2 (2-1) with 2 minutes left. The Alliance cheering squad prepared themselves to explode. 90 seconds and Xande trying to work his legs in, but Faria took control and prevented his game plan. Faria then pulled Xande back into the centre of the mat to maintain his momentum and prevent the restart. Xande indicated Faria was stalling to win the match, but he himself has probably benefited from riding out the clock before and he could not break Faria’s grip on his belt, his gi pants, or on the title.

Faria wins 2-0 (1-2).

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu peers from the depths as Rodrigo Cavaca seals his fate.

Pesadissimo

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Carlson Gracie Team) vs. Rodrigo Cavaca (Checkmat)

An oft-maligned division with few serious competitors, not this year, a very deep talent pool this year with the presence of Peinado, Cavaca, Braga Neto, Abreu, Luiz “Big Mac” Teodoro, Gabriel Vella, Roberto Tozi, Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz and Marcio Corleta (4 of them World Champions) making for some intriguing match ups. The surprise of this bracket surely the giant Australian “Big Mick” taking the back and choking the versatile “Big Mac”.

The final came down to Cyborg, seeking revenge for Cavaca beating him by footlock in the absolute quarter finals yesterday and Cavaca having easily triangle one legend of the game (Pe de Pano) on his run to the final, seeking a gold to help blot out the memory of another (Roger) manhandling him yesterday. Cavaca has already won this category at the Brasilieros this year and his run must have left him confident. A different Abreu (in case anyone (Caleb) wasn’t sure) from the one who went the distance with Roger earlier, had triangled Braga Neto in the semis and looked to continue a successful campaign at a weight 2 above his normal division. Cavaca fighting from guard, Cyborg looking to pass, but Cavaca with a sweep to go ahead. Cavaca eying Cyborg’s foot hungrily like Pe de Pano & Big Mac at a churrascaria, he set his grips slowly then changed his mind and went for a straight footlock. Fixing his position, then arching back and Cavaca has his first Mundials black belt title, 6 wins from 7 this year and the memory of his defeat to Vella in the final erased.

Cavaca wins by leg lock @ 2m49s.

Absolute

Roger Gracie (Gracie Barra) vs. Romulo Barral (Gracie Barra).

With Romulo badly injured in his final against Tarsis, and the women’s absolute final closed out by Alliance team mates Luanna Alzuguir and Gabi Garcia, the day’s proceedings were bought to a close. Roger as three time Absolute, 3 time Double Gold winner and now ten time black belt world champion, his 2010 campaign ending on a whimper and not a bang this time, but not before making clear that closing out a division is not an option in his world and additionally that he is going to be back on these mats for some time to come. Barral was clearly disappointed to have not contested the Absolute final, but can take heart in having put on some amazing matches this weekend; we wish him a speedy recovery.

Roger wins by walkover.

And the aftermath

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, like it says on the tin, it’s Brazilian: Still only two non Brazilian gold medalists in 15 years and based on this year, no stand out likely to join them soon. Of the 36 quarter finalists, only 8 were non Brazilian with 4 Americans, 3 Japanese, and 1 Australian all adding up to 1 medal this time around. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu continues to go from strength to strength in the United States and elsewhere and there are many talented and accomplished players, particularly from Japan and the US, but it seems we are still some way from breaking the Brazilian domination of the sport.

Anti-Venom: Mendes proved again he can win by taking Cobrinha out of his comfort zone, albeit the place he takes them to is sometimes light on action. Cobrinha will surely not let the advantage of 4-3 lay with his rival for too long and I think their rivalry will continue shortly.

Many could quickly dismiss this as another 50/50 stall-fest, restating that the goal of BJJ is to positionally dominate and/or submit your opponent, but that is predicated on you actually being able to do that to them. That does a disservice to this particular final, which I think was an intriguing technical battle. Perhaps the casual observer is spoiled by getting to see Roger and others dominate and finish their opponents in short order and this raises an unreasonable expectation as to how a match should look – if you are submitting or dominating your opponent at the black belt level, it is probably because there is a gulf in skill and/or fitness between you and your opponent.

In many combat sports, when two very similarly or evenly matched people are competing, it is probable that the ensuing match will not be visibly spectacular. By the time you reach the semi finals, one should assume that the competitors are all likely to be reasonably matched. An additional consideration, to quote the old chestnut “styles make fights”, not every match is going to be the perfect visual feast of 100 mile an hour acrobatic top game vs. tricky inverse rolling guard game. Sometimes with a clash of styles or where two people with the same style meet, the resulting match will be hard on the eye. This does not mean it is not a skillful affair, just not perhaps to your taste – if you don’t like watching this style of match, then don’t.

Let us give credit where it is due; Mendes handily beat most of his opponents with the exception of Ryan Hall, in part because Ryan Hall plays a similar game to Mendes. Cobrinha blitzed all his other opponents, including a former world champ Mario Reis, seemingly able to impose his game pretty much at will. But he had to engage in the “leg spaghetti” of the final because Mendes is just as good as he is – you don’t become the only black belt to beat Cobrinha (and 4 times at that) just by being able to stall. Cobrinha in this one instance does not possess the necessary incremental skill over his opponent to impose his game or to prevent Mendes from playing his own game. Evolution in positions and movement and tactics and counters is a key facet of BJJ; the 50/50 is just one such evolution that Atos’ opponents are still coming to terms with.

Can’t tap this: Ricardo “Demente” did something improbable this weekend, somehow defending an armbar from Roger Gracie on a hyper-extended limb and thwarting multiple other submission attempts from Gracie to deny him another perfect Mundials. Reports he rushed outside to buy a lottery ticket and discovered the Higg’s Boson on his way to the store are unverified at this time.

All your base belong to us: Alliance repeated their feat of 2009 with 5 of a possible 10 male black belt golds winging their way back to Atlanta. But for Mendes, it could have been 6, a recent record, albeit still short of Gracie Barra’s 8 in 2002 after Nova Uniao pulled out of CBJJ competitions. With champions like Garcia, Malfacine, Faria, Tarsis & Langhi and strong supporting cast in Peinado, Nogueira, Lepri, Moraes & Cobrinha, let alone the small army of warriors at lower belts, they are THE dominant force on the competition scene. They took a very good new addition to the team (Malfacine) and helped him become the most dominant rooster weight in a decade, the first back to back champion at that weight since Omar Salum in 1999/2000.

That having been said, there are still a few gaps in their armory. With the departure of Gabriel Vella, they have lost a decorated veteran campaigner in the Ultra Heavy and Absolute divisions With Leo Leite turning out for his cameo appearances for Brasa these days and Comprido a). also part of Brasa but even so b). retired, they miss their other active Super & Ultra Heavy players of previous years. For a team which can claim 2 of the best 3 or 4 players in the world in Leve and Medio, they are still reliant on one elite individual in Feather and Medium-heavyweight and have arguably had no serious contender in Light Feather since Ricardo Vieira in the early 00’s.

Quibbling over this is may be like trying to point out a small speck of dirt on a fine cashmere jumper, but the Absolute title defines these games to an extent and Alliance have not had a viable challenger for the throne since Comprido back in 2000. Other teams can, for the moment rest easy knowing that there is still gold to be struck out there.

Atos Jiu-Jitsu’s cheering section celebrates Rafael Mendes’ gold medal.

A New Act: Guilherme Mendes was surprisingly defeated in the first round when many (myself included) considered him a shoe-in for the final. Melo deserves full credit for the win, although some will wonder if the weight cut for Mendes was in some way a factor. Regardless, Atos Jiu Jitsu have been consistently showing us that at major tournaments that they have strength in depth in the lighter weights, with their team of Claudio Calasans, Rodrigo Caporal, Bruno Frazatto, Jonatas Gurgel, Gustavo Campos, Gilbert “Durinho” Burns, Eduardo Ramos, Rafael Mendes, Guilherme Mendes. Alliance will have worthy competitors from this team for some time to come.

Gracie Humaita’s cheering section at the 2010 BJJ Mundials.

Look on my works ye mighty and despair: In stark contrast to the riches on their teamsheet for much of the past 15 years, Gracie Humaita have shrunk to having only a handful of potential medalists, one, granted, is one of the best of the last decade, but even he has off days as evidence by this weekend and the next best chance is his student, also in his division, limiting their options for Gold.

Royler, Saulo & Xande make up the most dominant teacher/student force in the history of the sport, with 26 black belt gold and 44 medals at the Mundials, ADCC and Copa do Mundo between them. But with the former two retired, of Humaita’s 8 golds in the last 7 years, Xande alone has won 6 and if he retires to focus on MMA or if training for MMA prevents him from recapturing his past form, does that spell the end of Gracie Humaita as a force at the Mundials at this level?

Lonely at the top: The stats are impressive: 1st 3 time absolute champion; 1st 3 time double champion; 8 absolute finals in a row; 7 weight class finals in a row; 7 weight class gold medals in a row; 2009/2010 run of 16 submissions; 15 black belt medals at the Mundials (10 Gold, 5 silver) and submitted 2 of the other champions at the weekend (Cavaca and Tarsis).

With the records books updated, we must reflect that often a Mundials will be made by Roger being taken to the wire, being beaten, even if just by the tiniest of margins, but with Xande in a poor (for him) run of form, with no Jacare prowling the mats, with Pe de Pano now gone as a force on the mats and despite the emergence of a lot of talent in the Pesado ranks, no other real contender on the scene, how long will the sport hold his interest? For Ali to be the greatest, he needed Frazier, Norton, Foreman to propel him to that peak and keep him there. Roger similarly needs at least one great rival to make next year compelling since this year was another Godzilla vs. Tokyo affair. Either Tokyo needs to learn to fight back, or one of the rival teams needs to perfect their Mecha-Godzilla and fast.

Close outs, a necessary evil?: The odds are stacked against such things happening, but some teams do have real depth in a given division – thankfully we only saw one this weekend, but to many fans it tarnishes the victory of the “winner”, regardless of the arguments that sometimes when people are team-mates and friends, they don’t want to compete against each other. At least Braga didn’t ask for a game of Rock/Paper/Scissors.

(Left to right) Sergio Penha, Mauricio “The Bear” Motta Gomes, and Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti receive certificates for their red and black belts from the IBJJF.

The Three Seven Degrees: Certificates commemorating their elevation to the small group Black and Red belts were presented to Mauricio Gomes and Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti (2 of Rolls Gracie’s “Famous Five”) and Sergio Penha. These men have been living and breathing Jiu Jitsu longer than many competitors this weekend have even been alive. For their legacy, Mauricio has produced (both literally and through coaching) the greatest BJJ player of our age; Jacare, created one of the strongest sport BJJ team’s of the decade and Sergio, also a very successful coach, will always been known as the person who came closest to the impossible feat of defeating Rickson Gracie.

A Free Lunch: An amazing gift to BJJ fans, a free live stream for both days of the weekend. Gone are the days of brief text messages from people at Tijuca Tennis Club to the outside world, now with the FightWorksPodcast live blogging by Caleb, the Live stream and the Twittering by Graciemag and others, technology has helped revolutionise how we enjoy the Mundials, in as much as those not there can actually enjoy it without relying on terrible hand shot footage on YouTube or waiting a few months for the DVD.

Shawn and Caleb again did a great double act presenting the Budovideos live stream and we must all thank Budovideos for that. Having said that, with only one camera and the matches selected at the whim of the producers, often changing mid match, I wonder if there is an opportunity for Budovideos to enhance this offering, maybe have multiple cameras to choose from and to charge an appropriate fee for this service. Few might quibble with paying 20 or 30 dollars for premium access to action over the weekend.

Hail to the Chef: It would be remiss to remark about the free lunch and not mention all those who pulled together this feast of BJJ. From the organization and direction of Marcelo “Siriema” Araújo, Alvaro Mansur and others, to the referees and judges, desk staff, mat officials, first aid team, to the unmistakable voice of Tony Torres and those poor souls he DQ’d and of course to all the competitors, coaches and supporters… well done.

See you next year.

In the past 7 days there have been at least three threads on different forums where some have suggested that the guillotine is somehow no longer an acceptable submission in International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation events.

• The Underground: Guillotine choke and rules?
• Sherdog: So apparently the IBJJF is outlawing the standard guillotine in gi tournies …
• EFNSports: guillotine choke now illegal with no arms in (ibjjf)

Thanks to the Mighty 600,000 for informing us of this meme. We reached out to IBJJF head referee Alvaro Mansur, to see if there was any truth to this:

There are many people who have read online that the rules regarding the guillotine choke have changed. Have there been any rule changes to the use of the guillotine this year?

Please let me know and I will post your response to let everyone know.

Mansur responded:

Caleb, the rules don´t change, you can stay calm, becouse you are right.

So everyone can relax. The rules about guillotines in IBJJF tournaments have not changed. This confirms a response I received from an IBJJF official who wrote me back to the same question, saying:

Nothing has changed

This is a lesson that when we read something that sounds unlikely, it might be a good idea to take a deep breath and wait for confirmation before announcing the death of BJJ as we know it. Heck, even if you read something crazy on our site, please question it.

We got a voicemail this week on our toll-free number (877) 247-4662 that went a little like this:

Hey Caleb this is Jason from jiujitsumap. Love the show and thought I’d give a poll idea. How about one about whether you wear socks or not at the gym. It seems to be a hotter topic than I thought as I looked at grapple socks and posted a few comments on my thoughts on wearing socks. Please consider it!

Yes that sounds like a good poll to me!

So how about you? Are you a traditionalist, going barefoot? Are you a former wrestler, and you brought your old wrestling shoes to the jiu-jitsu environment? Or do you wear any of those new foot socks when you grapple?

Give us your vote and let us know in the comments section of this post!

by Georgette Oden

Fifteen years ago at the first Pan American Jiu Jitsu Championship, there were some 150 competitors. This year’s Pan, held at the Bren Event Center in Irvine California, welcomed some 2800 fighters, including some of the biggest names in the sport like Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, Michelle Nicolini, and Felipe Costa as well as up-and-comers like Hillary Williams, Kron and Kayron Gracie, and Abmar Barbosa.

I competed in the blue belt women’s leve (light weight) class and worked as a scorer all four days. I was very impressed with the venue and the organization of such a big production.

Thursday, the first day, showcased the whites and some blues. Things got off to a relatively prompt start in the morning, with 10 mats running at once. The biggest divisions were the lighter-weight male blue belts, with some 75-100 competitors each, but the event staff kept things on track and moving efficiently. Brackets for the day were posted on a large wall just inside the entrance and took up feet and feet of space. Friday morning, Tony Torres (he of the famous voice, proclaiming when so-and-so is “Deeee… Cuuuuue…”) showed up and added some humor with his announcements of divisions. Friday began at 9am sharp, with my division (and several others) running like clockwork. Gradually the blues faded and were replaced on other days by purples and browns. Equally gradually, it seemed like the air conditioning was cranked up, and up, leaving everyone but the fighters shivering with cold. It was pretty chilly outdoors, too, but not enough to stop crowds from seeking out the excellent barbeque offered by Silvio’s, and the acai as well.

Saturday offered more spectacular and energetic fights between purples and browns, as well as the womens’ brown/black absolute bracket. I saw a one-stripe purple who was paralyzed from the waist down finishing his match and graciously receiving a standing ovation. Of course, Sunday was blackbelt day, with eight mats full of amazing jiu jitsu. The Pan Ams failed to disappoint. There were some notable fights– Abmar Barbosa (under Robert Drysdale) defeated Kron Gracie on his way to finals against Kayron Gracie where Kayron won by the smallest of margins. Michelle Nicolini’s gold medal match against Lloyd Irvin brownbelt Nyjah Easton was exciting to watch, offering some creative sweeps and definitely more than your standard battle to pass guard.

By working as scorer, I had some unique perspectives on the tournament. First, I could not have afforded to make the trip, or to compete in the Pan, without getting paid for my time. Second, I was forced to focus on something other than my own nervousness, so it really helped me manage my anxieties. Third, I literally had the best seat in the house for watching around 80 matches a day, start to finish, so I learned a lot… about strategy and referee judgments as well as specific technique points. Fourth, there’s something special about having a behind the barricade viewpoint, and I enjoyed having full access to the bullpen, the referees, and the scoring system. If I’d worked as a table coordinator instead, I would have been paid more per day AND would get my entry fee comped. Not a bad deal at all, plus all the tshirts and lunches and snacks. I highly recommend it.

A big well done to the IBJJF for their production and promotion of this tournament.

- Caleb

The brackets on Thursday. Image courtesy Georgette Oden.

The Bren Events Center before the matches started. Image courtesy Georgette Oden.

9:04 Hey we are live! The action has already begun in the final day of the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship!


9:05 Fabio Leopoldo (Gracie Barra) is up 2-0 on an unknown opponent, and on top in half guard working the pass.


9:07 7 of the 8 mats are already underway, all black belts.


9:08 On mat 5 Nakapan is up 5-0 over an unknown opponent.


9:08 Fabio Leopoldo (Gracie Barra) is winning 4-2 over his opponent after 5 minutes.


9:09 Dustin Ware wins after 5m48s.


9:10 These are the black belt Masters divisions, in case you were wondering.


9:14 Eric Burdo is up on mat 1. He’s swept early and is down 2-0.


9:14 Richmond’s Eric Burdo has his guard passed and is now down by 5.


9:15 San Diego’s Baret Yoshida is pacing back and forth in anticipation of his match.


9:16 Eric Burdo is defending a pretty deep armlock…


9:16 His opponent sinks it at 2m59 seconds.


9:17 Baret Yoshida is now up on mat 1 against an unidentified Gracie Barra opponent who gets an immediate 2 points from a sweep.


9:18 Baret Yoshida is now on his back and beginning to work his dangerous guard. A triangle may be on the way…


9:19 For a moment Baret Yoshida had the choke sunk but his opponent pulled out.


9:20 Uh oh, Baret Yoshida has his dangerous crucifix working on his opponent, now identified as Cristiano Oliveira (Gracie Barra).


9:20 Oliveira remains up 2-0 but he is in big danger.


9:21 Baret Yoshida has sunk the hooks on Cristiano Oliveira and now leads 4-2 after 4m20s.


9:22 Baret Yoshida (Undisputed) sinks the choke at 4m35s and Cristiano Oliveira (Gracie Barra) is eliminated.


9:23 Comment From Matt: Olveira nickname is buddy joe he used to me my instructor


9:24 Baret Yoshida will now face Alexander Crispim.


9:25 Comment From Mattought you were going to be commentating Caleb.. oh and what time do the adult open class start?


9:25 I will be commentating the live broadcast at 5pm when all the finals are held.


9:27 Comment From Kevin Howell: who’s fighting on the webcast? (royler patch vs blank gi)


9:27 Hey Kevin, sorry I do not know him.


9:28 Kevin that was Gracie Humaita’s JW Wright.


9:28 Comment From charles: caleb do we know when kyron will fight? or Kron? Now if those two fight that would be so sick


9:30 Comment From dokomoy: charles black middle should start around 12:30(pacific time)


9:30 Dokomoy is correct.


9:30 Comment From Kevin Howellll: Looking forward to your live commentary Caleb!


9:30 Comment From Matt in OR: is there anywhere we can find the brown absolute brackets up?


9:30 Matt I doubt it.


9:32 Renato Tavares is warming up for action on mat 1.


9:33 Heavyweight Roberto Godoi of Godoi Jiu-Jitsu is taking mat 8 right now in the white gi.


9:35 Godoi is on top in half guard going for the pass, which he gets and is now up 3-0 after 90 seconds.


9:36 Godoi gets the tap at 2m59s.


9:36 Comment From dokomoy: Are they going to be showing the same mat all day, or will they switch from mat to mat based on matchup(especially once the adult starts)??


9:37 I believe they will be switching between mats but I don’t know the exact criteria they’ll use to decide what they’ll show.


9:37 Comment From abdullahwhos got the white bandahe on his head


9:38 That was Mauricio Souza of Bon-Sai Jiu-Jitsu.


9:38 Comment From drad in canadanada: caleb want to say thanks for doing this again, we really appreciate it, but is it me or is budolink down?


9:39 The budovideos feed is live for me right now, shoing Alliance’s Babs Olusanmokun standing in his opponent’s guard.


9:39 Renato Tavares is on top in his opponent’s guard on mat one.


9:40 Comment From malfactor Keep me updated on Renato please. malfactor


9:40 Alliance’s Babs Olusanmokun wins agaionst his unknown opponent.


9:41 Renato Tavares’ opponent is Luiz Vicente da Silva Jr.


9:41 Comment From charles: that was a sick arm-bar


9:41 Comment From dokomoy: that armbar was sick nasty


9:42 Renato Tavares is on his back on bottom against Luiz Vicente da Silva Jr. (De La Riva).


9:43 GB’s Ulpiano Malachias is up on mat 6 and winning 2-0.


9:44 Luiz Vicente da Silva Jr. defeats Renato Tavares by advantages.


9:44 Baret Yoshida is now up against Alexander Crispim.


9:45 Comment From malfactor Damn. Thanks for the update Caleb. malfactor


9:46 Alexander Crispim sweeps Baret Yoshida and is now up 2-0.


9:46 Dustin Ware now faces a similarly large American Top Team opponent.


9:48 Comment From abdullahi think that the att guy that dustin is facing is luigi modelli


9:48 Yes thank you Abdullah, that’s who it is.


9:49 Nakapan is eliminated. Sorry, didn’t see what happened.


9:50 Baret Yoshida remains down 2-0 against Alexander Crispim in the final minute.


9:51 Alexander Crispim defeats Baret Yoshida 2-0 and is flipping around the mats.


9:51 Babs Olusanmokun is up on mat 2 now against an opponent from Rocha Jiu-Jitsu.


9:53 Luigi Mondelli defeats Dustin Ware on advantages.


9:53 Babs Olusanmokun is almost mounted on his opponent.


9:54 On mat 8 we have a final match between Fabio Leopoldo and Roberto Godoi!


9:54 Babs Olusanmokun is now going after his opponent’s foot.


9:55 Babs Olusanmokun stands up, declaring victory.


9:55 Roberto Godoi gets the takedown on Fabio Leopoldo and is up 2-0. Leopoldo is furiously avoiding the pass!


9:57 Godoi continues to try to pass Leopoldo’s guard.


9:59 Comment From Arash www.budovideos.com isn’t loading, must be flooded.


9:59 It’s working for me, I’ll ask the guys…


10:00 Tony Passos is now up against Megaton opponent on mat 4.


10:00 Fabio Leopoldo gets teh sweep on Godoi! It’s tied in the final minute!



10:01 Tony Passos beats his opponent from Megaton / Humaita.


10:01 In the final moment there’s a tie between Leopoldo and Godoi, but advantages…??


10:01 The judge raises Leopoldo’s hand!


10:02 A mix of protest and cheers pours from the stands.


10:03 Alexander Crispim will now face Luiz Vicente da Silva.


10:04 I let the Budo gang know, I will let you know if I learn anything else.


10:07 Luiz Vicente da Silva and Alexander Crispim have begun on mat 1.


10:08 Alliance’s Babs Olusanmokun now faces Alan Correa.


10:08 Babs Olusanmokun (Alliance, blue gi) gets the takedown on Alan Correa (Guigo Jiu-Jitsu).


10:10 Comment From Cameron: Stream just went down… you know what happenned?? Cameron


10:10 The guys from Budo Video are aware and are working on it, sit tight!


10:11 Gracie Humaita’s JW Wright jumps up in victory over his American Top Team opponent after 2m26s.


10:11 Babs Olusanmokun and Alan Correa are being restarted in the middle after a gi fixing.


10:12 Comment From Cameron: It’s back :] Cameron


10:14 Alexander Crispim is tied against Luiz Vicente da Silva and wins by one advantage as time runs out.


10:14 Babs Olusanmokun is working a standing pass against Alan Correa.


10:15 Liugi Mondelli is now up on mat 7.


10:16 Babs Olusanmokun defeats Alan Correa. Can’t see the scoreboard.


10:16 Comment From dcg: Can’t get to graceimag.com nor budovideos. Anyone else having same problems?


10:18 Luigi Mondelli is on top in 1/2 guard over an unknown opponent. The score is tied.


10:19 Mondelli and his opponent both share one advantage but it’s otherwise tied.


10:27 Only two mats underway right now. I don’t know what happened to Mondelli, sorry gang.


10:28 Tony Passos is up on mat 4 against an unknown opponent in a white gi.


10:28 Passos is up 6-0 after a sweep and quick mount. His opponent has now escaped.


10:29 Passos is now on top in half guard.


10:29 Comment From Guesteb are you doing play-by-play while Shawn Williams does color commentary? How is that working? Also where is Shawn training/teaching now?


10:30 Shawn and I are indeed co-commentating later today. We’ll probably share those roles.


10:30 Comment From Guestts the word on lovato jr?


10:31 Rafael Lovato Jr did not compete yesterday in the absolute but he is scheduled to fight at his weight today.


10:31 Comment From Guestat job Caleb. you guys know if the streaming is up?


10:31 No not sure, I know they are working hard on that…


10:34 Tony Passos defeats his opponent.


10:36 Comment From Guest’s up in the absolute today Caleb?


10:36 Absolute black belt final is Alliance’s Bernardo Farias and Gordo Jiu-Jitsu’s Antonio Braga Neto.


10:37 That will be the last match of the day probably.


10:37 Other schedule notes: black belt male rooster through medium heavy starts at 12:20.


10:38 Comment From HobertI – Budovideos is back up for me. Hobert


10:38 Comment From Guesteam is up again


10:39 Noah Booth is up on mat 2, not sure of his opponent.


10:39 Mauricio Ferrandis (Humaita) now faces Cassio Werneck in the final on mat 5.


10:41 It’s a tie 0-0 between Ferrandis and Werneck after one minute.


10:42 Comment From Guest mighty 600,000 can overwhelm any live stream


10:42 I hope not!


10:42 The stream is back up and running for me!


10:43 The one you see being attended to by the medics is Gracie Humaita’s Mauricio Ferrandis. I do not know what happened but the score is 2-0 in favor of Cassio Werneck.


10:44 Luigi Mondelli (ATT) is now up against Moacir Oliveira (Brotherhood BJJ).


10:44 Comment From franckparently we are really 600 000


10:44 Comment From Jamest’s the word on Roberto Camargo Alencar and Rafael de Freitas? James


10:44 James those guys don’t fight till 2:20pm.


10:45 A long haired Kurt Osiander is now up against a Gracie Humaita opponent.


10:46 Babs Olusanmokun (Alliance) now faces Joao Cunha (Pit Bull BJJ) on mat 5 for the gold.


10:46 Mondelli and Oliveira are tied 0-0 after 2 minutes.


10:46 Comment From guestked like werneck did something to his arm/shoulder when ferrandis was in turtle


10:47 On mat 1 we have the featherweight final. Alexandre Crispim against BonSai’s Mauricio Souza. Souza is wearing the bandage on his head.


10:48 Babs Olusanmokun and Joao Cunha are tied 0-0 after 2 minutes.


10:49 You are seeing Mondelli (blue gi) vs Oliveira (white) on mat 7. It’s tied0-0 there.


10:49 Babs Olusanmokun was taken down by Joao Cunha. He’s down 0-2.


10:50 Cunha is up 6-0 over Olusanmokun.


10:51 Moacir Oliveira defeats Luigi Mondelli by one advantage in an otherwise uneventful match.


10:52 Joao Cunha is still up 6-0 over Babs Olusanmokun in the closing minute.


10:53 Joao Cunha defeats Babs Olusanmokun 6-0 for the title.


10:53 Comment From CHOKE420: Hi Caleb. First of all, THANKS for doing this, you rock! This might be a stupid question but has Kron competed yet? If so, how did he do?


10:54 Thanks for the kind words Choke. The black belt adults do not begin until 12:20. The finals begin at 5pm.


10:55 Alexander Crispim defeats Mauricio Souza 2-0.


10:55 Comment From Guestts the link to watch live coverage?


10:55 http://budovideos.com/online


10:58 Comment From abdullahosiander was fighting rocha


10:58 Comment From Guestnks – fightpodcast rules!!! legends


10:58 Yes I just spoke with Osiander. He lost by one advantage.


10:59 Paulo Guilobel (Humaita) is up on mat 3, holding his opponent in closed guard.


11:00 Guillobel just went for an armbar from full guard but had to release it.


11:00 Just two matches underway right now.


11:02 On mat two, we have a final between James Gardner (Pedro Sauer) vs Eduardo Leitao.


11:02 Dave Jacobs (Yakasaki) is now up on mat 7 against an Alliance opponent.


11:04 Jacobs remains tied 0-0 after 90 seconds against Tommy Malmberg.


11:06 Jacobs is now down 2-0 after a takedown. They’re restarted in the center in his full guard.


11:07 Cleber Luciano is now up against Maajid Al-Kush.


11:08 Sean Bansfield is now up against Eduardo Rocha (Gracie Humaita).


11:09 Tommy Malmberg (Alliance) defeats Dave Jacobs (Yamasaki) 2-0.


11:10 Billy Dowey now faces Leo Dalla. That’s what you seen on the screen.


11:10 Comment From Andyus know how that Cleber fight goes if you can.


11:10 Bansfield is tied 0-0 with Rocha after 90 seconds.


11:11 Maajid Al-Kush is playing open guard with Cleber Luciano. Can’t see the score from here but I believe Cleber received an advantage.


11:11 Sean Bansfield is up by one advantage over Eduardo Rocha but they’re otherwise tied after 2m20s.


11:12 Dalla is on his back with Dowey in closed guard. It’s still tied 0-0.


11:12 Cleber Luciano just received another advantage over Maajid Al-Kush.


11:13 Bansfield maintains his single advantage over Rocha.


11:13 Leo Dalla defeats Billy Dowey on mat 8.


11:14 Maajid Al-Kush is defeated by Cleber Luciano. The score was 2-2 and Cleber had 2 advantages.


11:14 Rocha and Bansfield now both have one advantage.


11:15 Antonio “Tony” Passos is now up against Joao Faria on mat 4.


11:15 Time is up in the Bansfield / Rocha match and Rocha’s hand is raised; he wins by referee decision.


11:16 Joao Faria jumps a flying triangle on Tony Passos! Passos is defending but it is deep!


11:16 Passos makes it out!!


11:17 Passos and Faria are restarted in the center.


11:17 Passos is on top in front of Faria’s open guard.


11:19 Robin Gieseler is in action on mat 6 against an unknown opponent.


11:19 Joao (“Johnny”) Faria and Tony Passos have been restarted after Passos received medical attention for a moment.


11:20 Robin Gieseler’s guard was passed and he’s now defending side mount. He’s down 3-0.


11:21 For all you guys asking about Kron Gracie – the black belt adults do not begin until 12:20!


11:23 Robin Gieseler loses on points.


11:23 Johnny Faria is defending an aggressive pass from Tony Passos as time winds down…


11:24 Comment From Andy: point out thats PST in case their elsewhere


11:24 Yes that is 12:20 pacific time, so in about one hour. (Thanks Andy).


11:24 Johnny Faria gets 2 points in the closing moments of his match against Tony Passos.


11:25 Faria is the winner and Gracie Humaita earns another medal. Saulo Ribeiro claps and smiles from the sidelines.


11:26 He’s the 2010 Masters middleweight champion.


11:27 Ronald Assumpçao is up against Roberto Traven on mat 2. Traven’s on top in half guard.


11:28 Roberto Traven defeats Ronald Assumpçao.


11:29 Andrei Andrezzo (Cia Paulista) is now up against Tommy Malmberg (Alliance).


11:31 Malmberg is on top in 1/2 guard against Andrezzo.


11:33 Admilson Brites wins his division.


11:35 Tommy Malmberg (Alliance) defeats Andrei Andrezzo (Cia Paulista) by one advantage.


11:35 Comment From the grappling dummying dummy: yo caleb! good job my man. i just jumped on. did i miss brown belts? any word on oli geddes? the grappling dummy


11:36 Sorry grappling dummy I don’t have any update on him.


11:37 Comment From abdullaholi lost


11:38 Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller is up on mat 5. He’s the instructor of guys like Bill “The Grill” Cooper and Jeff Glover.


11:38 Comment From Ciaranread on the EFN forum that Ollie lost is the first round to the eventual silver meddalist.


11:39 Franjinha and his opponent remain tied at zero after 90 seconds. They’re still standing.


11:40 Rock n roll drummer from Poison Rikki Rocket is in teh blue gi on the live stream right now.


11:41 Rocket, from Renato Magno’s Street Sports Jiu-Jitsu pulls guard but it’s passed and he’s now down 3-0.


11:42 Eduardo Rocha (Gracie Humaita) is now up against Charles Faria Correa (Godoi).


11:42 Comment From the grappling dummying dummy: he looks rock and roll


11:43 Franjinha is stil tied 0-0 against his opponent.


11:44 Charles Faria Correa defeats Eduardo Rocha.


11:44 Rikki Rocket is now down 10-0.


11:45 Cleber Luciano is back in action on mat 4.


11:45 Time expires and Rikki Rocket loses 14-0. Sorry I don’t know his opponent’s name.


11:47 Cleber Luciano is on top working to pass his opponent’s half guard.


11:50 Paulo Guillobel takes mat 3 in the black gi.


11:50 Cleber Luciano is protesting a call on mat 4 and head referee Alvaro Mansur makes his way over there.


11:52 Cleber Luciano continues his protest, but the ref’s decision stands. He is eliminated.


11:54 Paulo Guillobel finishes his Gracie Barra opponent by bow and arrow choke.


11:54 I just learned that Cleber Luciano was disqualified for reaping the knee.


11:55 Comment From Matt in OR: Was it from 50/50?


11:55 I did not see it, so I can’t say Matt, sorry.


11:58 To folks who have just joined: the black belt adult males are scheduled to begin in about 20 minutes.


12:07 Off the mats, Rickson Gracie’s getting stopped and having his picture taken often with fans.


12:09 Ricardo Medina is up against Aldo Filho now on mat 8.


12:11 Aldo Filho is tied 0-0 against Ricardo Medina. They both have one advantage point.


12:12 Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller is preparing to step onto mat 5 again.


12:12 Comment From dokomoy: Caleb – do you happen to have the results for senior 2 middle heavy?


12:12 Guys I’m sorry but if I didn’t type it out here there’s a good chance I have no idea what happened


12:12 Comment From Guest: quick question what is reaping the knee?


12:13 Anyone want to take that one while we wait for the black belt adults to begin?


12:13 Jack McVicker is up against Paulo Guillobel!


12:13 Comment From dokomoy: thanks, for the info anyway


12:15 Comment From jason: reaping the knee is a twisting attack on the knee. illegal. jason


12:15 Ricardo Medina defeats Aldo Filho 3-0.


12:15 Yah, so for the “Reaping the knee”… imagine when you heel hook someone and you throw your foot over your opponent’s hip to apply the torque. That endangers the knee and is an immediate disqualification.


12:16 BRB gang, I am going to take this chance to hit the restroom before the adults begin!


12:19 Paulo Guillobel defeats Jack McVicker.


12:19 Comment From dokomoy: piggybacking on what jason and caleb said you can cross your “inside” leg to the outside, but not the “outside leg” in.


12:19 Comment From Andy: now once every thing gets going everybody wants to know about the Adult Middle weights but if you can keep an eye on Theodor Canal in the Featherweight division I would appreciate it


12:20 Franjinha is up in his match 9-0.


12:21 I saw Octavio Sousa warming up with Kayron Gracie. Things are getting started here soon…


12:23 Franjinha wins his match on points.


12:25 Comment From spider riccoco: I thought he won by baseball bat choke


12:25 Sorry if I got that wrong!


12:26 Remember gang at 5pm today the finals begin and at that point I should be commentating with Budo Videos at budovideos.com/online (in case you’re not already watching their coverage there).


12:31 Comment From fernando: has adults rooster started yet?


12:32 No actually I think the very first adult black belt match just started. When I figure out who they are I will let you know.


12:33 Carlos Holanda is now up against Laercio Fernandes.


12:33 Comment From dokomoy: caleb the guy on budovideos said it’s daniel beleza and Joao Paulo Kuraoko


12:34 Carlos Holanda is playing leg spaghetti with Laercio Fernandes.


12:35 Otavio Sousa is now up against…. name on the way.


12:36 Sousa is up 2-0 over his opponent.


12:37 Sousa is now winning 5-0.


12:37 Brad Court is up on mat 1.


12:38 Sousa is up 12-0 over his opponent now.


12:38 You can see Otavio Sousa now on the screen in mount.


12:39 Comment From abdullah: thats a crazy mount


12:39 Comment From Charles: Go professor Otavio


12:40 Sousa’s opponet (I believe it’s Cameron Apple) appears to be choked out.


12:42 A disadvantage for Brad Court and his opponent.


12:44 Brad Court is now winning 2-0.


12:44 6 minutes in and Brad Court pulls guard on his opponent. It remains 2-0 in his favor.


12:46 Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda wins his first match and eliminates Laercio Fernandes.


12:46 Comment From Mr. Brian Come on Supreme Court!


12:46 After 7m45s Court is still up 2-0 and holding his opponent in closed guard.


12:48 uh oh…


12:48 In the Court match, his opponent was disqualified for stalling.


12:49 Joel Tudor’s now up against GB’s Rodrigo Freitas.


12:50 Tudor is on top in the black gi. For those who don’t know him, he’s a world champion surfer from San Diego who earned his black belt in the last couple years.


12:50 Freitas slaps on a footlock and Tudor taps quickly.


12:51 Joao Silva is now up against Daniel Tavares.


12:52 Megaton is taking it to Fabio Passos. They’re now restarted standing in the middle.


12:53 Wellington “Megaton” Dias (Humaita) is on top in half guard over Fabio Passos (Alliance).


12:53 Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller is now up against Choi Louis for the gold in their division.


12:54 Chewy Ibarra is now up against a Saulo Ribeiro jiu-jitsu competitor.


12:55 Mike Fowler (Llyod Irvin) is now up against Marcelo Mafra (Check Mat).


12:55 Franjinha is up 2-0 in his match against Louis.


12:56 Megaton remains on top in 1/2 guard over Passos.


12:56 Marcelo Mafra defeats Mike Fowler at the 1m11s mark. Fowler protests that he did not tap.


12:57 Fowler remains on the mat protesting. Was it a DQ for reaping the knee?


12:58 Fowler takes his case to Alvaro Mansur, the head referee.


12:59 A moppy-haired Megaton remains on top in 1/2 guard with his Alliance opponent Passos.


12:59 Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller wins his match against Choi Louis.


1:00 Abmar Barbosa is up against Rodrigo Texeira.


1:00 Joao Silva is armbarred by Daniel Tavares.


1:01 Megaton and Passos are still in action.


1:03 Abmar Barbosa defeats Rodrigo Texeira.


1:03 Megaton wins in his match against Fabio Passos of Alliance.


1:03 Kron Gracie is now on the mat against Rodrigo Costa.


1:04 Kron is up on top in half guard against Rodrigo Costa of Gracie Barra.


1:04 Comment From fernando: Felipe Costa won his match and advanced to the finals


1:05 Rodrigo Costa (GB) moves to deep half guard and appears to want the far side armbar. Costa is known for a very tough guard.


1:06 Costa dumps Kron over and now Kron’s got Costa in full guard.


1:06 Kron sinks the armbar at 2m42s!


1:07 Kron will now face Abmar Barbosa in his next match.


1:07 Comment From abdullah: sick armbar


1:11 Lucas Leite (Check Mat) is now up against Carlos Sievert (GB).


1:11 Comment From abdullahis that bruno amoriom in the blue gi?


1:11 No I do not believe Amorim has been out on the mat yet.


1:11 Comment From Ross Finlayson: Thx for blogging, Caleb. When announcing the start of the match, please include the mat # if you can (for those of us in the audience)


1:11 I will try Ross!


1:12 Sergio Moraes (Alliance) is now up on mat 8 against Ben Thompson.


1:12 Lucas Leite chokes Carlos Sievert at the 1m19s mark and advances.


1:14 Ben Thompson is still tied on mat 8 with Sergio Moraes after 3m05.


1:16 Sergio Moraes is now up 2-0 over Ben Thompson on mat 8.


1:17 Moraes has now mounted Thompson and the score is 9-0.


1:18 I do not recall seeing Moraes in competition in full mount so it will be interesting to see what he does next.


1:18 And there’s my answer. He gets the ezekiel choke at 6m17s.


1:19 Comment From abdullah: interesting to see how kayron will do in his first black belt comp


1:19 Kayron Gracie is now in action on mat 8 against an unknown opponent.


1:21 Kayron’s opponent is trying to a foot lock, but Kayron manages to get a sweep out of the situation. He’s up 2-0 after 2 minutes.


1:23 Kayron mounts! He’s up 9-0.


1:23 Kayron has driven the score up to 13-0 and gets the choke from the mount at 3m43s!


1:24 Otavio Souza is now up against Cameron Diffley.


1:24 Sonny Nohara is in action on mat 2, cheered on by Robert Drysdale.


1:25 Otavio Sousa vs Cameron Diffley is on mat 6.


1:25 Comment From Csimamora That was textbook by Kayron! Pass to to mount to cross collar choke.


1:26 JT Torres (Lloyd Irvin) is on mat 5 with Marcio Sato.


1:27 Andre de Freitas is up against Henryque Pofahl (GB) on mat 3. de Freitas is in the blue gi, playing guard.


1:28 Otavio Sousa is tied against Cameron Diffley after 2m40s, 0-0.


1:28 Comment From David Wolf: Any update on Fowler? is he going to be able to compete again?


1:28 It looks as if Fowler is done for the day.


1:29 Sousa is trying to sweep Diffley from full guard.


1:29 Abmar Barbosa vs Kron Gracie on mat 7!


1:30 Sonny Nohara gets two points for the sweep.


1:30 Andre de Freitas continues playing guard against Henryque Pofahl.


1:30 Barbosa is playing guard against Kron. One minute in and the score is tied 0-0.


1:31 Otavio Sousa is up 2-0 over Cameron Diffley.


1:31 JT Torres wins against the Godoi opponent.


1:32 Sonny Nohara wins.


1:32 Still 0-0 between Abmar Barbosa and Kron Gracie after 2m46s. Kron continues trying to pass.


1:33 Sousa remains up 2-0 over Diffley after 7 minutes, and he’s on top in half guard.


1:34 de Freitas remains playing guard against Pofahl but gets a sweep and 2 points.


1:34 Brad Court is now up against a Gracie Barra opponent, Rodrigo Freitas.


1:34 Barbosa gets the sweep and is up 2-0 over Kron Gracie.


1:36 Barbosa sweeps again and is now up 4-0 over Kron Gracie. Time 6m14s.


1:36 Sousa is choking Diffley from the mount as time expires. He wins 9-0.


1:37 Kron is passed again and the score is 7-0. Now Barbosa is taking his back! He’s running up the score on Kron! It’s 11-0! The time is 7m40s!


1:38 Kron had a deep kneebar a few moments ago that almost sunk but after losing it Barbosa is on a tear.


1:38 Court and Freitas are tied 0-0.


1:38 Kron is on top in guard and there’s one minute left.


1:39 Kron is now trying to pass but Barbosa has a very tricky guard!


1:40 As time runs out Abmar Barbosa shakes his fist in victory!


1:40 Barbosa just eliminated one of the favorites in the middle weight division!


1:42 Wow my heart is still beating out of my chest right now.


1:42 Brad Court continues in his battle against Rodrigo Freitas. He’s up 2-0 but Freitas almost passes.


1:42 Comment From Charles: wow great job to barbosa


1:43 Freitas gets 3 points and he’s up over Court.


1:43 Now it’s 5-2 in Freitas’ favor over Court.


1:44 Michael Langhi (Alliance) is getting ready for action on mat 1, Fabio Gurgel is on the side ready to coach.


1:44 Samir Chantre is eliminated.


1:45 Kayron Gracie is up on mat 8 against Marcelo Mafra of CheckMat.


1:45 Michael Langhi is no in action against an unknown opponent in the blue gi on mat 1.


1:47 Fabio Holanda (CheckMat) is in action in the blue gi on mat 2.


1:47 Bill Cooper’s up on mat 5 against Yoshinobu Kakizaw .


1:48 Kayron Gracie is still tied 0-0 across the board with Marcelo Mafra.


1:48 Kayron is restarted in the middle of the mats inside Mafra’s guard.


1:49 Bill “The Grill” Cooper beats Yoshinobu Kakizaw.


1:49 Comment From Guest: Mafra is lapella, right?


1:49 Yes Marcelo Mafra is also known as “Lapela”.


1:50 Carlos Holanda is playing in front of his opponent’s open guard on mat 2.


1:51 Otavio Sousa is now up on mat 6.


1:51 Michael Langhi is now up 6-2 against his opponent.


1:52 Langhi gets the tap after taking his opponent’s back.


1:52 Ryan Hall is about to step onto mat 1.


1:52 Lucas Leite now faces an unknown opponent on mat 7.


1:53 Kayron’s still tied with Marcel Mafra but is up on advantages 5-0.


1:54 Comment From No Marcelo Garcia: Has Cobrinha fought yet and if so how did he do?


1:54 I haven’t seen Cobrinha yet.


1:54 Sousa is up 8-0 over his opponent, looking very tough as always.


1:55 Otavio Sousa just tapped his opponent at the 8-0 mark.


1:56 Sergio Banini just beat Matheus Henrique (Gracie Fighter) by gi choke.


1:58 Ryan Hall is now up against Theodoro Canal on mat 1. Ryan’s in the white gi.


1:58 Kayron Gracie just defeated Marcelo Mafra by advantages.


1:59 Carlos Holanda just won his match.


1:59 Comment From drewinha on 4 drew


1:59 Thanks Drew. Yes Cobrinha is on top working to pass his opponent’s guard on mat 4.


2:00 Megaton’s up on mat 2 against a GB opponent.


2:00 Lucas Leite is up 2-0 over his opponent on mat 7.


2:00 Comment From David Wolf: How did Ryan Hall win his first match? David Wolf


2:01 Ryan Hall is in action right now and tied 2-2 against Teodoro Canal.


2:01 Sergio Moraes wins! Cobrinha wins!


2:02 JT Torres is up against Lucas Lepri in the blue gi on mat 5!


2:03 Megaton’s trying a standing pass against his GB opponent.


2:04 JT Torres and Lucas Lepri still tied at 0-0 after 2m33s.


2:05 Still tied 2-2 between Teodoro Canal and Ryan Hall. Less than 2 minutes left there. Hall is being coached by Brasa’s Felipe Costa.


2:05 Lucas Leite wins his match just 2-0 after ten minutes. Very close there.


2:06 Still 0-0 between Lepri and Torres on mat 5. Torres is playing spider guard.


2:07 Ryan Hall loses by one advantage after ten minutes with Teodoro Canal, a very experienced competitor from Brasil.


2:08 Michael Langhi (Alliance) is now going against Rodrigo Freitas of GB on mat 1.


2:09 Lucas Lepri leads JT Torres 2-0 after 7 minutes.


2:10 Lucas Lepri just passed JT Torres’ guard and is now up 5-0 after 8m15s. This place is getting loud!


2:11 Rafael Freitas (not Rodrigo) of GB defeats Wellington “Megaton” Dias in a barnburner. How those two get that much energy is a mystery.


2:12 Caio Terra now takes tha mat against Sonny Nohara.


2:12 Michael Langhi and Rodrigo Freitas are still tied 0-0 after 6 minutes.



2:13 Lucas Lepri is working a choke from half guard over JT Torres but time expires and he wins 5-2.


2:13 Caio Terra triangles Sonny Nohara early into their match.


2:14 Rodrigo Freitas is up 2-0 over Michael Langhi on mat 1.



2:14 Sergio Moraes now faces Kayron Gracie on mat 8!!!


2:15 Michael Langhi has now tied it 2-2! He’s leading on advantages!


2:15 Bill “The Grill” Cooper is awaiting an opponent on mat 5.


2:16 Alliance is going crazy next to me cheering Michael Langhi on mat 1! My ears hurt from their screaming!


2:16 Luiz “Big Mac” Teodoro is up on mat 7.


2:17 Sergio Moraes and Kayron Gracie are still tied 0-0 after 2m32s.



2:17 Michael Langhi sinks the choke on Rodrigo Freitas at the 9 minute mark.
The score was 5-2.


2:18 Watching those sort of matches give me high blood pressure.


2:18 Bill Cooper is beating his opponent 4-2.


2:19 Still tied 0-0 between Kayron Gracie and Sergio Moraes on mat 8.


2:21 After 5m30s Kayron and Sergio are tied 0-0 across the board.


2:22 Kayron Gracie just gets the advantage for a near takedown against Sergio
Moraes.


2:23 The girls are getting warmed up…


2:23 Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda pulls guard against his opponent.


2:24 Alliance’s “Soluco” di Pierro has just entered the mats on mat 6. He’s wearing the blue gi.


2:25 Bill Cooper is still up 6-4.


2:25 Kayron is leading by one advantage as time runs out. This will be a major upset!


2:26 He’s seconds away from beating a middleweight world champion!


2:26 The Gracie Barra crew is going crazy!


2:26 In Kayron’s first match as a black belt he’s eliminated a major player!


2:27 Sorry not his first match, but his debut tournament as a black belt.


2:27 Comment From Ciaranw – what a result! Ciaran


2:27 Comment From Csimamora Nice work, Kayron! Csimamora


2:28 Lucas Leite has to fight Abmar Barbosa, and the winner of that will fight Kayron.



2:28 Comment From spider riccoco: gracie jj is back baby


2:30 Comment From josenew on javi vasquez? jose


2:30 I have not seen Javi yet but I might have missed it…


2:31 Alliance’s Antonio Carlos Peinado aka “Batista” is winning 8-0 over his opponent on mat 7.


2:32 Christy Thomas (Relson Gracie) is up 2-0 over her oponent in the blue gi.


2:32 Antonio Carlos Peinado is mounted and working for a submission on mat 7. He’s up 8-0.


2:32 Comment From marcon do the heavy wheights fight? marco


2:32 The heavier guys have started now.


2:33 Leo Nogueira (Alliance) is up against Nick Kline.


2:34 I am sorry; I don’t know if there was a mistake or what but now it appears Christy Thomas is down 2-0 at 5m45s.


2:35 Antonio Carlos Peinado “Batista” is now fighting Asa Fuller on mat 7.


2:35 Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda defeated his opponent.


2:36 Antonio Carlos Peinado “Batista” has been beating Asa Fuller this whole time. Sorry, I didn’t know it was Asa under there.


2:36 Luanna Alzuguir (Alliance) is up against Sophie McDermott (Drysdale) on mat 5.


2:37 Antonio Carlos Peinado “Batista” defeats Asa Fuller 17-0 after 10 minutes.


2:38 Stephen “Pesadelo Triangulo” is now in the white gi on mat 7.


2:38 Luanna Alzuguir is tied 0-0 against Sophie MCDermott.


2:39 Caio Terra defeats Rafael Freitas.


2:40 Luanna Alzuguir defeats Sophie McDermott 2-0.


2:40 Hillary Williams is up on mat 4 in the black gi.


2:41 Katy Weilbacker (Alliance) is now facing Tammy Griego (GB).


2:42 Stephen Hall is down 5-0 against Alexandre Pereira, who’s in the black gi.


2:42 Leo Nogueira escapes a triangle attempt from Nick Kline. The two are still tied 0-0.


2:43 Alexandre Pereira defeats Stephen hall after 4 minutes. I missed the ending.



2:43 On mat 7 we have Abmar Barbosa versus Lucas Leite!!!


2:44 Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) just missed an armbar against her opponent on mat 3.


2:45 Leo Nogueira ends up defeating Nick Kline 7-0 as time expires.


2:46 2-2 tie between Abmar Barbosa and Lucas Leite on mat 7.


2:47 Joao Assis is now up against Daniel Simmler on mat 1.


2:47 Tammy Griego continues doing well against Katy Weilbacher, winning 7-0.


2:48 WOW!!!! Abmar Barbosa armbars Lucas Leite!


2:49 Barbosa catches Leite at the 4m20s mark.


2:49 Comment From dokomoy: Abmar is on a tear


2:50 Comment From ralph gracie ocie oc: wow that armbar was nice ralph gracie oc


2:51 Tammy Griego defeats Katy Weilbacher 9-2.


2:51 Dan Simmler is tied 2-2 against Joao Assis.


2:52 Michelle Nicolini continues in her battle against Takako Abe.


2:53 Gabi Garcia (Alliance) is up against Emily Wetzel, and is tied. Gabi’s on top in 1/2 guard.


2:53 I missed the submission but Gabi Garcia defeats Emily Wetzel after 1m20s.


2:54 Wow two giants on the mat: Antonio Carlos Peinado versus Gabriel Vella.


2:54 That’s on mat 7.


2:54 Cobrinha is now up on mat 3.


2:55 Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) won against Takako Abe.


2:55 Joao Assis just about has Dan Simmler’s back. They’re tied 4-4.


2:57 Luciana Dias (Humaita) faces Tammy Griego in a moment.


2:57 Antonio Carlos Peinado and Gabriel Vella are still standing and tied 0-0 after 3m38s.


2:58 Joao Assis defeats Dan Simmler 10-4.


2:58 Comment From J Sho: Great work as always Caleb, well done.


2:58 Thanks J Sho, good to hear from you. It’s late over there!


2:59 Cobrinha is on top in half guard over his opponent on mat 3. Can’t see the score from here.


3:00 Felipe Fogoliin is up 4-0 over his opponent on mat 1.


3:01 Antonio Carlos Peinado and Gabriel Vella are still standing ant tied 0-0 after 7 minutes. Vella just went for a throw but didn’t get it. They both have one penalty and one advantage.


3:02 Felipe Fogolin kneebars his opponent at 1m09s. His opponent is in pain and the medics are called over.


3:02 Comment From Shahabbrinha is up 7-0 Shahab


3:02 I missed the ending for Cobrinha bus I presume he won if that’s true. His match is over.


3:02 Comment From coreykron out for good? corey


3:03 Kron was eliminated by Abmar Barbosa, who is now going to the final against Kayron Gracie.


3:04 Michael Langhi is now on the mat against an unknown opponent.


3:04 Gabriel Vella defeats Antonio Carlos Peinado by referee decision after 10 minutes!


3:04 Comment From Shahabbrinha was up 6-0 then got the submission. Shahab


3:04 Comment From Ross Finlaysonyson: Yes, Cobrinha won Ross Finlayson


3:05 Comment From Josh team is Vella fighting for now? Josh


3:05 Vella is now back to his original team, Ryan Gracie.


3:05 Luciana Dias is now up against Tammy Griego. Their match just began.


3:07 Michael Langhi gets the tap in 2m07s against that unknown opponent. He was up 3-0 at the time.


3:08 Nyjah Easton is now up against Claudia Martinez on mat 4.


3:08 Luka Dias is up by one advantage over Tammy Griego after 3m31s.


3:08 Rafael Lovato Jr. (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu) is now up against Leo Nogueira (Alliance) on mat 1.


3:09 Nogueira is working deep half guard on Lovato going into the first minute.


3:09 Tammy Griego now leads Luka Dias 2-0.


3:10 Luiz Teodoro “Big Mac” is up 2-0 and in side mount over his opponent.


3:10 Big Mac wins a little after four minutes.


3:11 Comment From GBMK: Great Job as usual , question from UK iS Otavio Sousa in final? and who against please ?


3:11 I think Otavio is in the final but I am not sure so don’t quote me on that.


3:12 After 3m01s, Lovato Jr. and Nogueira are tied 0-0 across the board.


3:12 Rodrigo Cavaca and his opponent are still tied 0-0 at 2m07s.


3:13 Woops, Cavaca just tapped his opponent at 2m13s.


3:14 Tammy Griego is up 6-0 over Luka Dias going in to the final minute.


3:14 Lovato Jr. (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu) is tied 2-2 with Nogueira (Alliance) after 5 minutes.


3:15 Lovato Jr. gets a bunch of points (sorry that was not much detail) and is now up 9-2 over Nogueira.


3:15 Comment From GBMK: Otavio thanks for prompt response will wait till you get any info ..Obrigado


3:16 Andre de Freitas (Gracie Fighter) is in action on mat 3 in the blue gi.


3:16 Comment From dokomoy: Lovato swept, almost immediatly passed into mount.


3:16 Nyjah Easton is still in action against Claudia Martinez.


3:17 Lovato Jr is going for the choke against Nogueira here on mat 1. We are almost 8 minutes in.


3:17 Leo Nogueira escapes Lovato’s clutches and is now in front trying to pass Lovato’s guard.


3:18 Looks like Nyjah Easton (Lloyd Irvin) defeated Claudia Martinez on mat 4.


3:18 de Freitas is still in action on mat 3.


3:19 Comment From J Sho: de freitas is still fighting, he was on the other side of the bracket to otavio so his finals opponent can have been defined yet


3:20 With less than 30 seconds left, Lovato leads Nogueira 9-2.


3:20 Rafael Lovato Jr. (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu) defeats Leo Nogueira (Alliance) by a score of 9-2.


3:21 There’s just one match underway right now and that’s de Freitas against his unknown opponent.


3:23 Guybson Sa is now up against Antonio Braga Neto on mat 7.



3:25 Braga Neto defeats Guybson Sa at 1m13s.


3:25 Roberto “Tussa” Alencar just stepped on to mat 6 against an unknown opponent.


3:25 Andre de Freitas just won his match on mat 3.


3:26 Later on we will see Gabrielle Garcia (Alliance) versus Tammy Griego (Gracie Barra).


3:27 So yes, it will be Andre de Freitas against Otavio Sousa if I’m not mistaken.


3:28 Felipe Fogolin now faces Bernardo Faria (Alliance) on mat 1.


3:29 Comment From CpBJJ you catch how Big Mac won? CpBJJ


3:29 I believe Big Mac won by flying triangle.


3:29 Ok just kidding. No, I did not see how he won.


3:29 Comment From CpBJJahah! CpBJJ


3:30 Tussa is now tied 2-2 against his unknown opponent.


3:30 Felipe Fogolin is up 2-0 over Bernardo Faria after a takedown on mat 1.


3:31 Faria and Fogolin are now tied 2-2 and Fogolin has an advantage at the 2m22s mark.


3:31 Faria has now passed and is beating Fogolin 5-2.


3:32 Gracie Barra’s Tussa is beating his unknown opponent on mat 6, 4-2 after 4 minutes.


3:34 After 5m33 seconds, Bernardo Faria catches Felipe Fogolin and gets the tap.



3:38 Comment From rick macVal worthington go yet? rick mac


3:39 Hey Rick I don’t recall seeing her but the women were on the other end of the arena so I could have missed it. Sorry.


3:41 Bernardo Faria and Leo Iturralde were going to fight but it looks like they’ve opted for Faria to advance. They do not fight.


3:41 Comment From J Sho: fought Tussa at a Grapplers Quest once… it didn’t go well for me


3:42 Tussa wins his match.


3:43 Comment From Andy Ruffnerer: Caleb, do you know when the men’s bb finals will start?


3:43 Men’s black belt finals are supposed to start at 5pm, as well as the female brown/black finals.


3:45 Bruno Bastos and Marcel Fortuna are now in action on mat 6. The score is tied.


3:47 Comment From J Shocel Fortuna vs Bruno Bastos on the live stream


3:48 Bastos and Fortuna are still tied 0-0 after 6 minutes. Bastos is up by one advantage.


3:50 Marcel Fortuna is now on top in 1/2 guard and leads 2-0.


3:51 Rafael Lovato Jr. will face Joas Assis here in a moment on mat 1.


3:52 Going into the last minute here, Bastos and Fortuna are really going at it. Bastos is tring to defend his one advantage lead.


3:53 Bastos and Fortuna are now tied as time expires! Fortuna got an advantage! And now the referee raises Fortuna’s hand!


3:54 Bastos is eliminated.


3:54 Joao Assis is now up against Rafael Lovato Jr.. Lovato just earned 2 points for a sweep.


3:57 Assis still is trailing 2-0 against Lovato Jr..


3:59 Lovato Jr. is listening to his coach Saulo Ribeiro who is offering advice from just behind the barrier.


4:00 Assis has gambled on this deep half guard and Lovato Jr. is hoping to capture that far side armbar.


4:02 Joao Assis just scrambled and almost got a takedown as he fought Lovato Jr out of bounds. They’re retying their gis in the center. Assis gets an advantage for the near taekdown but Lovato still leads 2-0 after 7m.


4:02 Antonio Braga Neto now faces Roberto “Tussa” Alencar on mat 6!


4:03 Dustin Ware just beat a guy in what I have to believe is an absolute division.


4:04 Tussa and Braga Neto are still standing after 2 minutes.


4:04 Lovato is sticking tight to Assis in these closing seconds…!


4:05 Rafael Lovato Jr. defeats Joao Assis 2-0.


4:05 Kurt Osiander is up against Paulo Guillobel on mat 8.


4:06 Antonio Braga Neto just choked Tussa!


4:06 The match is definitely over as a woozy Tussa is attended to by medical staff.


4:07 Braga Neto caught Tussa at the 3m07s mark.


4:08 Lovato Jr. must face Bernardo Faria next.


4:10 Marcel Fortuna and Rodrigo Cavaca are now in action on mat 6. The winner of this will face Antonio Braga Neto in the Super Heavy finals.


4:10 Paulo Guillobel defeats Kurt Osiander.


4:10 Cavaca is playing his open guard game against Fortuna.


4:12 Guys just a reminder, shortly I’ll be taking off to go do the commentary for BudoVideos.com/online to cover the finals. So if you have not yet, register there now (it’s free) so you avoid the rush of registrants all trying to sign up at the same time.


4:13 Marcel Fortuna and Rodrigo Cavaca are stopping to retie their belts. It also looks like Cavaca may have been poked in the eye. The medics are taking a quick look.


4:16 Cavaca and Fortuna are back in action and tied 0-0 with one advantage each.


4:18 Fortuna is now up by just one advantage.


4:19 Comment From Dev, have you heard anything about why they were having everyone remove Shoyoroll gis the past couple days? I heard from some buddies – verified by the fact that I didn’t see a single one on the mats Friday – that the lapels were too wide… Dev


4:19 That is news to me. I have seen several shoyoroll patches, for what it’s worth.


4:19 Fortuna and Cavaca are in a dead heat again! Less than 2 minutes left!


4:21 From dokomoy: http://www.budovideos.com/online/forums/showthread.php?32-FINALS-MATCHES list of most finals matches


4:21 Fortuna is up by one advantage in the last 30 seconds over Cavaca!


4:22 Cavaca goes for the kneebar as time runs out!


4:22 But all said and done, Fortuna wins by 2 advantages with a score of 0-0.


4:23 Comment From dokomoy: If you’re watching the stream right now, the guy on top in a black gi is Matt Baker(Jean Jacques Machado)


4:24 Okay family, I am going to head to makeup so I can prepare for the live commentary.


4:24 Comment From dokomoy: Thanks again caleb


4:25 Just kidding, I just need to get up. I’ve been hunched over this computer since 9am and it’s almost 5pm. My back hurts! It’s so hard sitting in a chair while these guys and girls go after each other on the mats.


4:25 Ok enough kidding , I’m going to go stretch my legs, get some water and prepare. See you on the live stream shortly!


4:25 Thanks for joining the live blog everybody.


4:26 budovideos.com/online

2:03 Hey Family, I’m here at the Bren Events Center at the University of Irvine!



2:04 The registration period for today’s black belt adult male absolute division is now closed, and we’re waiting to see how those brackets will be put togethere.


2:05 Comment From Matt in OR: Is there any reaction at the Pan Ams regarding UFC 112?


2:05 Hey Matt, great question. I am going to keep UFC talk out of the coverage here just to avoid spoiling things for everyone, but to answer your question, yes, folks are talking for sure!


2:07 Fabio Gurgel, Jacare Cavalcanti, Carlos Gracie Jr., Saulo Ribeiro, Franjinha, and others are now discussing the absolute division with IBJJF staff and how it will be put together.


2:09 I’m seated with Mike Buckels of the IBJJF discussing a few details.



2:10 Looks like I may have been mistaken about Antonio Braga Neto this weekend! His name was put on the list for the absolute division. I may have to print a retraction on yesterday’s article.


2:10 Comment From LucaTony: can you give the results for the brown belts up to know.Please


2:11 Hey LucaTony, I’m afraid I don’t have much information for you there. I will do what I can but I can’t promise a lot.


2:12 Comment From LucaTony: Thanks we appreciate the hard work


2:12 Comment From abdullah: are the black senior 1 div fighting today?


2:12 Black senior 1 by weight and absolute are tomorrow.


2:19 So far from what I’ve seen today, the juvenile blue belts were very exciting to watch. Very slick young guys who aren’t yet really muscled so they use a lot of really slick technique. Really dynamic matches that often end in a submission. I look forward to seeing this cohort of guys grow up into black belts.


2:19 Comment From Guest: what happend to the video?


2:20 The video stream will be up tomorrow for the finals, which is scheduled to begin at 5pm or so. There may be some streaming today but if there is, it will be mostly to test the system and check to make sure everything is running ok.


2:21 In any case, remember that you will have to register at budovideos.com/online so while there’s a little down time, now is probably a good time to take care of that.


2:22 Comment From charles: did the BB open weight start?


2:22 Black belt open weight class is scheduled to begin at 3pm, so in about 40 minutes.


2:23 Comment From Joe: Robert Drysdale in? Joe


2:24 Drysdale did not register for the event.


2:25 Just a heads up that I will not be able to pay attention to comments much once things really get going, so do not be offended if I do not answer or do not post your comments.



2:25 Comment From charles: Nice, really good work guys!!!!! You guys rock!!! GB San Clemente loves you guys ..


2:29 Comment From rj nice job set up every thing online , for people who cant make it.hawaii rj


2:30 The brackets are here.


2:31 But remember that the black belt open weight (absolute) division brackets can not be found there. They are being put together as we speak.


2:33 Another thing you guys might find of interest is that the IBJJF refs have been very strict about the zero tolerance policy for possible reaping the knee, and I’ve seen multiple disqualifications for people doing that already today.


2:39 Black belt absolute brackets update: “Not yet!”


2:41 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: any news about lucas rocha, brown belt ?


2:41 No, sorry but if I hear anything I’ll post it.


2:42 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: thx a lot. hi from france


2:46 Nine mats in use at the moment and the venue’s air is still cool. Very nice place this year. Clean, well lit, and everywhere offers a good view!


2:48 For a little perspective, according to event officials, they have approximately 50-60 staff at any one moment running the show. That does not include Bren Events Center employees.


2:53 For those here in attendance, I was told that the black belt open will take place on mats 9 & 10.


2:55 Comment From branco: guys, is live stream from budovideos?


2:57 There may be live stream today on budovideos.com/online. It will definitely be up all day tomorrow.


2:58 Comment From branco: It´s work now!


2:58 I am sitting here with Kid Peligro who says that the very first Pan-Am was held here in 1995. There were maybe 3 mats and 150 competitors. Crazy!


3:00 Branco is right, I can see a live stream at http://www.budovideos.com/online/ right now!


3:03 Comment From Arakeloes anyone know whether Kron Gracie will compete?


3:04 Kron is signed up.


3:10 Comment From MattO is streaming the worlds too?!?


3:10 Matt I believe it’s official that they will.


3:17 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: very nice streaming. i hope im gonna see lucas rocha and otavio !!


3:18 Comment From Andy you find out if you can see the mats well from where you’ll be tomorrow yet?


3:18 Hey Andy, yes it looks like we will have a pretty good view! Pretty much matside!


3:21 The ladies are on the opposite end of the building so I can’t see so good. But it looks like Hillary wWilliams is out there right now. The black belt absolute is about to begin! Bruno Bastos is out on the mats…


3:22 Rodrigo Cavaca has walked out onto the mats…


3:22 Comment From Arakelhey don’t seem to have updates the black belt open on the brackets site…


3:23 The black belt open brackets were only finalized a few minutes ago! I am working on getting you those details now!


3:23 Cavaca is already up 11-0 against his opponent in under 90 seconds.


3:24 Cavaca’s now basically mounted and the score is 14-0.


3:24 Bruno Bastos is on top in half guard against his smaller opponent in the absolute here.


3:24 Comment From Arakelhey’re streaming the match you are talking about live now!


3:25 Cavaca is working the head and arm triangle and sinks it at 2:43 with a score of 18-0.


3:25 Bruno Bastos is now mounted and up 7-0 against his opponent.


3:26 Okay here you go everyone: the brackets (as I saw them a few moments ago)!


3:26 Antonio Braga Neto will face Matt Jubera
Cameron Diffley will face Jamal
Bill “The Grill” Cooper will face Carlos Holanda
Jay Pages will face Bruno Bastos
Antonion Peinado will face Paulo Azambuja
Fernando Bernaardino will face Carlos Diego
Felipe Fogolin will face Diego Herzog
Oka Kouchirov will face Roberto “Tussa” Alencar
Rodrigo Cavaca will face Christopher Story
Guybson Sa will face Leonardo Iturralde
Marcel Fortuna will face Rodrigo Carvalho
Frost Murphy will face Otavio Sousa
Gabriel Vella has a bye in the first round
Gabriel Rocha will face Nick Kline
Carlos Melo will face Abmar Barbosa
Bernardo Faria will face Levi Costa


3:26 Bruno Bastos wins at the 2 minute mark.


3:27 Matt Jubera is now up against Antonio Braga Neto. (I was wrong in my post yesterday! Apologies Braga Neto!)


3:27 Braga Neto pulls guard on Jubera and is now working to take his back but Jubera is slowing his progress.


3:28 Braga Neto is now on top working to pass and is up 2-0. He is now working for side mount against Jubera.


3:29 Comment From abdullah is lovato in th absoulute


3:29 Lovato is not in the absolute but will fight at his weight.


3:31 In the womens, Nyjah Easton is now up against Gabi Garcia of Alliance!


3:32 Gabi Garcia is probably the largest female competitor in women’s jiu-jitsu and is up 5-0 over Easton now.


3:33 Braga Neto continues up 2-0 against Jubera after 5 minutes.


3:33 At the 2 minute mark, Gabi Garcia’s hand is raised in her match against Nyjah Easton. I missed what the submission was but she was up 8-0.


3:34 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: neto’s opponent is not that bad.


3:34 Braga Neto is up 2-0 over Jubera with 4 advantages to Jubera’s 0. 6m30s have passed.


3:35 At 6m52s Braga Neto gets the tap in his match against Jubera.


3:37 Cameron Diffley is now mounted by Daniel Azevedo and losing 6-0.


3:38 Alliance’s Ian McPherson (brown) is in action against an unkown opponent). McPherson appears in control, getting points a moment ago for side mount.


3:40 Leonardo Iturralde (Alliance) is tied with Guybson Sa right now.


3:41 Iturralde is working for side mount but a scramble ensues and now Sa finds himself up 2-0.


3:42 Daniel Azevedo is now up 12-0 over Cameron Diffley.


3:42 Antonio Antonioli (brown) is in control over his opponent, who he has side mounted.


3:43 Iturralde is still down 2-0 against Sa and has 2 minutes to do something.


3:44 Diffley defends an armlock from Azevedo. Diffley earned a sweep and is now on top trying to pass, losing 12-2.


3:45 Leo Iturralde is lising with 15 seconds left and now defending a triangle!


3:45 Time runs out and Sa is the winner, with 2 points over Iturralde.


3:46 Comment From abdullah that was a tight triangle


3:46 Tammy Griego is fighting Katy Weilbacher on mat 6. They’re tied 0-0.


3:47 Diffley loses on points to Azevedo.


3:47 Bill “The Grill” Cooper (Alliance Atlanta) is now up against Carlos Holanda (CheckMat).


3:50 Abmar Barbosa is now up against Carlos Melo.


3:51 Barbosa has Melo in his guard on Mat 10.


3:52 Bill Cooper is on top in half guard against Holanda, who hails from Manaus and is known for his very tricky guard.


3:54 Melo has stood up and Barbosa remains holding guard. The two fall back to the floor and they scramble out of bounds.


3:54 Melo is up 2-0 over the mohawked Barbosa.


3:55 Little action in the Holanda / Cooper match. After almost 7 minutes, it’s tied 0-0 across the board.


3:55 Tamy Griego (GB) wins 5- 0 over Katy Weilbacher (Alliance).


3:56 Abmar Barbosa sinks an armlock on Carlos Melo at 4m12s, and advances to the next round of the absolute.


3:57 Bill Cooper just earned an advantage over Carlos Holanda.


3:58 Sorry I’m not bringing you more women’s action but they’re kinda far from where I am stationed. I apologize!


3:59 Uh oh, time’s up and in mat 2 and Carlos Holanda (blue gi) eliminates Bill Cooper (white gi) 2 advantages to 1.


4:00 Gabi Garcia is now in side mount on another opponent, who she kimuras in short order.


4:00 Felipe Fogolin is now up against Diego Herzog. Herzog goes for an immediate triangle attempt! Fogolin hoists him into the air around his neck!


4:01 Herzog may blow out his leg strength early if he doesn’t get this… Fogolin escapes!


4:01 Comment From Kevin Howellll: Good last minute action with Cooper and Holanda.


4:02 It will be very tough to prevent Gabi Garcia from taking the absolute women’s black / brown division.


4:03 Comment From Leo Vieira: kevin??


4:04 Felipe Fogolin is on bottom in the blue gi you see on the live stream. Diego Herzog is on top in the white Atama gi.


4:04 Herzog is winning 11-0 and now working the choke on Fogolin.


4:05 Herzog gets the tap at 4m19s over Fogolin.


4:05 Comment From Leo Vieira: where can I see the fight a live?


4:05 You can see them live here http://www.budovideos.com/online/ if you create a free account.


4:07 Comment From Kevin Howellll: its me Leo! Caleb – where is Herzog from? He was very good.


4:08 Hey Kevin, Diego Herzog is from Gracie Florianopolis.


4:08 Looks like Luanna Alzuguir (Alliance) is up on mat 6, waiting for her opponent.


4:10 Comment From Arakelhich team has the most competitors here?


4:10 I don’t know which team has the most competitors. Not sure that number is readily available anywhere.


4:13 Luanna Alzuguir is up 4-0 against her opponent, who I can’t identify from this distance.


4:14 Roberto “Tussa” Alencar is now up against Kouichirou Oka (black gi) on mat 9!


4:14 Tussa is much larger than Oka and is now on top in 1/2 guard.


4:15 Looks like Gabi Garcia has just won again, this time in 47 seconds.


4:15 Tussa sinks a collar choke at 1m35s and advances to the next round!


4:16 Gabi’s latest victim was HIllary Williams!


4:16 Rodrigo Cavaca (CheckMat) is consoling Hillary.


4:18 This is the background on Gabi Garcia. She’s the one on the right in this picture.


4:18 Comment From LucaTony What is the background on Gabi?


4:19 Comment From LucaTony ahh ok enough said…lol


4:20 Keep in mind that she has been beaten. She was beaten by Ana Carolina Vidal (Gracie Humaita) who appears on the left in that photo. But Vidal is out of competition this year as she’s expecting, and Gabi has since transferred teams to Alliance so her game has likely changed.


4:22 Otavio Sousa is now up on mat 10 against Frost Murphy. You should see that on the stream.


4:23 Antonio Braga Neto is now up against Daniel Azevedo.


4:26 Sousa remains on top in half guard after 3 minutes and the score is still 0-0.


4:26 Braga Neto and Azevedo are taking a quick break, tying their belts.


4:28 Otavio Sousa (GB) is now up 6-0 over Frost Murphy.


4:30 Azevedo and Braga Neto remain tied 0-0 after 5m15s.


4:31 Comment From brancouys, result about antonio peinado?


4:31 Antonio “Batista” Peinado (Alliance) is warming up. He has not fought yet.



4:32 Sousa wins over Murphy by cross choke from the mount at 9m00s.


4:32 Braga Neto is being attended to by the medics, who are checking his eyes with that little flashlight. Not sure what happened there…


4:33 Rodrigo Cavaca (CheckMat) is now up against Guybson Sa.


4:34 The action between Braga Neto and Azevedo is resuming with Neto in Azevedo’s guard.


4:35 Azevedo is going after Braga Neto’s foot but Braga Neto recovers, and now stands over Azevedo.


4:35 Cavaca is up 2-0 over Sa and they’re locked in 50/50.


4:37 Braga Neto is now up 3-0 over Azevedo and is working a brano choke. 90 seconds remain.


4:38 It appears Sa was DQ’d in his match against Cavaca. Sorry I don’t know why!


4:39 Braga Neto wins 3-0 over Azevedo.


4:39 Antonio “Batista” Peinado enters the mat against Paulo Azambuja.



4:40 Gabriel Vella (Ryan Gracie) now is on top on mat 10, the one you see streamed right now.


4:40 I don’t know Vella’s opponent, sorry.


4:42 Lucas Rocha (GB) is up 6-0 over his opponent.


4:42 Gabriel Vella continues on top on mat 10 and is up 3-0.


4:44 Lucas Rocha wins against an unknown opponent.


4:44 Antonio “Batista” Peinado is tied against Paulo Azambujo 0-0.



4:45 Vella is now up 7-0 against his unknown opponent after 6m5s.


4:46 Vella’s opponent taps at 6m46s. I don’t know what caused the tap but he did not look comfortable as he got up.


4:48 Abmar Barbosa now enters the mat agost his Alliance opponent, Bernardo Faria. This is what you see online currently.


4:48 Comment From spider riccoco: who’s the competitor with the mohawk?


4:48 That is Abmar Barbosa.


4:50 Alliance guys from Sao Paulo on both mats 9 & 10 now. Antonio “Batista” Peinado is on top but still tied 0-0 against Paulo Azambujo. Bernardo Faria is working on passing Abmar Barbosa’s wiry guard and is up 2-0 after 2m55s.



4:51 Barbosa ties it up 2-2 against Faria.


4:52 Justin Rader is now up against Michel Langhi on mat 4


4:53 Faria now leads Barbosa by a score of 4-2. Faria is trying to pass again.


4:54 On mat 4 Michel Langhi (Alliance) has beaten Justin Rader (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu) very quickly!


4:54 Big Bruno Bastos is now up against Carlos Holanda (CheckMat).


4:55 Carlos Holanda aka “Esquisito” must be the smallest guy in the absolute division.


4:56 Faria remains up 4-0 over Barbosa and is still trying to pass at the 7m33s mark.


4:56 Sorry he leads 4-2 over Barbosa.


4:57 Comment From GBSwas Rader submitted? GBS


4:57 I think that Langhi caught his foot but I am not sure, sorry.


4:58 30 seconds remain and Barbosa and Faria are resettled in the center of the mat. Very close match. One sweep could decide things.


4:59 Comment From Kevin Howellll: what’s going on with Bastos/Holanda?


5:00 Bastos is on top in Holanda’s 1/2 guard, similar to the way Bill Cooper was. The score remains 0-0 across the board.


5:00 Bernardo Faria defeats Abmar Barbosa 4-2 as time expires.


5:01 You now see Otavio Souza against Marcel Fortuna on mat 10. Fortuna is in the blue gi.


5:01 Comment From Kevin Howellll: thanks Caleb! You’re doing us all a great service!


5:04 Score remains 0-0 between Fortuna (blue gi, Ralph Gracie) and Sousa (white gi, Gracie Barra) after 3m20s.


5:05 Bruno Bastos and Holanda are tied 0-0 going in to the final moments. Bastos has one advantage.


5:06 Cavaca is screaming urging Holanda to pull it out in the closing seconds, “No para Esquisito!! No para!!!”


5:07 As the match ends, the ref awards Holanda one advantage!!! They’re now tied 0-0 with one advantage each!!!



5:07 The refs confer…


5:07 and in the end, the head ref raises Bastos’ hand.


5:08 Marcel Fortuna and Otavio Sousa remain tied 0-0 but Sousa has two advantages.


5:09 Marcel Fortuna is now up 3-0 after passing Sousa’s guard! 7m36s have passed.



5:10 Comment From Paul & Katie Katie: Doing a great job. Keep it up!


5:13 Marcel Fortuna defeats Otavio Sousa 3-0!


5:13 On mat 2, we have Ryan Beauregard against Lucas Rocha. Rocha gets mounts immediately!


5:14 Sorry no mount points, just advantage for Rocha.


5:14 On mat 9, Roberto “Tussa” Alencar is tied 0-0 with one advantage each against an unidentified opponent, who is giving him all he can handle.


5:15 *Thank you very much to Timothy for your gi patch order just now! *


5:16 Rocha continues on teh verge of a mount / taking the back, but Beauregard is defending well.


5:17 Gabriel Vella (Ryan Gracie) now faces Alliance’s Bernardo Faria, his former teammate on mat 10.


5:17 Roberto “Tussa” Alencar is now up 7-0 over his unknown opponent.


5:19 Tussa wins 7-0 at the 10 minute mark.


5:21 Antonio “Batista” Peinado is now up mat 9 against an unknown opponent, and is losing 2-0.


5:21 Bernardo Faria is up 2-0 over Gabriel Vella.


5:22 Ryan Beauregard is losing 2-4 against Lucas Rocha.


5:22 Lucas Rocha defeats Ryan Beauregard on points.


5:26 Rafael Dallinha versus Zak Maxwell on mat 3!


5:27 Gabriel Vella remains down 2-0 against Bernardo Faria in the final moments.


5:28 Bernardo Faria defeats Gabriel Vella 2-0.


5:29 Maxwell and Dallinha are restarted in the center.


5:30 Rodrigo Cavaca now faces Marcel Fortuna on mat 10.


5:30 Cavaca pulls guard immediately.


5:31 Cavaca has a deep triangle sunk on Fortuna at 1m05s!


5:31 Fortuna is leaning to the side to keep the pressure off. Now Cavaca is on top in a mounted triangle!


5:32 Cavaca gets the tap at 2m20s and defeats Fortuna by triangle!


5:33 Zak Maxwell has Rafael Dallinha’s back and is going for the choke, which he gets!


5:38 Things are winding down here for today. No black belt males in action at the moment. Jarrod Bunch is up on mat 2 against an unknown opponent.


5:39 Ok here’s something for you… Bruno Bastos now faces Antonio Braga Neto.


5:40 Braga Neto pulls guard immediately on a standing Bastos.


5:42 Braga Neto is now on bottom playing open guard, Bastos’ legs are tied up in Braga Neto’s…


5:44 Bastos is now standing while Braga Neto holds him in guard again.


5:47 I wish there was more to report in teh Braga Neto / Bastos encounter but not much has changed. The time is now 6m20s.


5:50 At some point along the way here, Braga Neto gained a 2-0 lead over Bastos. Bastos remains in Braga Neto’s closed guard.


5:52 In the closing moments, Braga Neto earns another 2 points and defeats Bastos by a score of 4-0 as time runs out.


5:52 We now have Rodrigo Cavaca (CheckMat) against Bernardo Faria (Alliance).


5:53 Cavaca pulls guard and gets a sweep in the first 20 seconds!


5:54 Cavaca is up 2-0 and now on top in half guard, and working for the full mount, but Faria resists and is trying to extricate himself from Cavaca, who is holding tight like a magnet.


5:55 Faria gets a sweep in return and the score is now tied 2-2 but Cavaca has 2 advantages.


5:56 Looks like Roberto “Tussa” Alencar will face Antonio Carlos Peinado on mat 9.


5:58 Comment From Guest: the Jeff Glover Half guard dvd commercial is pretty funny


5:59 Cavaca tried to sweep but Faria has recovered and is now attempting to pass with double underhooks on Cavaca’s legs. Time: 5m55s.


6:00 Cavaca appears to be hunting for another triangle…


6:02 Fortuna has now gotten both hooks in on Cavaca and taken his back! He’s up 6-2 over Cavaca! 90 seconds remain!


6:03 Cavaca is trying to slide Faria off his back, but Faria appears to be solidly stuck on there!


6:04 Bernardo Faria defeats Rodrigo Cavaca 6-2 as time runs out!


6:05 Here comes Roberto “Tussa” Alencar and Antonio Carlos Peinado on mat 9.


6:09 Peinado has almost taken Tussa’s back! BUt now he doesn’t need it! The collar choke he was working sunk! Tussa taps!



6:10 The tap comes at 3m13s.


6:17 Okat everybody I just recorded a quick moment with Fabio Gurgel that you’ll hear in tomorrow’s show.


6:17 Right now the only thing preventing Alliance from closing out the men’s black belt absolute division is Antonio Braga Neto.


6:18 Braga Neto must face Antonio Carlos Peinado.The winner of that fight will face Bernardo Faria in the final tomorrow.



6:20 Guys I am sorry but I do not know much about the brown belts.


6:22 Brown belt middle weight final now begins on mat 10: Lucas Rocha against Clark Gracie, if I heard the announcer correctly.


6:25 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: nice !!!!


6:25 Yes those two are getting ready. The match will start in a moment or two.


6:27 Comment From Trey: this purple belt match online is very interesting…big size difference but very competitive… Trey


6:28 Lucas Rocha against Clark Gracie is beginning now.



6:29 Rocha tries to jump into guard, but Clark steps back.


6:29 Clark Gracie is now working to pass Rocha’s open guard.


6:30 Rocha is a Ze Radiola product, the same Gracie Barra instructor who is credited with producing Braulio Estima and Otavio Sousa.


6:31 After 2 minutes, the score is still 0-0 across the board.


6:33 Clark Gracie is now in Lucas Rocha’s closed guard. Rocha has his right hand deep in Gracie’s collar.



6:33 Antonio Carlos Peinado versus Antonio Braga Neto has now begun as well. If you thought Braga Neto was big, you haven’t seen Peinado.


6:34 Comment From Guest: looks like he was assembled at a military facility


6:35 Lucas Rocha against Clark Gracie remains 0-0 across the board. 6 minutes have elapsed.


6:37 Clark Gracie has opened Lucas Rocha’s guard… but Rocha sweeps just as time elapses! Rocha wins 2-0!!!!


6:39 Braga Neto has Peinado in his closed guard.


6:40 Braga Neto is up by one advantage but otherwise it’s 0-0 after almost 7 minutes.


6:41 Braga Neto gets a sweep and is now up 2-0 over Peinado!


6:41 Braga Neto remains on top in 1/2 guard with 2 minutes left.


6:42 Comment From gracie barra sudra sud: what a middle brown final !!! Big suspens and lucas finally wins !! this guys is just 20 years old !!


6:42 Braga Neto takes Peinado’s back! He’s up 6-0 with one minute left!


6:44 Braga Neto now transitions to full mount and the score is 10-0!


6:45 Time runs out and Braga Neto wins 10-0! Tomorrow’s absolute final will be Antonio Braga Neto (Ralph Gracie) against Bernardo Faria (Alliance)!


6:47 Okay family that’s it for me this evening. I am going to pack up and prepare the show for tomorrow! Make sure you register to watch tomorrow’s free broadcast at http://www.budovideos.com/online !

This past weekend I attended the Bluegrass Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open Submission Only event in Louisville, KY run by Louisville Martial Arts Academy (a Pedro Sauer Affiliate). This event was organized, well run, and a lot of fun. I preregistered online and, unlike many other local Midwestern tournaments, they had all my info at hand and ready to go. I signed my credit card receipt, stepped on the scale and was ready to compete. Ring assignments were well posted and there was ample notice as to when your division was going to begin.

The competition was held at a large basketball facility leaving ample room for six rings and seating for spectators. Referees did a good job keeping everyone safe and informed. As this was a submission only tournament, scoring was not an issue. There were no time limits and they did a good job of utilizing other rings to keep divisions moving if a fight was going particularly long.

The only downside to the tournament was that it had a relatively low turnout. This was likely due to the fact that they had to change dates and facilities due to insurance issues and that this was the first time they were doing this particular tournament. The staff did an excellent job of combining divisions when necessary and making sure that everyone had a chance to compete. Medals were given to all 1st-3rd place competitors and were very nice.

I think this tournament will continue to grow and I look forward to making the drive to Louisville to compete again next year.

- Caleb

The FightWorks Podcast has long been a proponent for keeping ourselves and our jiu-jitsu academies clean. One of our very first episodes was an interview with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, where we learned more about MRSA. So this week we received the following voicemail on our toll free number 877-247-4662 from New York and agreed that this would make a terrific poll:

What’s up Caleb and Dan? It’s Phil from Marcelo Garcia New York. Thank you for being the number one source of BJJ radio on the internet. I’m calling to suggest a poll for the BJJ community and listeners to vote on: how clean is the school you train at? For the Marcelo Garcia New York Jiu-Jitsu Academy, if it’s not one of the cleanest, it’s the cleanest BJJ academy in NYC. The more we train and learn jiu-jitsu the more we realize how important a clean environment is for us to be in. A clean environment, a healthy environment, a positive environment. It’ll be interesting to hear what the people have to say. Take care. Peace.

So let us know what you think in the poll and in the comments! Is your school clean? Could it use some improvement?

Robin Gracie is the youngest of Helio Gracie’s sons, and the only one of them to settle in Europe. In this exchange we hear straight from Robin and his academy in Barcelona about the popularity of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Spain.

The FightWorks Podcast: How long have you lived in Spain?

Robin Gracie: I arrived in Spain in December 1997, a little over 12 years ago.

The FightWorks Podcast: When you left Brazil to live in Spain, did you know you would remain there for so long?

Robin Gracie: I did not know exactly what I would find here. The only thing I knew was that BJJ was little-known or unknown in Spain.

The FightWorks Podcast: You were one of the first to offer jiu-jitsu in Spain. What was it like in those early years?

Robin Gracie: There were only a few curious folks who surfed around the web, which was not as used back then as it is today, and there were martial arts magazines but there were no instructors. I was the only one. All of my students were of course white belts and did not have anyone to train hard with.

The FightWorks Podcast: How would you describe the Spanish who train jiu-jitsu? How are they similar to Brazilians and how are they different?

Robin Gracie: The truth is that there is a lot of diversity among them, from humble workers to famous businessmen. I believe something similar happens in the United States. In my gym there are many foreigners. I believe 30% or 40% are. In Europe it is very easy to get around by train, car or plan. You can be anywhere quickly. The Spanish, being Latinos, are as impulsive as the Brazilians but when it comes time to train are somewhat more explosive and they look for a faster pace, maybe because of the cold there is in the winter.

The FightWorks Podcast: How do you see the spread of jiu-jitsu in Spain today?

Robin Gracie: After all these years the BJJ community has grown and now there are gyms everywhere. The number of competitions has increased as well and people are looking for more information about our martial art all the time.

The FightWorks Podcast: Did you attend the 2010 IBJJF European Championship? What did you think?

Robin Gracie: Yes, it is always growing. It seems like every time there are more mats out and more competitors. The only bad thing in my opinion are the details in the rules that change every year and they confuse the coaches, fighters, and referees, who in the end make mistakes. I think they should not change the rules more than every five years to give everyone a chance to understand them before changing them.

The FightWorks Podcast: Your father, Helio Gracie, passed away in January of 2009. Do you have any favorite memories of your time with him?

Robin Gracie: Since I came to Spain I would only see him on my vacations in Brazil when I got the opportunity to visit him in his house in the mountains. I remember that even in his final years he liked to put on the gi and train. He did not speak or think about anything other than jiu-jitsu.

The FightWorks Podcast: What is your favorite thing about Spain?

Robin Gracie: Of all European countries, Spain is the warmest and also the one with the most beaches, where it rains and snows the least, and the people are friendliest. Perhaps it is the Brazil of Europe. That is why I like it.

The FightWorks Podcast: Thanks Robin! Gracias! Obrigado!

Robin Gracie: Thank you Caleb.