New York 2008, Bráulio Estima closed out with Rolles Gracie in the absolute final; Lucas Lepri and Tarsis Humphreys took third.

In 2009, Rafael Franca (Renzo Gracie) and Icelander Gunnar Nelson shut out the division themselves.

And in 2010, who takes it?

Don’t miss the last chance to sign up for this year’s No-Gi Pan on October 2, and follow the party from the only place that matters: the match area.

The deadline for you to register paying a special rate is this Saturday, so click here.

The same goes for the American No-Gi Nationals, a tournament in California for practitioners of every age group to test their Jiu-Jitsu progress and boldly defend their academy shields on September 25 and 26.

Visit www.ibjjf.org now and participate.

Marcio Feitosa

One of Gracie Barra’s foremost masters, Marcio Feitosa was unable to make it to Las Vegas for a valid reason, but he was jubilant for his team’s conquest of the American No-Gi Nationals and Las Vegas Open.

“I’m here in Texas, but I kept up with everything on GRACIEMAG.com. I’m here working on a project that is very important for the team. We’re going to open new branches and we’ll have more news soon. Everyone can keep up with the goings-on by accessing www.gbaustin.com. Next week there should be the addresses and contact information for the new academies,” says the black belt.

“The guys did awesome over there. Flavio Cachorrinho fought really well, as did a lot of others. It was great,” he says in celebration.

“I want to thank all the teachers who put in the effort. They put together the teams, gathered the students and traveled to Las Vegas to achieve this important victory for Gracie Barra,” he says in closing.

And there’s more to come. On the 22^nd the Chicago Open will take place, and on September 4 there’s the Honolulu Open, which is still open for sign up (click here to find out more).

And of course, readers will be able to keep up with it all right here on GRACIEMAG.com.

When Rolles, Igor, and Gregor Gracie came to Las Vegas for the 2010 American National No-Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship from Renzo Gracie’s Academy in New York City, they showed everyone they know how to roll No-Gi Style.

In the ultra heavyweight no-gi division, Rolles Gracie pulled out the gold medal with a hurt foot, elbow, knee, and shoulder. “Every joint in my body is hurt,” he laughs. But it didn’t stop the big man from dominating the one match he had with Fabiano Lima from Brazilian Top Team.

Rolles was in Southern California the night before giving a seminar at his cousin Ronis Gracie’s GB academy in Garden Grove. “He’s a great kid,” Rolles says of Ronis, “The seminar finally happened. Then I came here to compete.”

Rolles didn’t realize he’d only have one match, but says his experience at the Nationals was a good one. Rolles is now looking forward to the Pan in New York, and his upcoming professional match against “Cyborg” Abreu.

In the medium heavyweight no-gi division, both Igor and Gregor Gracie dominated the event, with the two of them closing out the division and Igor taking gold. Igor had two matches, winning the first by armbar and the second by kneebar. Igor came to the tournament to support his students who were competing from Renzo’s Academy and then thought he might as well compete himself.

“It was a good experience,” he says, “Couldn’t be better.” Igor is now training for the upcoming Pan Ams in New York and will make an appearance at the No Gi Worlds this fall.

Gregor Gracie also came out to support his students and decided to compete at the last minute. “We came with a big team from Renzo’s,” Gregor says, “About 12 guys and they all medaled.” As for Gregor, he says he always has fun competing, “You grow as a human being when you compete,” he says, “It’s good to challenge yourself.”

Gregor said they decided under gentleman’s agreement to give Igor the gold medal for their division. “He’s my big brother,” Gregor laughs, “I didn’t want him to beat me up and make me look bad.”

He had no worries about looking bad as he swept the no-gi absolute and took the gold medal for his efforts. In his semifinal match against Rafael Lovato, he took his time setting up his game. The last half of the match was a flurry of activity from both competitors, with neither giving up any points. The referee gave the match to Gregor, and Lovato was not happy about it saying, “He was just sitting there!”

In the finals, with Diego Herzog, the two ended up in a 50/50 with Herzog switching his leg from the outside to the inside and injuring Gregor’s knee. The referee disqualified Herzog and Gregor limped off the mats as the winner of the 2010 American National No-Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship absolute category.

“Every match was tough,” Gregor says, “Diego was a tough guy. I just wish we could have fought the whole match. I’m sure there will be a next time.”

“I love Jiu-Jitsu and will always compete in it,” he says, but Gregor is now looking forward to his no-gi fight with Pablo Popovitch and a possible MMA fight in October, which may put his Jiu-Jitsu competition schedule on hold.

As for the American Nationals, he wrapped up the day saying, “Three Gracies and three gold medals. Couldn’t be better!”

Cachorrinho catches Lovato. Photos: John Cooper

There was a number of standouts at the 2010 Las Vegas International Open and the American National No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Black belt Rodrigo Teixeira from Carvalho – Teixeira fought in both the  gi and no-gi categories. The middleweight fought two matches in his adult gi division, taking on Rafael Barbosa from Best Way/Soul Fighter in the final, which he won by points, earning him a gold medal.

In the no-gi middleweight division he won his first match against Joe Scarola of Gracie Barra Long Island, but lost his final by points. Although Teixeira took home a gold and a silver medal, he was somewhat disappointed in his performance. “I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be,” Teixeira said, “My Jiu-Jitsu was not technically 100%.” Teixeira, who competes regularly, says he’s been training in the gi with Kron Gracie for the last month.

Like most fighters concurred throughout the day, fighting in the desert left many feeling dehydrated. “Today was tough,” Teixeira says, “I feel really dry, but you have to strategize how to win a fight, even when you’re not in tip-top shape.”

Teixeira versus Scarola

In the adult heavyweight gi division Flavio Almeida of Gracie Barra San Clemente and Rafael Lovato of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu ended up in the finals together and it was quite a match to watch. At one point, Lovato allowed Almeida to open his guard, but he didn’t have good grips, so Almeida jumped to side-control and ended up taking Lovato’s back, locking in a body triangle.

“I’ve been struggling with controlling the back,” Almeida said, “So my brother taught me the body triangle. I could relax my grips and get the choke in.” Which he did, tapping Lovato out to become the 2010 heavy weight gold medal winner.

When it was over, Almeida said he was surprised to have won by submission, “I came here to win, no question, but when you fight really tough guys – Lovato’s in the top 10 – you expect to win by an advantage or a point. He made a mistake and I was lucky enough to capitalize on it.”

The two met up again in the divisional heavyweight no-gi final. The match was a rough one, with each of them holding nothing back. Almeida emerged as the victor once again, taking home two gold medals for the day.

In the black belt masters/heavyweight division, Gustavo Pires, of Gracie Barra Mission Viejo, won both the gi and no gi categories. In the gi category, he had one match against Walter Vital of Cascao. Pires easily submitted him within the first minute of the match to take gold in his division.

In the masters gi absolute, Pires had two byes because a competitor didn’t show up, then one final match against Ranieri Paiva de Albuquerque from X3 Sports. Pires submitted Albuquerque by arm bar to take home gold in the gi open class.

Without the gi, Pires competed in the adult division in his heavyweight division. He took on Diego Herzog in his first match and beat him by points. “Diego is a very good fighter,” he says. At that point, Pires, who has a history of high blood pressure, discovered it was 160/90. He had to stop competing and stepped out to let Almeida and Lovato compete in the final, thus ending his day with a bronze medal in the no-gi adult/heavy division. Pires said it was a long day, but he was happy with his performance. “I’m glad I came,” he said.

In ultra-heavyweigth adult category, Stephen “Pesadelo” Hall from Alliance took gold in his division against Fabiano Lima Monteiro of Brazilian Top Team. At 39 years of age, he says he has to travel to find guys in his age group to fight, so he usually fights in the adult division. Hall, who is currently looking for a sponsor, says, “Next year I will be the oldest guy to medal at the Mundials in the adult division at 40!”

“I was disappointed in my showing at the Masters/Seniors in Rio this year,” Hall says, “I came in 3^rd, but won it last year.” One good thing came out of it for him, “I’m happy to be the first black belt to medal in both the International Masters/Seniors and the Rio Open in the same year as a black belt.”

Luciano Cristovam, a medium heavyweight brown belt from Roger Gracie Academy in London, represented his school well. Cristovam, who is an instructor for Roger and Mauricio Gracie, arrived in New York in June to train at Renzo’s Academy and to compete at some of the tournaments around the country.

Cristovam won gold in the medium heavyweight gi division, winning both his matches by submission.  He had one fight in the medium heavyweight no-gi division and won it by submission as well. In the no-gi absolute, he had two fights. “I won the first by points,” he says, “And the second with a katagatami – a head and arm choke.”

“My no-gi final in the open was really tough,” Cristovam says, “He was a super heavyweight and I knew if I made a mistake, he would smash me!” Cristovam hung on, took his back, and as he turned, he got mount, then the katagatami.

After clinching three gold medals for the day, Cristovam says he owes his wins to Rolles, Igor, and Gregor Gracie, who helped him a lot with his no-gi training. “Thanks to all the Renzo Gracie guys for helping me and Ricardo Almeida, too,” he says, “Roger and Mauricio taught me everything I know.”

In the women’s division, medium heavyweight blue belt Jessica Eve Richer from Gracie Barra Long Island stormed the scene competing every chance she got. She had six matches in one day, the most she says she’s ever fought.

In the medium heavyweight gi division, Richer had a default win because there were no competitors in her weight class. Richer says she doesn’t consider that a true “win” so she was excited to compete in the absolute.

In the gi absolute, Richer had three matches. She won the first by americana from mount, the second on points, and the final against Saera Kim of Alliance by collar choke. Richer said her matches were tough, “I lost 10 pounds yesterday and because I’m fighting gi and no-gi, I have to weigh in twice today.” But Richer was having a great time saying, “This is a great tournament. I love IBJJF events. You always get to fight the top competitors in the country.”

In the no-gi contest, Richer was a little nervous because she had to fight blue and purple belts, but she did well, winning her first match against Lenna Uhlinger of Yemaso BJJ and then losing the final by advantage points to Megan Nevill of X3 Sports. That earned her a silver in her no-gi division. “It was a close match. I played out of my comfort zone, trying new moves I was working on. I was really impressed with Nevill. She was very strong and tough.”

In the no gi absolute, Richer fought Margarita Chavez from GB New Mexico. It was her first match and didn’t go as planned. “I defended her trying to pull guard,” Richer says, “She climbed up my body and wrapped herself around my neck. I tried to slowly take it to the ground, but she came down faster than I intended and they called it a “slam” and disqualified me.” Richer says she fell forward a bit because Chavez was pulling on her neck. “I think she might have been going for an ezekiel choke.”

The match was ended after about 30 seconds, leaving Richer surprised by the outcome. “I guess they were calling things on the conservative side that day,” she says. Richer says she takes every loss as a working experience and wants to go back to the gym and fix her mistakes. “All the girls were very athletic and great competitors,” she says, “Overall, it was a great experience and worth the trip out from New York.”

Complete results

Las Vegas Open (Gi):

1. Gracie Barra
2. Nova Uniao
3. Brazilian Top Team

No-Gi Nationals:

1. Gracie Barra
2. Team Mica
3. Nova Uniao

It’s summertime in Las Vegas and 110 degrees on the Strip. It’s hot outside, but it was even hotter inside the Las Vegas Sports Center as the 2010 Las Vegas International Open and the American National No-Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship got under way. Amped up competitors from around the globe came to give their best at this respected IBJJF event.

Tim Snyder. Photos: John Cooper

In the super heavy adult blue belt division, Tim Snyder, from Roberto Traven, outdid himself. He came in 1^st in his weight class and 1^st in the absolute. Snyder, who travels all over the country to compete, flew in from Atlanta to participate. In his division, he had two matches. He won the first by collar choke and the second by baseball choke.

In the absolute, he had three matches and won them all by collar choke. In his last Open match, he says his competitor was “huge.” Snyder exclaims, “It was like David and Goliath!” Snyder was a little intimidated by him, so he watched his matches before their final to see if he could gather a little inside information on the way he fights. “I knew what he was going to do, and I was prepared for it,” Snyder says, “He’s super technical. He got side control, I let him pass, and then I dumped him. I got on top and got the collar choke.”

Snyder went home with two gold medals and was feeling very happy. “Especially with the level of talent this year,” he says, “It’s been a great experience.”

Jason Hughes

In the heavy weight Seniors 1 blue belt division, Jason Hughes of Guilobel Jiu-Jitsu beat out Gerald Harper of Brazilian Top Team for the gold. Hughes had one match, which he won by Ezekiel choke. Harper took Hughes down and went to side control, but Hughes got the reversal on him. The two went back to stand up and Hughes pulled guard. “He almost got my back, but I defended,” he says, “I got half-guard, went to mount, and got the Ezekiel (forearm choke).”

“It’s been a good experience,” Hughes says, “It’s hard being in Vegas and not eating and drinking, but the experience has been great!”

In the middle weight Adult Purple belt division, Roberto Torralbas from Lloyd Irvine came to represent. He won his weight division and the Absolute in Gi and then his division in No Gi. He had a total of 11 matches for the day and he won them all. He took home three gold medals for Lloyd Irvin and was very happy with his performance.

Roberto Torralbas

Torralbas says it wasn’t easy going from gi to no gi in the same day. He had to hold a little back during his gi fighting, so he’d have enough energy to fight in the no gi. However, he was glad he flew out from Florida for the event. Torralbas lost in the quarterfinals at the Worlds and the Pan, so he was happy to redeem himself in Vegas. “It’s been a great experience,” he says.

In the middleweight masters/brown belt division, Leandro Massaro from Relson Gracie had a great day at the tournament. Only receiving his brown belt two months ago, he fought gi in his weight class and absolute, and in no gi in his weight class and absolute. By the end of the day, Massaro had racked up a silver in gi in his division, and a bronze in absolute; a silver in no gi in his division and a bronze in absolute. He was all smiles after every match he won or lost, clearly having a great time in Las Vegas.

Leandro Massaro

Massaro says he tries to compete as much as he can. “As I get older, I hope I get wiser,” he laughs. Next year Massaro will enter into the Senior 1 division. “My friend tells me that when you’re over 35 and still doing Jiu-Jitsu, you’re either athletic, talented or crazy!” he says, “I’m still trying to figure out which one I am, but I love Jiu-Jitsu. It’s the best therapy a person can have.”

Complete team results:

Las Vegas Open (Gi):

1. Gracie Barra
2. Nova Uniao
3. Brazilian Top Team

No-Gi Nationals:

1. Gracie Barra
2. Team Mica
3. Nova Uniao