Philipe’s coach at Gracie Barra America Marcio Feitosa is confident in his student. “Training is going off!  Furão is sharp and wants to make some noise!” he fired off as soon as he answered GRACIEMAG.com’s call.

The Jiu-Jitsu community in Arizona will come together to watch the match. In the end the Gracie family and Jiu-Jitsu come out winners; it’s good for everyone” Marcio Feitosa

“Ttraining was great. He trained here with Romulo Barral, Kayron Gracie, Flávio Cachorrinho, Otávio Sousa, Lucas Rocha and a lot of other tough guys. Every Monday and Wednesday are hard-core training days, Master (Carlos Gracie Jr.) shows up, too, to polish up his game and the physical conditioning work is going strong. Aside from all that, he’s going to open his own academy on April 1,” he said.

Philipe Della Monica also trains with the Professor Marcelo Arroz. Photo: GRACIEMAG archives

Of course, the opponent in this challenge is regarded with great respect. However, without giving any clues, Feitosa says their strategy is already in place.

“Kron has a weight advantage. But I took a look at his game and I think there’s a hole that we can exploit, neutralize that advantage, and Furão wins the fight. ”

About his being from Gracie Barra and training an athlete to face a Gracie, Marcio believes competition can only add positive things.

“Everybody wins with this fight, because they’re two top athletes and they’ll make some noise. It’s very likely the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community in Arizona will get together to watch this fight. In the end the Gracie family and Jiu-Jitsu come out winners; it’s good for everyone. Moreover, the Gracie family always had this type of culture. When not fighting some MMA fight or competing in some championship, the stories I hear are about really intense competitiveness between them, which always kept them sharp. And that’s what the Master is teaches us and that’s what I teach Furão ,” concluded the coach.

To learn more about the event, which also features a supermatch between Robson Moura and champion of Japan Nobuhiko Kitahara, click  here.

Gustavo Dantas, AZSBJJF Vice-President and event promoter. Photo: AZSBJJF

GD JIU-JITSU Events in association with the Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) is proud to announce its 5^thinstallment of the Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open. Typically drawing mainly competitors from Arizona and its neighboring states, the AZSBJJF sent an open invitation to teams from other countries to compete and represent their homeland, transforming the AZ Open into an international event for the first time.

The tournament will feature an international black belt match between a seven-time World Champion from Brazil, GMA Robson Moura (Nova Uniao), and 2009’s national champion of Japan, Nobuhiko Kitahara (Axis JJ), who will be travelling from Tokyo to represent the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Japan.

“The AZSBJJF’s partnership with the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Japan (JJFJ) started in 2009, when I met its President, Taka Watanabe, at the 2^nd Rickson Gracie International. I was very impressed with their organization and their dedication to making Jiu-Jitsu a popular and organized sport in Japan”, says Gustavo Dantas, Vice-President of the AZSBJJF and promoter of all its events, who is expecting between 400 and 500 competitors on March 13^th and 14^th.

Wellington "Megaton" (referee), AZSBJJF founder and president, is a fixture at AZSBJJF events. Photo: AZSBJJF

The AZSBJJF was founded in September 2001 by the legendary Wellington “Megaton” Dias, a GMA and pioneer of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Arizona, the same year that GD Jiu-Jitsu Events began promoting tournaments in the valley.

“My first event had 45 competitors in an in-house tournament”, says Dantas. Megaton, recognizing Dantas’s efforts, invited him to become Vice-President of the Federation and helped boost the popularity of BJJ in Arizona. “The results have been very positive. At the 2009 AZ State Championship, we had 430 competitors. The tournament follows IBJJF Standards: Online registration, fences, mat coordinators, same-day weigh-in, GRACIEMAG magazines for competitors;  the very same standard. So when competitors from Arizona go to the bigger tournaments, like the Pan or the Worlds, they know exactly what to expect.”

GRACIEMAG Vice-President Luca Atalla on location at AZSBJJF event. Photo: AZSBJJF

The hard work is definitely paying off. Arizona has managed to produce many National and International Champions, with some of them representing Arizona by traveling to competitions around the world. The AZSBJJF has the support of 25 of the main schools in the state, listed on the federation website, plus teams from other states, which have been competing in the desert for the past few years.

In appreciation for the support from the schools and teams responsible for aiding in the growth of BJJ in Arizona, the AZSBJJF started The Overall School Rankings in 2009. The points are based on the number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals each team wins at AZSBJJF tournaments during the year. The top three schools are awarded special recognition at the first tournament of the new year.

All competitors will be provided a 5th AZ International T-shirt

Also, the AZSBJJF will honor the MVP (Most Valuable Player) competitors of the Kids and Adult Divisions for their consistent and outstanding performances in competition. The AZSBJJF Awards Ceremony for the 2009 MVP Competitors of the Year and winners of the 2009 Overall School Rankings will be held during the 5^th AZ International Open of BJJ. Winners will receive trophies for their achievements and MVPs will receive a plaque and sponsorship for ALL AZSBJJF tournaments for the year of 2010.

Here are the winners:

Kids Division

1st place – Team Megaton (217 points)
2nd place – Lion’s Den (194 points)
3rd place – MMA Lab (193 points)

MVP of the Year – Joseph Davis (Team Megaton); Undefeated in 2009, won all 4 tournaments

Adult Division

1st place – Team GD Jiu-Jitsu (444 points)
2nd place – BJJ Revolution (241 points)
3rd place – Team Megaton (197 points)

MVP of the Year – Derling Gonzalez (Team GD Jiu-Jitsu); Undefeated in 2009, won total of 4 gold medals from all 3 tournaments

The 5th AZ International Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will take place on March 13-14, 2010 at Westwood High School located at 945 W. 8th St. in Mesa, AZ 85201.

GRACIEMAG will be covering the event. Competitors have a chance to win prizes such as a 32” LCD HDTV, Sony PSP, and Flip Video Recorder.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition will offer Kids, Juvenile, Adult (Male and Female), Masters and Senior Divisions.

Register for the 5th AZ International Open