The NY Pride XIX tournament on March 8 is already taking names. Members from over sixteen academies have signed up for the event, which will be hosted at a new location. Academies such as GMA Alliance NYC, Gracie Barra Long Island, Kioto BJJ, BTT Boston, Soca BJJ and more will all be in attendance.

The tournament will be located in the John A. Danzi Athletic Center at St. Joseph’s College: 155 West Roe Blvd. Patchogue, NY 11772.

GMA members Eloy Santos and Milton Regis have put together tournament after tournament, always improving with the goal of giving the New York Jiu-Jitsu scene a high-quality event. Registration is still available at the discounted rate for early registration until Monday, Feb. 17. For one division, the cost is $69 and for two divisions the cost is $79. Don’t wait or you’ll pay a higher price!

To register, click here.

For more information go to www.lipridebjj.com

Full house at the 2012 Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship. Photo By Dan Rod

Don’t be late in registering for the 2013 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship this year and let the east coasters win all the titles. The roster is filling up quickly and is likely to reach capacity before the deadline on September 16!

The event will be on Saturday, September 28 at the City College of New York Nat Holman Gymnasium: 138th Street, Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031

Make sure you register for the event before making your travel arrangements so you’re not stuck going to New York just to watch because the athlete list filled up. Although it wouldn’t be a bad vacation, the competition is one you do not want to miss.

In past years the mats of the Pan No-Gi have seen a high level of black belts such as Lucas Lepri, JT Torres, Renan Borges, Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Laercio Fernandes, Henrique Rezende, Pablo Popovitch, Roberto Tussa Alencar, Davi Ramos, Kayron Gracie, Daniel Tavares and many more. That list is comprised of 2012 and 2011 alone.

This year the black belts confirmed so far: Bernardo Faria, AJ Agazarm, Bruno Fernandes, Joseph Capizzi as well as athletes from GMA academies such as Renzo Gracie, Alliance NYC, Alliance Ecuador, Marcelo Garcia, Gracie Barra Long Island, Toronto BJJ, Soca BJJ, Gracie Barra Montral, Gracie Barra New Mexico.

Let’s make the Pan No-Gi an earned title with a well-rounded amount of entries from all over to represent the spread of the gentle art.

To register go to www.ibjjf.org

Visit GMA academies in the city

The IBJJF NY Summer Open has released the brackets for the one day event scheduled for Saturday, July 13. Athletes from all directions are driving into the city, flying from the west coast and other places and preparing their bodies for the competition tomorrow.

To see the brackets, click here.

New York is home to some of the best Jiu-Jitsu academies around. Our GMA members are located all over NYC and the surrounding areas so if you have the chance or want to train while you’re traveling, head on over to these academies:

Alliance NYC
98 Third Ave #1
New York, NY 10003
# 1 212 529 7675
www.alliancebjjnyc.com

Brooklyn Martial Arts
289 Livingston St
Brooklyn, NY 11217
# 1 718 403 9026
www.brooklynmartialarts.com

Gracie Barra Long Island
24 Jericho Turnpike
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
#1 516 633 0731
www.graciebarralongisland.com

Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu
250 w26th St. – 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10001
# 1 212 414 0044
www.marcelogarciajj.com

New York City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team Renzo Gracie Staten Island
2397-B Hylan Blvd
Staten Island, NY 10306
# 1 347 414 1525
www.nycbjj.com

Renzo Gracie Academy
224 W 30th St
New York, NY 10001
# 1 212 279 6724
www.renzogracie.com

Rio Academy
95 Mains St.
East Rockaway, NY 11518
# 1 516 593 3859
www.rioacademy.com

Soca BJJ
1913 Wantagh Ave.
Wantagh NY 11793
# 1 516 557 2888
www.socabjj.com

Vitor Shaolin BJJ
780 8th Avenue, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10036
212.957.4045
www.bjjnewyorkcity.com

Philipe Della Monica and Otavio Sousa close out their division at the NY Open in April. Photo: Erin Herle

The 2013 IBJJF New York Summer Open is the second championship in the Big Apple this year, both closing early due to registration reaching capacity. Many competitors from all over the country, namely up and down the coast, see this opportunity as a way to test their skills against the best in the area.

The schedule is up now, the one day event is set for 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 13 with the last division beginning at 7:00 p.m. Click here to see.

The Nat Holman Gymnasium is located on the campus of the City College of New York: 138 th Street & Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031.

Make sure you arrive earlier than usual as the event has security that may delay entrances, especially early in the day.

Some of the best black belts will be present including: Osvaldo ‘Queixinho’, DJ Jackson, Rafael Rosendo, Renan Borges, Daniel Beleza, Leonardo D’avila, Vitor Oliveira and more.

GMA members Marcos Torregrosa and Daniel Alvarez will be making their way from California and Texas respectively.

GMA gyms from the area include Vitor Shaolin Academy, Renzo Gracie Academy, Marcelo Garcia Academy, Gracie Barra Long Island, Alliance NYC and more.

See you there at 9 in the morning and be ready for the long day of high-level Jiu-Jitsu. More information can be seen at www.ibjjf.org

Otavio Sousa (right) won double gold at the 2013 IBJJF New York Spring Open in April. Photo: Erin Herle

Just a few months ago the IBJJF held a tournament in New York City that reluctantly sold out very early. Many locals and even people traveling into the Big Apple were not happy about the limit. But the IBJJF is putting on another tournament on July 13 in the same location and good for you, it hasn’t reached capacity.

Hurry and register to make sure you are able to compete as the list is currently over 50% capacity. To register go to: www.IBJJF.org

You have until July 6 but we are sure this will close before then so make sure you make your travel arrangements then sign up as soon as possible!

The 2013 IBJJF New York Summer International Open will be held at the Nat Holman Gymnasium: 138th Street & Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031

Check out this highlight video below of GMA Alliance NYC at the NY Spring Open back in April where they helped the Alliance team overall earn the first place team trophy:

GRACIEMAG will be present tomorrow, April 20 at the 2013 IBJJF New York International Open. Set at the City College of New York in the heart of the city, the Nat Holman Gymnasium will be the battlefield for local teams to determine who is the best. You can follow all the coverage on our google + page!

Gracie Barra has sent a team of some of their best black belts to the other coast from California. Philippe Della Monica came out and held a seminar at GMA Gracie Barra Long Island and will be present along with his teammates. World champion Otávio Sousa leads the pack that includes also Rodrigo Simoes, Gustavo Pires and Magid Hage. Renzo Gracie team has opted to represent their academy without combining into the Gracie Elite Team name and Alliance is being represented by both New York academies Alliance NYC and Marcelo Garcia Academy. Nova Uniao is holding their own with Times Square locals Vitor Shaolin Academy. Many streams of competitors will be present from all over the nation to see who comes out on top. This tournament, however, has always been very important to the teams who are all located in rather close proximity and who gains the overall lead in points to win the team trophy. Will you be present to catch all of the excitement and/or defend your team’s glory?

The schedule is up as well as the brackets so be sure to check those both below:

Click here to see the schedule!

Click here to see the brackets!

Make sure you follow our live and up-to-date coverage tomorrow for all the action on our google plus page: www.gplus.to/GRACIEMAG

The IBJJF New York Open is set for April 20 in the big apple. With many academies representing some of the largest teams such as Alliance, Nova Uniao, Gracie Elite and Gracie Barra the turn-out is sure to bring much competition. Right in the middle of tournament season between Pan Ams and Worlds, learn with the team that has won every major tournament including the 2012 NY Open.

In order to prepare, Fabio Clemente and his team of instructors are inviting you to their GMA New York academy. The training is from April 9-18 and includes top competitors and instructors like Babs, the Iturralde brothers Francisco “Sinistro” and Leo from Alliance Ecuador. There will be two training sessions a day at the academy. You can read about the atmosphere here when GracieMag made a visit earlier this year.

The camp is open to any team, affiliation and rank. If you are traveling and need accommodation, you can pay $40 a night to stay at the Alliance house with other members of the team and camp. For the entire camp, pay $300 and for just a week you can pay $200.

The Alliance NYC academy is located at: 93 3rd Avenue 2nd floor New York, NY 10003.

If you haven’t registered for the NY International Open yet, you can go here to confirm your spot.

To reserve your spot at the camp, please contact sinistroiturralde@gmail.com

Fabio Clemente helps guide his students at GMA Alliance NYC / Photo by Erin Herle

Fabio Clemente is a leader for many aspects of the sport. He spread the art to places it hadn’t seen, gave opportunities to now top athletes and paved the way for many after him.

GRACIEMAG.com made a visit to his GMA academy on 3rd Ave in New York City this month. As the first Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York, this upstairs nest is home of many champions from past and present.

Fabio Clemente is a black belt under Rigan Machado, coming up in the ranks alongside the Machado family. “I was a blue belt at the same time as Jean Jacque Machado,” he says.

After moving to New York and opening his NYC academy, Fabio became part of the Alliance banner. Not long after the move, the promotion to black belt and the changing of teams, Fabio took the responsibility of sponsoring one Alliance member to move from Brazil to the states. This athlete was Marcelo Garcia.

What you might not know about Fabio beyond his accomplishments and Jiu-Jitsu flagship in the states is his love for photography. In fact, he has worked in Paris for Vogue and many other prestigious fashion outlets. He has since put away the lenses once the digital era erupted and having kids, but he still maintains a strong eye.

After some time with Marcelo teaching at the Alliance academy, the split was made and the Marcelo Garcia Academy was born. Thereafter came another champion: Lucas Lepri.

While Lucas trained and taught classes, the academy helped create a competition atmosphere that only furthered the intensity for team Alliance on the competition mats. Lucas has since moved to teaching at the Alliance Headquarters in Atlanta, GA, but the intensity in New York still remains.

Black belt Leo Iturralde from GMA Alliance Ecuador trains with white belt at Alliance NYC / Photo by Erin Herle

Training at the academy finds people of all ages, genders and ranks. Black belts train with white belts, company is kept tight and the inside jokes are plenty. It is a tight knit family who welcomes any who buzz their door. Many students have been given the opportunity to teach at other places around the town and even at the main academy, allowing full-time focus as an easy option. Fabio maintains a strong lead but a soft hand as he treats his students like his own children– both of whom train religiously.

Check out this video below of the technique of the day taught by Fabio Clemente with his student and assistant, David Bass:

Don’t miss the photos as well. To learn more about the second Jiu-Jitsu academy established in New York, visit www.AllianceBJJNYC.com

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Napão shines again. Photo: Dan Rod.

There’s life after the UFC. Released from Dana White’s organization after some under-par performances, Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga returned to gi-clad competition in good shape – bringing the crowd to its feet like in the old days.

With his chokes up to speed, Napão (Team Link) took gold in the ultraheavyweight master division and was the big name in the absolute master category, after finishing Guillermo Salas (Gracie Academy) in the final. He had his work cut out for him in the semifinal too, facing Nakapan Phungephorn (Lloyd Irvin).

The top three overall team winners were all GMA member academies

1- Alliance – 161 pts

2- Lloyd Irvin M. A. – 146 pts

3- Renzo Gracie – 124 pts

Napão brilha novamente. Foto: Dan Rod.

Há vida após o UFC. Dispensado da organização de Dana White após lutas meio paradas, Gabriel Gonzaga, o Napão, voltou em boa forma às competições de kimono. E levantando a plateia como de costume.

Afiado nos estrangulamentos, Napão (Tem Link) ficou com o ouro no pesadíssimo master e foi o grande campeão master absoluto, após vencer na final Guillermo Salas (Gracie Academy). Na semifinal, passou por outra dureza, Nakapan Phungephorn (Lloyd Irvin).

No resultado final, três GMAs nossas ficaram com as três primeiras colocações. Confira:

1- Alliance – 161 pts

2- Lloyd Irvin M. A. – 146 pts

3- Renzo Gracie – 124 pts

Lucas in photo by Luca Atalla.

Lucas Lepri had a good year on the mats. He won major competitions and saw his work at GMA academy Alliance New York prosper. Looking ahead to next season, the black belt assesses his main challenges in making 2011 even more productive.

Check out the conversation he had with GRACIEMAG.com.

What’s your assessment of your year?

It was really positive, but I can improve and yield a lot more. I started out well and won the European Open, in Lisbon, along with Michael Langhi. Then I had to deal with a number of tough guys at a championship here in New York called Long Island Pride, where I beat guys like Abmar Barbosa, Guybson Sá, and in the final, Roberto Cyborg by 6 to 2. I also closed out the Pan with my friend Langhi and didn’t have an easy time in doing it. To get to the final, for example, I had to make it past Bill Cooper and Jonathan Torres. After the Pan I went to Brazil for two weeks before the Worlds to finish up preparations with Fabio Gurgel and the team. Even with a fever, I competed at the Brazilian Nationals and there was no getting around the result: I ended up losing. But it served as a learning experience, now I see that I have to respect my own limits, no matter how much I want to fight. I missed a week of training and, in the end, I had a week to get ready for the Worlds, where I took third. The No-Gi championships started up in the second half of the year and I managed to win the Pan for a second time and, soon after that, I got my second No-Gi Worlds title, where I got the finish in all three of my matches. Looking back over the year, I competed at all the major championships and managed to place in all of them.

What are your hopes for 2011, do you intend to compete in the big tournaments? Will you be at the European Open?

2011 is coming up and I’m already getting ready for the season, which will be really intense until June, when the Worlds happen. I started preparing to put in a good showing at the European Open. After that I’ll be in the World Pro tryouts, which will happen February here in New York. I hope to be at all the major events like the Pan, World Pro, and Worlds. In know that to keep the titles I’ve won over these years and win the IBJJF Worlds again I’ll have to sweat a lot, but I always expect the best. And, of course, I always rely on the support of my team, my students, my family, and especially, God.

So the main focus is to close out the Worlds with Langhi again?

If possible, we’ll not just close out the Worlds but the other championships. However, the Worlds is always all the athletes’ main focus.

Lepri puts on the pressure at Long Island Pride. Photo: Luca Atalla.

Lucas Lepri had a good year on the mats. He won major competitions and saw his work at GMA academy Alliance New York prosper. Looking ahead to next season, the black belt assesses his main challenges in making 2011 even more productive.

Who are the main adversaries you have ahead of you?

There are a number of top competitors at lightweight and there are others who I didn’t know about showing up now. When I won the 2007 Worlds nobody knew who I was. I won the title I’d always hoped for in my very first year as a black belt. So I always pay close attention to the opponents I already know about and I don’t forget how surprises can always show up.

How is work in New York?

Alliance NY is growing and producing new champions with every day. We’re working on building the foundations, aiming for our students to make the lowest number of mistakes possible. We’re also focused on the self-defense part that gave origin to Jiu-Jitsu and it is extremely important to teach starting at white belt. I’d like to mention Fabio Clemente, who provided me the opportunity to teach at Alliance NY, and Babs, my brother who teaches with me and helps me train for championships. I’m really happy to be part of this team and I consider my students to be my true friends.

Do as Lucas Lepri does and sign up for the European Open clicking here.

What are your hopes for 2011, do you intend to compete in the big tournaments? Will you be at the European Open?

2011 is coming up and I’m already getting ready for the season, which will be really intense until June, when the Worlds happen. I started preparing to put in a good showing at the European Open. After that I’ll be in the World Pro tryouts, which will happen February here in New York. I hope to be at all the major events like the Pan, World Pro, and Worlds. In know that to keep the titles I’ve won over these years and win the IBJJF Worlds again I’ll have to sweat a lot, but I always expect the best. And, of course, I always rely on the support of my team, my students, my family, and especially, God.

So the main focus is to close out the Worlds with Langhi again?

If possible, we’ll not just close out the Worlds but the other championships. However, the Worlds is always all the athletes’ main focus.

Who are the main adversaries coming up in your path?

There are a number of top competitors at lightweight and there are others who I didn’t know about showing up now. When I won the 2007 Worlds nobody knew who I was. I won the title I’d always hoped for in my very first year as a black belt. So I always pay close attention to the opponents I already know about and I don’t forget how surprises can always show up.

How is work in New York going?

Alliance NY is growing and producing new champions with every day. We’re working on building the foundations, aiming for our students to make the lowest number of mistakes possible. We’re also focused on the self-defense part that gave origin to Jiu-Jitsu and it is extremely important to teach starting at white belt. I’d like to mention Fabio Clemente, who provided me the opportunity to teach at Alliance NY, and Babs, my brother who teaches with me and helps me train for championships. I’m really happy to be part of this team and I consider my students to be my true friends.

Do as Lucas Lepri does and sign up for the European Open clicking here.

Lucas em foto de Luca Atalla.

Lucas Lepri teve um bom ano nos dojôs. Venceu competições importantes e viu prosperar o trabalho na Alliance Nova York, nossa GMA. De olho na próxima temporada, o faixa-preta analisa os principais desafios para que 2011 seja ainda mais produtivo.

Confira o bate-papo com o GRACIEMAG.com:

Como analisa seu ano nas competições?

Foi muito positivo, mas posso melhorar e render muito mais. Comecei bem e venci o Europeu, em Lisboa, juntamente com Michael Laghi. Depois tive que bater várias pedreiras num campeonato que rolou aqui em Nova York chamado Long Island Pride, onde venci feras como Abmar Barbosa, Guybson Sá e, na final, o Roberto Cyborg Abreu por 6 a 2. Também fechei no Pan com o meu amigo Langhi e não tive moleza. Para chegar à final passei, por exemplo, pelo Bill Cooper e Jonathan Torres. Depois do Pan, fui ao Brasil por duas semanas antes do Mundial para finalizar a preparação com o Fabio Gurgel e toda a equipe. Mesmo com febre, lutei o Brasileiro e o resultado não poderia ter sido outro: acabei perdendo. Mas isso serviu como aprendizado, agora vejo que tenho que respeitar mais meus limites, por mais que a vontade de lutar tome conta de mim. Perdi uma semana de treino e, no final das contas, tive uma semana para me preparar para o Mundial, no qual fiquei em terceiro. No segundo semestre começaram as competições sem kimono e consegui o bicampeonato no Pan e, logo depois, o bi no Mundial Sem Kimono, em que finalizei as três lutas que tive. Num balanço do ano, lutei os principais campeonatos e consegui subir ao pódio em todos eles.

O que espera para 2011, pretende competir os principais eventos. Luta no Europeu?

2011 está chegando e já estou me preparando para a temporada, que vai ser bem intensa ate junho, quando acontece o Mundial. Para isso, comecei a preparação para chegar bem no Europeu. Posteriormente luto a seletiva do World Pro, que acontece aqui em Nova York, em fevereiro. Espero estar presente nos principais torneios do semestre como no Pan, World Pro e no Mundial. Sei que para manter os títulos que consegui durante estes anos e chegar a ganhar o Mundial da IBJJF novamente vou ter que suar bastante, mas as minhas expectativas são sempre as melhores. E, lógico, conto sempre com apoio da minha equipe, dos meus alunos, da minha família e especialmente de Deus.

Então a principal meta é fechar novamente o Mundial com o Langhi?

Se possível, vamos fechar não só o Mundial mas tantos outros campeonatos. Porém, o Mundial é sempre o foco maior de todos os atletas.

Lepri bota pressão no Long Island Pride. Foto: Luca Atalla.

Quais os grandes adversários que deve ter pela frente?

Na categoria leve tem vários lutadores de ponta e sempre aparecem outros que não conhecemos, que vêm para surpreender. Isso aconteceu comigo. Quando ganhei o Mundial, em 2007, ninguém sabia quem eu era. No meu primeiro ano de faixa-preta eu consegui o título mais esperado da minha vida. Então treino sempre atento aos adversários que eu já conheço e não esqueço das surpresas que podem aparecer.

Como está a o trabalho em Nova York?

A Alliance NY está crescendo a cada dia e formando novos campeões. Estamos fazendo um trabalho de base, no intuito de os nossos alunos cometerem o menor número de erros possível. Também estamos focando a parte de defesa pessoal, que originou o Jiu-Jitsu e é extremamente importante passar esse conhecimento para eles desde a faixa-branca. Queria mencionar o Fabio Clemente, que me deu a oportunidade de dar aulas na Alliance NY, e o Babs, meu irmão que dá aulas junto comigo e me ajuda a treinar para os campeonatos. Sou muito feliz de fazer parte desse time e considero meus alunos como meus verdadeiros amigos.

Faça como Lucas Lepri e se inscreva no Europeu clicando aqui.