Bianca Barreto (Gracie Barra) and Felicia Oh (Jean Jacques Machado) have already met twice in the final of the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championship featherweight division. And for the second time in a row Bianca has gotten the best of her American counterpart. The first time, last year, the Gracie Barra fighter won by points. This year, Bianca went one better: she submitted Felicia with a kneebar.
“There are always a lot of expectations surrounding my fights with Felicia, since I think she is one of the best fighters without the gi in the world. My fight against here was a very studied one. I knew if I made a mistake she’d put me in “checkmate.” I trained a lot with my instructor Diojone Farias. I was very focused when I went into the fight. I manage to work well under pressure, whether from my adversary, or from the crowd. After all, Felicia is a great adversary. She provided me a great fight,” stated Bianca Barreto.
The fighter, who took her second championship as a featherweight, felt excited about participating in the second No-Gi Worlds. “This year I found the athletes more inclined to put themselves to the test. This year there were more really high-level athletes, in all categories. It was a pleasure to watch, in the final, fights like Draculino’s against Diojone, two high-level instructors putting on a show of rules and technique. It was a spectacle, both in terms of refereeing and organization. That’s what will make the difference for us one day to go to the Olympics. I encourage all girls to participate, since in a competition you only lose, or win, if you go in to fight,” concluded the black belt.
Complete coverage of the 2008 No-Gi Worlds you can find in the next issue of GRACIEMAG. Stay tuned.
