Whenever they meet, something amazing happens.

In Abu Dhabi, last Saturday, Keenan Cornelius and Leandro Lo battled for the black belt open class bronze medal.

Relive the thrills if you happened to catch it live or just get thrilled for the first time.

Luiz Panza vs. Felipe Pena

Checkmat’s Luiz Panza was the protagonist of one of the most dramatic moments of the recent 2015 WPJJC, in Abu Dhabi. During the first round open class match against Felipe Pena, he sustained a broken right leg after a toe hold applied by the opponent.

Panza was immediately rushed to a local hospital and went under surgery at the beginning of the week. The procedure went well and the fighter is already out of the hospital and waiting the Doctor’s clearance to fly back to the USA. His wife travelled to the UAE and has been with Panza through the whole process.

Panza talked with GRACIEMAG’s Vitor Freitas about the moment of the injury: “I’m used to that kind of pressure to my leg. At that time, I felt nothing but a snap sensation. I guess the adrenalin blocked the pain at first, but when I saw my foot kind of hanging sideways, I went into shock. I remember saying to myself not to get in despair. Right there, Leo Vieira was at my side and told me everything was going to be fine, no matter how serious the injury was.”

Already on his way to recovery, Panza also shared what the medical team had to do to get his leg back in place: “They put a metal plate on the tibia and put the fibula back in place. They estimated 3 to 6 months before I can come back to training and I intend to take my recovery very serious to be back stronger than ever.”

Panza also revealed that he had the guts to watch the video of the fight many times to try to find out what went wrong: “I watched it many times to see what happened. The position was not in place. I’m sure that if I was feeling any pressure, I would have tapped right away.”

The 2015 WPJJC set fire to the already hot Abu Dhabi desert from April 20-25.

Here’s a thrilling video with some of the best that took place in the UAE.

Marcus Buchecha is now the only three-time WPJJC black belt open class champion.

See how he beat Alex Trans in the final this Saturday.

Video by Arabs MMA.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Alex Trans at the 2015 WPJJC open class final

The 2015 WPJJC is in the books.

Once again, Marcus Buchecha ruled over the male black belt division with two gold medals.

After winning the +95kg last Thursday, Buchecha had a solid run in the open class to reach his third final in three years.

His record is still flawless as he scored two advantages against one by Alexander Trans to win his third open class belt since 2013.

“It was better than I ever expected. Every match I have with Trans in tougher as he gets better all the time,” said Buchecha, now $30,000 richer.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Vanessa Oliveira at the 2015 WPJJC open class final

In the female brown/black belt open class, 118lb-dinamo Mackenzie Dern was the name of the day.

After shocking the world by handing Gabi Garcia her first defeat since she became a black belt in 2010, Mackenzie went on to dominate the final against Vanessa Oliveira.

A sweep and a back take was enough for the 6-0 score that granted the belt and the big check of $10,000.

“It’s like a dream. I enter the open class to have fun but I also train very hard and I know I can defeat any opponent,” commented Mackenzie.

Go to our Instagram page and check all the results of the day.

Later on, check back here for a exclusive photo gallery.

Check out the best images of a thrilling Saturday of Jiu-Jitsu in Abu Dhabi.

For more details click here and here.

In the male division, once again Marcus Buchecha will fight to keep the belt and pocket the $30,000.

Buchecha had only three fights to get to the final.

First he caught Herico Pinto with a guillotine and then he caught Erberth Santos with a foot lock.

Buchecha didn’t have to fight the quarterfinal, once his opponent would be his former Professor Rodrigo Cavaca.

Buchecha vs. Lo at the 2015 WPJJC black belt open class semifinal

The semifinal would be against dangerous Leandro Lo.

As expected, Buchecha stayed on top and tried to pass, but Lo played his guard with the same expertise he always does.

A sweep with over a minute and a half to go put Lo ahead, but Buchecha returned the favor and made the score 2-2.

One advantage for a near pass gave Buchecha the lead and the ticket to fight for $30,000.

On the other side of the bracket, Alex Trans had four very tough matches to make it to the final.

In the eight finals, he beat Thiago Gaia to move on to the quarterfinals and face Jackson Sousa.

A quick foot lock put Trans in the semifinal, where he would face Keenan Cornelius.

Trans vs. Keenan at the 2015 WPJJC black belt open class semifinal

The Dane was not afraid of Keenan’s guard game and swept the American early to stay ahead.

In the female division, Mackenzie Dern had a dream-like morning.

In three matches, she made to the final with two foot locks and one historical victory by one penalty.

The first two victims were Nadia Melo and Jessica Cristina.

The semifinal would be against recent rival Gabi Garcia, widely favorite for the win and the title.

Mackenzie vs. Gabi at the 2015 WPJJC black belt open class semifinal

The fight was even all the way through with Gabi working on top and Mackenzie using her dangerous guard to sweep.

At least once, Dern was able to break Gabi’s balance, but got no advantage from that.

Garcia reached the half guard more than once and even hold Mackenzie’s head from behind, but also could not convince the referee to award her advantages.

In the end, one penalty decided the match in favor of Mackenzie.

On the other side of the bracket, Vanessa Oliveira also had a tough way to the final.

First she defeated Andressa Correa and then Amal Amahajid.

Vanessa vs. Bia at the 2015 WPJJC black belt open class semifinal

The semifinal was against Bia Mesquita and one sweep took care of business for the 2-0 win.

The finals will start at 3:00PM in Abu Dhabi.

Continue following the best coverage there is at our Instagram page.

Watch the thrilling semifinal match between Mackenzie Dern and Gabi Garcia.

Video by Arabs MMA

Watch the thrilling battle between Buchecha and Lo for a spot in the open class final

Video by Arabs MMA

The black belt gave all they got on the mats in each division aiming to get the $9,000 prize reserved for each division champion.

Here’s how each division played out.

Male

65Kg – Early upset for Gianni’s benefit

Last year, it was his brother Paulo who suffered an unexpected first round defeat in Abu Dhabi. In 2015, João Miyao tasted that same bitter feeling when one advantage for a near guard pass awarded to Gilson Neto at the last moments of their first round battle cost him the competition . Without one of the favorites to be in the final, the division was up for grabs and Isaque Paiva made all the way to the gold medal match against the other favorite, Gianni Grippo. The final had not much action, but Gianni kept the pressure on top, relenting trying to pass and getting that one advantage enough to pocket the prize. “It feels great to win here. I had some tough matches and I feel I was able to have some good fights here.”

75kg – The long haul 

In the most crowded division of the black belt class, many names had what it got to make it to the top. Lucas Lepri, in his 4th appearance at the WPJJC, had to step on the mats 5 times to be able to celebrate the title. In the semifinal, he beat two-time champion Roberto Satoshi 2-0 with one takedown. The final would be against very tough Gabriel Rollo, but Lepri was determined to not let the title slip away from his hands. Very driven, he worked the pass early on the match and near the end took the opportunity to control Rollo’s back to finish with a choke. “He’s a very dangerous opponent and I’m so happy to have been able to get his back and finish. It’s my first tutle here after four appearances,” said Lepri.

85kg – Deja vu

Leandro Lo once again proved how efficient his Jiu-Jitsu can be. Competing in one of the toughest divisions, he managed to repeat his 2014 result. The opponent in the final would again be Victor Estima. The Gracie Barra star had a hard path until the gold medal match. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Claudio Calasans Jr by referee decision and then repeated the feat against Keenan Cornelius in the semifinal, also by ref decision. The final match was very strategic with Lo on top most of the time trying to pass and Estima working his guard and trying to get a hold of Lo’s feet for one of his famous Estima locks. In the end, a 3-1 lead on advantages was enough for Lo to secure another title and add 9K to his purse.

95kg – Rodolfo’s heirs

When Rodolfo Vieira showed up for the weigh-ins one day before the competition, he already said that lower back pains would most likely prevent him from competing in the open class division. In the end, the damage was even bigger, with Vieira not being able to compete for his sixth weigh division title in Abu Dhabi. Without the biggest favorite, the division was an open field for any takers. Felipe Pena thanked the easier path to the final and put his Jiu-Jitsu to work. The semifinal against Luiz Panza was an all out war of foot locks and sweeps and Pena won 4-2, but before that he had to beat Erberth Santos (7-2) and finish Felipe Dias with a guillotine. The final would be against Jackson Sousa, responsible for taking local star Faisal Al Ketbi out of the competition with a 2-0 win with a takedown. The gold medal match started out even, but soon Pena imposed his game and swept twice before taking Sousa’s back to score 8-2 and grab the prize.

+95kg – Buchecha still the man

He’s always expected to do great and put a show for the crowd. Marcus Buchecha was not brillant this time, but once again competed with the intensity he’s known for and won once again. In the semifinal, he caught Ricardo Evangelista with a guillotine to meet regular rival Alex Trans in the final, just like last year. The match was dangerous for Buchecha, who scored a takedown early on and stayed on top for the rest of the time. Trans almost got a sweep at the end, but Buchecha fought back to stay on top and win.

Female

Gabi beats the jet lag and other stories

Flying into Abu Dhabi was Gabi Garcia’s toughest battle on her quest for another gold medal at the WPJJC. “I didn’t fight the way I usually do. I felt very tired all the time,” said the champion. The problem was the cancelation of the flight who would bring most of the athletes coming from Brazil. With the 24 hours delay, they got in only on the night before competition. In the +75kg division, Gabi had three matches. She first beat Maria Malyjasiak (8-0), then caught Alison Tremblay with a kimura. In the final, she battled Vanessa Nascimento for six minutes to win with a 4-0 lead on advantages.

In the other female finals, Bia Mesquita scared away the surprising Jessica Cristina with an armlock to win the 65kg divison; Monique Elias played guard to stop Ana Laura Cordeiro and win the 75kg division by unanimous referees decision; Mackenzie Dern got back at her biggest rival Michelle Nicolini and won 2-0 with a sweep to conquer the 55kg division.

Click here for the complete coverage at our Instagram page.

Here is a photo gallery with some of the best images of the finals.

Here are the best images of what happened before the finals.

For the complete coverage, click here.

For an account of Thursday’s action, click here.

2015 WPJJC at the IPIC Arena in Abu Dhabi

The  2015 WPJJC starts this Thursday for the adult and master competitors after three days of kids competition.

The weigh divisions take place this Thursday, April 23, for adults; and Friday, April 24, for masters.

The open class brackets go into action on Saturday, April 25.

Click here for more details on the schedule.

This year’s WPJJC is being streamed over the internet for free.

Click here to watch it.

The official weigh-ins take place this Wednesday afternoon, at the IPIC Arena.

Each athlete will have only one chance to check his/her weight.

Those who don’t show up for the weigh-in are automatically disqualified.

Here are the weigh-in times for each division:

Adult white belts and blue belts and masters all belts weigh in on Thursday.

Click here for more info on the weigh-in proccess.

A special schedule was set up for the athletes that are delayed in São Paulo, Brazil, due to mechanical issues on their plane.

They’ll be able to choose between two options for weigh-in.

1.     Weigh-in upon arrival in Abu Dhabi at their respective hotel on the evening of April 22nd (9:00pm onwards)

2.     Weigh-in the morning (8:00am) of their competition on April 23rd at the IPIC Arena

The UAEJFF has already released the brackets for each division.

Click here to find out who fights who at each division.

The mat set up for the 2015 WPJJC

For the first time since 2009, all adult and master divisions are entitled to money prizes, but here are a few rules to being entitled to the money.

The UAEJJF website reads:

“If there’s only one or two players, he/she will not receive a medal and there’s no prize money; they will be moved to the next division. (except +95 division, where players will be placed directly in the open weight. He/she can register in the Open Weight or be automatically moved to the higher category.

If there are only three players in an open division, they will fight and receive their medals, but there is no prize money.

If there are only four players in a division they will fight and receive medals. Players will be entitled to prize .money only if all of them are from different teams or clubs.”

Click here to check the prize value for each division.