Photo: Daniel Carettoni.

The results are out for the fifteenth installment of the traditional California US Open tourney.

Click here to check out who dazzled on the mats at the tournament where Marcel “Mãozinha” Fortuna was the big winner of the absolute black belt division, and where other mat wizards worked their magic before of crowd of 1,600 spectators.

With his work done, Claudio França’s bags are packed to take some well deserved rest. “I’m heading to El Salvador for a surf trip in Central America. I’ve been planning this trip for a year now,” he says.

He mad the most of the conversation to announce and invite practitioners in California to his next event, the 4th American Cup, set for April 30 and May 1, 2011.

However, as GRACIEMAG.com previously reported (here), there were a number of standouts. Besides absolute black belt winners Antonio Braga Neto and Marcel Fortuna, Augusto Tanquinho, Theodoro Canal, Brandon Mullins, Mackenzie Dern, and others all put in great performances on the mat.

Complete coverage of the event coming up in issue 165, coming in December. Click here to secure your copy.

Our collaborator Daniel Carettoni sent in photos and information on the event. Check it out:

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Fortuna and Braga Neto. Photos: Daniel Carettoni.

This weekend’s US Open in Santa Cruz brought the goods fans of first-rate Jiu-Jitsu in California were dying for. In the absolute black belt division, Marcel Fortuna and Antonio Braga Neto were the big names who closed out the division for Ralph Gracie academy. The two opted not to fight in the final, and Marcel took the title.

Marcel, better known as Mãozinha, first got past Augusto Tanquinho with a sweep, in an evenly-matched affair, and then beat Paulo Melo in a cautious match.

Marcel on top of Tanquinho.

Now Neto submitted Carlos Melo and then got James Foster in the semifinal, going through to the final with a perfect performance.

In the weight groups, Augusto Tanquinho got the better of Philipe Della Monica (Gracie Barra America) in the lightweight semifinal. In the final, the Soul Fighters and Claudio França repe beat Rodrigo Freitas, also from GB.

The owner of the featherweight division was Theodoro Canal, who dominated his encounter with Doug Fong (Charles Gracie SF) from start to tapout finish.

In the light featherweight division, Brandon Mullins (GB Texas) recovered from a takedown by Felipe Latari (Cia Paulista) and took the title via triangle choke.

In the medium heavyweight division, Marcello Salazar came up spades. In the super heavyweight, Mãozinha did it again, beating Paulo Cesar Melo (Claudio França BJJ) with a sweep.

Now Carlos Melo won the heavyweight division after a hard-fought final with Mikey Gomez (GB America).

Other standouts were lightweight purple belt champion Mackenzie Dern (Gracie Humaitá), who has won everything so far this year, and the participation of Brazilian actor Claudio Heinrich, who lost to Henry Cortez in the senior 1 division.

Complete coverage of the event coming up in issue 165, coming in December. Click here to secure your copy.

Team results:

Female

1 Gracie Humaitá Rocha

2 Ralph Gracie

3 Pitbull BJJ

Juvenile:

1 Fabio Prado

2 Claudio França BJJ

3 Darcio Lira

Adult:

1 Gracie Humaitá/ Rocha

2 Claudio Franca BJJ

3 Sandro Batata

Master & Senior

1 Gerilla JJ

2 Claudio França BJJ

3 Gracie Humaitá/ Rocha

On the first day of disputes in Santa Cruz, the more seasoned athletes and the intermediate belt groups went to battle.

Check out the images of Friday’s action taken by Daniel Carettoni.

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Tanquinho in action against "JT" Torres. Photo: Luca Atalla.

The brackets are out for the US Open, to kick off Friday in California, and the promise of great Jiu-Jitsu action will likely be fulfilled right off the bat, in the opening matches.

In the black belt absolute, for instance, lightweight Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes is signed up and will have his first match against superheavyweight Marcel “Mãozinha” Fortuna. Other favorites, like Antonio Braga Neto and Carlos Melo, will likely face off.

Check out the brackets for US Open 15 by clicking here.

Super heavyweight Braga Neto against Marcel Mãozinha (bottom), in the final of the 2009 Brazilian nationals. Now they are teammates in California. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.

The aim of promoter Claudio França was to reach the thousand-athlete mark, but the US Open ended sign-ups with 920, for its 15th installment in Santa Cruz, California, to kick off October 15.

“As last year we had 800 fighters, the number is really good. Next year we’ll make it,” said the master in celebration, in his usual mellow way.

Among those to sign up at the last minute, world champion (gi and no-gi) Antonio Braga Neto stands out. Neto has the thorny mission of not just winning the absolute, but overshadowing the participation of the 919 other fighters. Can the Roberto Gordo student do it?

Besides Braga Neto, black belt Marcel “Mãozinha” Fortuna, his teammate at Ralph Gracie academy, is in. Other aces to grace the mats are Philipe Della Monica, Ryan Hall, Augusto Tanquinho, Rafael Formiga, Theodoro Canal, Carlos Melo, James Foster, Mikey Gomez, Rodrigo Freitas, and Mike Weaver, among others.

The organization is also calling on spectators and athletes for the rules seminar to be conducted by Master Alvaro Mansur, an fifth-degree black belt, on the coming 14th. Click here to find out more.

Tanquinho to compete at weight and open weight. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.

There much time left to secure a spot at the US Open, one of the longest-running events in the USA, with fifteen years of history. Monday is the sign-up deadline (click here).

The event goes down in Santa Cruz, California from October 15 to 17.

This year’s Rio Open and Brazilian Team Nationals champion Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes is one of the black belts guaranteed to be there. Besides giving his opponents in the lightweight division a hard time, the Soul Fighters representatives will mix things up with the heayvweights.

“I really like competing at the US Open, and it’s about that time! I’m going to be in my weight division and the absolute,” he reports.

Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for more news.

Formiga on foot against Rodrigo Teixeira at the last Las Vegas Open. Photo: John Cooper.

Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa (Soul Fighters) is another black belt star confirmed to participate at the next US Open, on the 15^th-17^th of October in Santa Cruz, California.

Lightweight bronze medalist at the 2009 Worlds, Formiga also had a good run at the Las Vegas Open, taking silver after a back-and-forth match with Rodrigo Teixeira.

Além de Formiga, quem também se inscreveu esta semana foi a faixa-marrom Angela Sauermann (Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu), mais uma favorita para o ouro.

Besides Formiga, brown belt favorite Angela Sauermann (Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu) has also entered the running for gold.

For further information on the athletes in the tournament, details on places to stay in Santa Cruz and to sign up, visit the event’s official website  here.