Diego Herzog ruled once again in San Jose, at the 6th American Cup

The city of San Jose must one of Diego Herzog’s favorite places in the world.

This Sunday, April 21, he won for the third time in a row the adult male black belt open class division of the 6th American Cup.

He defeated Yuri Simões 7-0 in the final.

The match was at full speed and Herzog built the score with two sweeps and a guarda pass in the end.

“I watched his matches and decided to pull guard. I am glad to have succeeded to kill his game,” said Herzog afterwords.

In the other two fights until the gold, He swept and then caught Elliot Kelly with a foot lock in the semifinal and choked Tryfon Stathopolos from inside his guard.

It was my third title here,” said Herzog, who also won in 2011 and 2012.

Other than the open class, the black belt division crowned the following fighters:

Oswaldo Moizinho won the featherweight. In only one fight, he caught Kyle Cometta in a foot lock for the gold.

Tanner Rice won the middleweight. In twon fights, he defeated local rival Nathan Mendelsohn in the semifinal by one advantage after a 2-2 tie in points. In the final, he caught Marcus Antelante in an armbar after pulling guard and locking a triangle.

Diogo Araujo caught Tryfon Stathopolos on a americana lock for the medium-heavy gold.

Yuri Simões won the super-heavyweight. He defeated Marcel Fortuna 2-0 with a sweep.

Also in one fight, Diego Herzog won the heavyweight. He defeated Elliot Kelly 5-4 in a close fight.

In the adult teams’ competition, the results were as follows:

Male
Ralph Gracie – 90pts
Coalition 95 – 59pts
Caio Terra BJJ – 48

Female
Ralph Gracie – 22pts
Marin MMA – 21pts
Coalition 95 – 16pts

Here is the video of the Open Class final between Diego Herzog and Yuri Simões

Here is the photo galeery of day 2 at the 6th American Cup

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For the complete coverage, go to http://www.gplus.to/graciemag

American Cup this weekend, April 20-21

Today is the last day to regsiter for the 6th American Cup, to be held next weekend, in San Jose, California,.

Promoter Claudio França is preparing some great novelties for the participants.

You scan still enroll until 11:59PM (PDT) and the cost is $94 for kids divisions and $109 for juveniles, adults and master & Seniors.

The event will feature over 25 black belts, including the recent WPJJC champion, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes. He will also act as a referee.

IBJJF director Alvaro Mansor will also be in San Jose, first teaching a rules seminar od April 19 and then directing the refs at the event.

In the following exclusive interview, França talks about the welcome athletes and spectators will have once they arrive in San Jose. 

Don’t miss out and register for the event and the rules seminar now at americancupbjj.com

GracieMag: What are the new features for this next American Cup?

Claudio França: The big news for this sixth edition of the American Cup will be the Anerican Cup TV, which will be a live broadcast over the internet , on our website www.americancupbjj.com. There , you will find the link to watch the live broadcast . On the American Cup broadcast TV you will be able to watch fights , the tournament’s finals , the main black belt fights , and also interviews , clips , comments etc.. It’s not pay-per-view , it’s a live broadcast online for free . It will be on Saturday, and Sunday  April 20 & 21  , from 9am to 6pm and you can be anywhere in the world , that you can access the internet , and watch the American Cup live online broadscast for free! Other news about the American Cup is that , now , to give an even better experience for the public , we will have two televisions , one towards the mat and another one towards the public. So everybody will be able to follow the punctuation , the time  , the advantages and etc.

How many competitors the 6th American Cup has so far?

Last year we had over 1000 subscribers. This year we are growing . So far, we already surpassed the numbers from last year. I think that we have now around 1100/1200 competitors in our tournament. And from those 1200 competitors, around 400 are kids. So specially for kids, who do not have too many opportunities to compete in tournaments with an international level, this is a great opportunity . Our tournament will be one of the only opportunities in the year for kids to compete in a high level tournament .  There are kids coming from Russia, Europe, Brazil . We like to call the American Cup tournament  “Fun and fair” because it’s fun, but also fair, the kids compete in the same weight, the same age, the same belt. For parents and others,  as I said  before, it is probably one of the last opportunities of the year for the children, to compete in a  high level tournament , with a high level arbitration.

And how is the black belt division ?

The Black belt division is going very well. We have over 25 black belts competing , and I believe that there are more  coming. Among the best known black belt , we have Tanquinho, Nathan Mendelsohn,  Oswaldo Queixinho , Marcel Fortuna, Diego Herzog ,Yuri Simões, Tanner Rice, among others.

Where the event will be held?

The event will be held at Independence High which is a great gymnasium , and it is also ten minutes from San Jose’s airport. So for people who come from outside it’s a great opportunity to compete , since you’ll be ten minutes from the Tournament after arriving at San Jose’s airport. San Jose is one of the largest cities in the United States , you will find everything in San Jose , restaurants, hotels, malls, concerts … It is thirty minutes from the beach , you can come to Santa Cruz , which is one of the most beautiful coasts in the world. In San Jose , you will already be able to enjoy the California weather, this time of year the nights are comfortable.

Watch the American Cup teaser video.

6th American Cup Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Daniel Carettoni on Vimeo.

6th American Cup by Claudio França in San Jose on April 20-21

The 6th American Cup is approaching.

Scheduled for April 20-21, in San Jose, California, the Claudio França event is already a trademark in the gentle art calendar.

If you are thinking of competing there, know that you have until today, April 12, at 11:59PM (PST) to enroll with a big discount.

If you decide to do it, you will pay $75 for kids divisions and $90 for juveniles, adults and master & seniors divisions. If you miss the date, the final deadline for regular enrollment is Monday, April 15.

The 6th American Cup will be broadcasted live over the internet.

Don’t miss out on the chance to join some huge BJJ stars that already enrolled.

Household names such as Augusto Tanquinho, Oswaldo Queixinho, Tanner Rice, Diego Herzog, Nathan Mendelsohn, Marcus Antelante, Yuri Simoes, Marcel Fortuna, Diogo Araujo, among others, already signed up.

Besides the 6th American Cup, you can also register for Alvaro Mansor’s rules seminar, a great opportunity to learn from the IBJJF Referee Director.

Tanner Rice vs Augusto Tanquinho at the 2012 IBJJF Pro League; Both will be competing at the 6th American Cup, in San Jose, CA

The 6th American Cup is approaching.

Scheduled next April 20-21, in San Jose, California, the Claudio França event is already a trademark in the gentle art calendar.

If you are thinking of competing there, know that you have until next Friday, April 12, to enroll with a big discount.

If you decide to do it, you will pay $75 for kids divisions and $90 for juveniles, adults and master & seniors divisions.

Don’t miss out on the chance to join some huge BJJ stars that already enrolled.

Household names such as Augusto Tanquinho, Oswaldo Queixinho, Tanner Rice, Diego Herzog, Nathan Mendelsohn, Marcus Antelante, Yuri Simoes, among others, already signed in.

Besides the 6th American Cup, you can also register for Alvaro Mansor’s rules seminar, a great opportunity to learn from the IBJJF Referee Director.

Tanquinho will be in San Jose on April 20-21

The 6^th American Cup is scheduled next April 20-21, in San Jose, California. Black belt world champion (No-Gi) Augusto Mendes, aka Tanquinho, will be one of the most well known names to compete. GracieMag got in touch with the Brazilian for an exclusive interview. Read what Tanquinho had to say about Claudio França’s event, his preparation and the importance of attending rules seminar like the one Alvaro Mansor will teach on April 19.

The registration for the 6^th American Cup is still open. The costs until April 12 are $70 for kids and $90 for juveniles, adults and master & senior. Enrollment for the Rules Seminar is also open. Go to americancupbjj.com and register now.

How’s Jiu-Jitsu in Phoenix, Arizona?
Jiu-Jitsu here in Arizona is very strong. The regional championship here has something between 600 and 800 athletes registered and there are great teams here contributing to the growth of Jiu-Jitsu, like Megaton (which has been here for more than 20 years), Gustavo Dantas from Nova União, John Crouch from The Lab and Ryan Beauregard from BJJ Revolution. Jiu-Jitsu here is at a great level, like many U.S. cities and other cities in the world!

What do you think about events like the American Cup?
I am biased to talk about Cláudio Franca because he is my friend, but you just need to see his work ahead of previous events like the U.S. Open and American Cup for you to understand how Cláudio is super organized, methodical and competent. His events are impeccable, with the structure and schedule respecting athletes and with high-level fights. Cláudio’s events are only behind the Worlds and Pan here in the U.S.

Did you ever get bullied at school or in any situation that you had to use BJJ to defend yourself?
No, I never had to use my Jiu-Jitsu that way. There were normal jokes and it didn’t affect me. If I laughed at someone I knew they would laugh at me, and, after all, these things are about having limits; I always respected others and was respected when it was needed!

What’s the importance of BJJ in your life, in and outside of the mats?
Jiu-Jitsu is everything in my life. With Jiu-Jitsu I learned a profession, social and moral values that life often doesn’t teach you. With Jiu-Jitsu I met my girlfriend and I was able to travel to over 20 countries, and with that I was able to make new friends and learn different cultures and I am very happy to be well received at any Jiu-Jitsu gym in the world! Anyway, Jiu-Jitsu is a tool that can change people’s lives and make them better! I can only thank God for putting Jiu-Jitsu in my life!

What do you expect of the 6^th American Cup?
I believe it will be an excellent event, with a great organization and great combats in all the belts! I hope to make great fights for the public and get one more gold medal!

Please talk a little bit about your diet and preparation, training partners…
I need about 3 to 4 weeks of diet to get on the weight I need, and it takes a lot of willpower and dedication! My diet is to avoid junk like soda, sweets and fried food. I basically eat more fruit, salad, fish and chicken and lots of water! I’m working out with Jerret Aki from The MMA Lab, the guy who is responsible for the physical preparation of MMA guys like Ben Henderson, Efrain Escudero, John Moraga, among others. Anyway, every day I feel I am improving physically! I’m training Jiu-Jitsu with Megaton at his gym and I’m also starting to train MMA at The MMA Lab, under the supervision of John Crouch.

Do you think that there’s a strong new generation of American black belts rising?
Surely! Jiu-Jitsu never stops evolving and some of the best BJJ coaches are living in the USA and they are raising the level of the Jiu-Jitsu of Americans. It’s only a matter of time for new generations of black belts to come!

Are you going to participate at the IBJJF rules seminar with Alvaro Mansur, one day before the American Cup? In your opinion, what’s the importance of this seminar?
I’ll probably do it, but it depends on what day I will arrive in San Jose. I believe every athlete should know the rules of their sport very well. Jiu-Jitsu is very complex and requires us to know all aspects of the rule! Those who want to take advantage and stay a step ahead of the opponent definitely should go! I did the first course of IBJJF rules in 2003 and since then, I join an average of three to five courses per year. This year I’ve been to one in Arizona and I’ll probably do another one in San Jose. I believe much of my success in competitions is due to my knowledge of the rules!

What can you say to the folks that will compete in the American Cup in San Jose, CA?
Guys, have fun at the event, give your best in the combats, always respecting the opponents, the public, family and friends! When you participate in an event like the American Cup and U.S. Open, you will want to return every year. This is exactly what happened to me (laughs).

Claudio França invites all to the 6th American Cup and the rules seminar with Alvaro Mansor.

The two day event takes place in San Jose, California, on April 20-21.

The rules seminar is scheduled April 19, at Claudio França BJJ, which is also in San Jose.

The early registration is now open and will go on until April 5.

The costs are: $60 for kids and $75 for juveniles to Senior IV.

The cost of the seminar is $60 with a 50% discount if you are competing.

Register now to compete at http://www.t360reg.com/americancup/americancup.aspx.

Register now for the seminar at http://www.t360reg.com/rulesseminar/rulesseminar.aspx

Here is a teaser video on the American Cup.

6th American Cup Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Daniel Carettoni on Vimeo.

The 6th American Cup is scheduled for April 20-21, in San Jose, CA.

Black belt world champion (No-Gi) Augusto Tanquinho Mendes is already registered, along with other big names, such as Nathan Mendelsohn.

You still have three weeks to prepare to compete, but you only have four days to register for reduced prices – $60 for kids, $75 for Juveniles, Adults, Masters & Seniors.

The early bird registration ends next Friday, April 5.

So hurry and register now to compete in one of the most traditional Jiu-Jitsu events in the calendar.

For more info and to register, go to americancupbjj.com.

Photo: John Cooper.

The 6th American Cup Tournament will be held at Independence High School in San Jose, CA, on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, 2013.

This tournament is open to all divisions and belt levels.

Registration is open now! Early Registration prices are $60 for Kids and $75 for Juvenile, Adult, Master, Senior I-IV, and Female.

Early Registration prices will end on April 5, 2013 at 11:59pm.

Promoter Claudio França has a lot of exciting news for the American Cup Tournament!

This year we will have new Kids, Female, and Male divisions.

We will be adding a Female Master division and Senior IV division for Males.

For the Kids divisions, we will be dividing the belt levels to White belts, Grey and Yellow belts, and Orange and Green belts.

Also, we have new Refund Rules! If you register for this tournament and there is no one in your division on the day you compete, we will give you a 100% refund.

So, don’t hesitate and register today!

For more information, visit www.americancupbjj.com.