Rodrigo com sua transição da montada para finalizar nas costas. Foto: Reprodução

De visita em Hong Kong, nosso professor GMI Rodrigo Medeiros, líder da academia BJJ Revolution, em San Diego, na Califórnia, aproveitou para passar ao leitor atento de GRACIEMAg uma posição para enganar o adversário e estrangular.

Na técnica, Rodrigo parte da montada alta com falsa intenção de finalizar no braço. Quando o oponente faz a pegada de defesa, Rodrigo ataca o braço oposto, girando o mesmo por baixo da axila. Em seguida, com um firo lateral, Rodrigo sai nas cotas do adversário com pegada na gola, para evitar que este se levante. Com o inimigo estabilizado e com pegada feita pelas costas, Rodrigo acerta o estrangulamento de duas formas distintas, como opção para finalizar.

Confira a técnica no vídeo abaixo e veja mais vídeos no nosso canal faixa-preta, em youtube.com/graciemag !

Professor Rodrigo Medeiros com o detalhe para passar a meia-guarda com segurança. Foto: Reprodução

A posição de hoje é para você, amigo leitor e atleta do Jiu-Jitsu que está com poucas opções para transpor a meia-guarda dos adversários. Nosso professor GMI Rodrigo Medeiros, líder da academia BJJ Revolution, em San Diego, na Califórnia, traz a solução para o seu problema.

Na aula, o pupilo de Carlson Gracie usa a lapela do paletó do oponente para aprisionar o braço do guardeiro. A partir desse domínio, Rodrigo trabalha em segurança até alcançar o cem-quilos. Para concluir a posição, Rodrigo sobe com o joelho na barriga e aproveita a armadilha do braço com a lapela para aplicar duas opções do baseball choke.

Confira no vídeo abaixo os detalhes da posição e aprenda sempre as melhores posições com o nosso time GMI!

O Nagoya Open sacudiu o Japão. Foto: IBJJF

O faixa-preta pesado John Robert (BJJ Revolution) foi o grande destaque no absoluto do Nagoya Open de Jiu-Jitsu, realizado no último fim de semana no Japão.

Koji Shibamoto (Tri-Force) confirmou o favoritismo e venceu no peso-galo. Takayuki Koyama (Fukuzumi) brilhou entre os plumas. Já na categoria acima, o pena, o brasileiro Charles Gaspar (Impacto Japan) saiu como campeão.

Leandro Kussano (Over Limit BJJ) saiu vitorioso no meio-pesado. O superpesado foi dominado por Youngam Noh (Jiu-Jitsu Lab).

Na faixa-marrom, Tanno Odilio (Infight Japan) foi o dono do título absoluto.

Por equipes, o resultado foi:

1. Impacto Japan B.J.J. – 176

2. Gracie Barra – 62

3. Infight Japan Jiu-Jitsu – 30

Franco atirador: Juan Kamezawa (Alliance) foi campeão mundial dos leves na marrom, em 2012. Foto: Divulgação Copa Pódio

Com os dois nomes que faltavam, a segunda temporada do GP dos leves da Copa Pódio agora está totalmente definida. Nesta quinta-feira, dia 18, a organização do evento definiu Juan Kamezawa e Brandon Magana como os novos integrantes do torneio, totalizando assim dez feras na disputa.

“O Juan é o atual campeão mundial dos leves faixa-marrom, e chega com o aval do General (Fabio Gurgel). Já o Brandon traz a experiência do MMA e promete cair para dentro sem compromisso de provar nada para ninguém. O card está completo, agora é esperar o começo do jogo que vai ser de arrepiar”, promete Jeferson Maycá, o diretor do evento.

Aos 25 anos, Juan Kamezawa será o representante da Alliance no GP, sob a batuta de Gurgel, que lhe entregou a faixa preta recentemente. No evento, Juan pretende seguir os passos de seu companheiro de equipe e amigo Dimitrius Souza, um dos destaques da primeira temporada do torneio.

Terceiro estrangeiro confirmado no GP, o americano Brandon Magana também recebeu a honrosa faixa-preta recentemente. Defendendo a BJJ Revolution, a fera divide sua carreira no tatame com o MMA, onde realizou
oito lutas profissionais, incluindo passagem pelo extinto Strikeforce.

Juan Kamezawa e Brandon Magana se juntam a Leandro Lo, Clark Gracie, Victor Estima, Vinicius Marinho, Augusto “Tio Chico” Vieira, DJ Jackson, Diego Borges e o inglês Oliver Geddes no GP dos Leves, que será uma das grandes atrações da próxima edição da Copa Pódio, no Rio de Janeiro, no dia 5 de maio.

As chaves que definem os confrontos do torneio serão definidas neste domingo, dia 21, através de sorteio no Rio de Janeiro.

Confira os pontos de venda de ingressos, e deixe seu palpite: quem vence?

Rip Dorey
* Copacabana – Rua Santa Clara, 33. Telefone: (21) 3208-2136
* Penha – Rua Brás de Pina, 150 – Penha Shopping. Telefone: (21) 3866-6905

Clube da Luta
Centro – Avenida Marechal Floriano, 67. Telefone: (21) 3173-7766

Body Lab
Ipanema – Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 86 – Loja 6. Telefone: (21) 2523-2619

Família Abi-Rihan
Lagoa – Av. Borges de Medeiros, 701 – Clube Monte Líbano. Telefone: (21) 7892-9796

Alliance
Leblon – Rua Humberto de Campos, 774. Telefone: (21) 2511-1995

GFTeam
Méier – Rua Arquias Cordeiro, 478. Telefone: 3497-0478

Rafael Mendes no Houston Open da IBJJF. Foto: Erin Herle/GRACIEMAG.com

O grande nome do Houston Open, que rolou no fim de semana no Texas, foi Ricardo Bastos. O casca-grossa da Nova União foi com tudo no absoluto e assegurou o lugar mais alto no pódio, após vencer Luis Rubalcava (Alliance) na final.

No peso pesadíssimo, no entanto, Ricardo foi parado pelo campeão Rafael Lovato Jr e ficou com o bronze. Rubalcava também beliscou o terceiro lugar na categoria dos mais pesados.

Também fizeram bonito os irmãos Rafael e Guilherme Mendes, que fecharam o peso-pena e agora vão no embalo para o San Francisco Open, na Califa, domingo que vem. Quem vai conseguir pará-los?

Ainda em Houston, na categoria adulto, Marcus Vinícius Antelante (Soul Fighters) foi o melhor entre os médios.

Na faixa-marrom, Kauê Damasceno (Nova União) abocanhou as medalhas de ouro no superpesado e no absoluto.

Entre as equipes a campeã foi a Gracie Barra, seguida pela BJJ Revolution e pela Nova União.

Para ver os resultados completos, clique aqui.

GMA member Rodrigo Medeiros, leader of BJJ Revolution, has two announcements to make.

He recently has inaugurated a new dojo for his academy in San Diego.

It is the new training grounds for the team six times American Nationals champion.

And next March, Medeiros is to embark in a grand adventure.

He will be opening an academy in Hong Kong.

For more info, go to rodrigomedeirosbjj.com

The kids division was an exciting one, with GD Jiu-Jitsu winning it by racking up 131 points in the team standing. BJJ Revolution took second with 88 points, and MMA Lab took third with 66 points.

Araya Garcia of Relson Gracie strategizes / Photos: Deb Blyth

Araya Garcia is an 11-year-old yellow belt from Relson Gracie in Arizona who competes in the medium heavyweight division. She’s been training for three years and had two matches on the day, both against Mikaila Gonzales, who also hails from Relson Gracie. Her first match didn’t end the way she would have liked but she was happy for the win. “I tried to armbar and choke her, but I couldn’t,” Araya says, “I ended up winning by advantages.” In her second match, she tried for the choke, but once again it eluded her. “She pulled guard, and I got in mount for four points,” Araya says, “That’s how I won.”

Araya trained extra hard for this tournament. She likes to compete and says she likes to fight new people who have techniques and games she hasn’t seen before. Her favorite move is the triangle or the forearm choke, and although she went for them today and wasn’t able to close with them, she is still really excited about her gold medal win. “I feel awesome,” she says. Araya loves Jiu-Jitsu for a variety of reasons and says it’s changed her life for the better. “I feel stronger, and I have more confidence now,” she says.

Araya and her supportive father, Ron

Araya’s dad, Ron, is her biggest fan. He says she does all of Gustavo’s tournaments, so she’s competing every three months. “I’m here to support her,” he says, “She knows more than I do. I try to coach her and she’s like, ‘No, I don’t want to do that!’ I love watching her. She makes me so proud. She loves it and has a great time. And even though she doesn’t win all the time, she still has determination to come back and compete again. She’s really grown in the last six months. Her Jiu-Jitsu’s getting really good.”

Damian Hosokawa goes for a takedown.

Nine-year-old yellow belt Damian Hosokawa of BJJ Revolution comes from a Jiu-Jitsu family. His dad, Gerson Atoigue, is a brown belt; his mom, Nana Hosokawa, is a blue belt. They fully support Damian in his efforts on the mats, and it shows. He trains everyday with his dad, to his delight.

At the 3rd Southwest Classic, Damian had two matches in his featherweight division. He won the first by armbar and the second by a sweep. “It’s been a good day,” Damian says, “I won today, and I’ve won all year. I’ve been in all four of Gustavo’s (Dantas) tournaments and I’ve won them all.” Damian, who has been training for three years, says winning gold feels great.

Like the sweep he won his final with, Damian says the half-guard sweep is his favorite move. “It’s easy,” he says, “If they’re already on top of you, it’s easy to ‘timber them over.’”

Damian says he loves Jiu-Jitsu because “if anything goes wrong, I know self defense.” Asked if he’s been picked on at school, he says, “Yes, but I didn’t do anything but tell my teacher. I didn’t feel like I needed to do anything. I feel really confident.”

Damian and his family all partake in Jiu-Jitsu.

His dad, Gerson, really enjoys watching his son grow and develop through Jiu-Jitsu. “He’s awesome,” he says, “He’s gonna be better than I ever was. It’s a pleasure to watch him.” His mom, Nana, concurs, “He just enjoys doing Jiu-Jitsu so much,” she says, “I support him 110%. He’d rather be on the mats than anything else. He’ll turn down other really fun things for it.”

Robert Maloney gets his hand raised.

Robert Maloney of Siege MMA/Lotus Club is a 15-year-old green belt with some strong grips! This ultra heavyweight had two matches in his division and closed them both out with a one-handed lapel choke, earning him a gold medal for the day.

It’s no surprise the lapel choke is Robert’s favorite move, but the way he sets it up is. “People always think I’m going for an Ezekiel,” he says, “but then I hold myself up with one arm – I have really good balance – and choke with the other.”

Robert competes every couple of months. He does all of Gustavo Dantas’ tournaments and says he usually comes in first or second. He recently learned the flying armbar and it’s quickly become his favorite move, although he’s a little nervous to use it in a tournament, so he hasn’t tried it yet. “I know that I just need to exhale as I hit the floor so I don’t knock the wind out of myself,” he laughs.

Robert Maloney and his BJJ crew

Robert loves everything about Jiu-Jitsu and it’s changed his life in the process. “I used to get in trouble in school,” he says, “Jiu-Jitsu kept me out of it. I train every day. It keeps me out of bad stuff.”

Jiu-Jitsu has given Robert a sense of confidence he didn’t have before. He’s a sophomore in high school, so he sees a lot of bullying and intimidation going on around him, but he is unfazed by it. “I see kids fighting at school for nothing,” he says, “I stay away from them. I don’t have to prove myself.” He does his “proving” on the mats.

Derek Wheeler and his proud coach, Michael Westbrook

Derek Wheeler of MWBJJ is a 14-year-old yellow belt under ex-NFL great and now Jiu-Jitsu black belt Michael Westbrook. Derek had two matches for the day and won both by points. “I compete a lot,” he says, “I’ve been to all four of Gustavo’s tournaments. I win about half the time.” Although that record would discourage some, Derek is motivated by it and trains harder. “When I lose, it means to me that I need to train harder,” he says.

Hard work is no stranger to Derek, Michael Westbrook says. “He’s been working his butt off – five times a week! He’s advancing at a pace he’s supposed to be at, and I’m very proud of him.” Michael says that Derek is a great listener. “That’s hard to get kids to do sometimes,” he says, “Derek makes coaching easy.”

Derek’s goal is to win as many tournaments as he can and to do Jiu-Jitsu for the rest of his life. “I want to be a black belt,” he says, “Jiu-Jitsu has changed me. It’s made me stronger, bigger, and more relaxed. I feel confident in the world… at school and anywhere.”

DAY 1: Gi results:

Team placement:
1st Place: BJJ Revolution (This is the 6th time they’ve won this title)
2nd Place: Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu
3rd Place: Gracie Barra

Black belt adult divisional winners:
Light Feather: Caio Terra, Gracie Fighter, defeated Milton Bastos, Paragon
Feather: Osvaldo Queixinho, Gracie Fighter, and Samir Chantre, Gracie Fighter, closed out bracket together with Queixinho taking gold
Light: Philipe Della Monica, Gracie Barra, and Rodrigo Simoes, Gracie Barra, closed out bracket together with Philipe taking gold
Middle: Vitor Henrique, GF Team, defeated Carlos Rodriguez, BJJ Revolution
Medium heavy: Mathew Jubera, Ribeiro JJ, def Raphael Fischetti, Barbosa JJ
Heavy: No one in bracket
Super heavy: Fabio Nascimento, Lotus Club, defeated Alberto Vilanova, Gracie Morumbi
Ultraheavy: Fabiano Scherner, Team Quest, defeated Stephen Hall, Alliance
Brown/black belt female adult divisional winners:
Feather: Tatiana Nascimento, Lotus Club, defeated Tove Sodersten, Alliance
Light: Fabiana Borges, Gracie Barra, defeated Kiri Liao, Ribeiro JJ
Heavy: Emily Wetzel, BJJ Revolution, defeated Luciana Dias, Gracie Humaita

Open results:
Black belt adult: Caio Terra, Gracie Fighter, defeated Vitor Henrique, GF Team
Brown/black female: Emily Wetzel, BJJ Revolution, defeated Fabiana Borges, GB

DAY 2: No-Gi Results:
Team placement:
1st Place: Gracie Barra
2nd Place: BJJ Revolution
3rd Place: Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

Black belt adult divisional No-Gi winners:
Light Feather: Caio Terra, Gracie Fighter, defeated Milton Bastos, Paragon
Feather: Samir Chantre, Gracie Fighter, defeated Bao Quach, Lotus Club
Light: Philipe Della Monica, Gracie Barra, defeated Marcos Torregrosa, Lloyd Irvin
Middle: Marcelo “Lapela” Mafra defeated Vitor Henrique, GF Team
Medium Heavy: Lucas Leite, CheckMat, defeated Mathew Jubera, Ribeiro JJ
Heavy: No one in the bracket
Superheavy: Fabiano Monteiro, American Top Team (only one in bracket)
Ultraheavy: Fabiano Scherner, Team Quest, defeats Stephen Hall, Alliance
Brown/Black Belt female adult divisional winners:
Light: Ana Maria Soares, BJJ Revolution def Fabiana Borges, Gracie Barra
Heavy: Emily Wetzel, BJJ Revolution (only one in bracket)

Open Results:
Black Belt Adult Male: Marco Sharpei, Checkmat def Caio Terra, Gracie Fighter

Brent's arm raised in victory / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Brent has been a brown belt for almost three years and competes in as many tournaments as he can. In the absolute, Brent had two matches. The first was against Nova Uniao’s Ryan Heilman. “I pulled guard, swept, got on top, passed his guard and got a collar-type choke that I made up a couple years ago. I call it the Primus choke,” Brent laughs.

The final was against Jesus Artesi of Lotus Club JJ. “He pulled guard, I passed his guard and took his back,” Brent says, “I submitted him with a bow choke.” The bow choke is Brent’s favorite Jiu-Jitsu move, so he’s looking for it every time he rolls. “I like to take the back,” Brent says, “It’s such a controlled position. I do the bow choke well. I have so much leverage on it.”

Interestingly enough, Brent says that no one has scored a point on him for the past three years, since turning brown belt. “I’ve lost by advantages before but not very often, and no one’s scored a point on me since I’ve been a brown belt.” That’s quite an accomplishment.

It’s common for Brent to compete in the open class at events. “I’ve won them all so far,” he says, “I’ve done a couple in Vegas, the U.S. Open, and a few in Oregon. I like to do opens. They’re more of a challenge for me.”

Brent also had two  matches in his middleweight division. The first was against Brandon Magana of BJJ Revolution. “It was a really tough match,” he says, “I only won by a few points and some advantages. I threw him for a takedown. He was really strong and had a really good base. I controlled him from the top. I had him in a crucifix for over half the match. It was really frustrating that I couldn’t close it.”

His second match was against Gracie Barra’s  Diogo Silva de Souza. It was another tough match, and a very technical one, but Brent won it by points. “It was a really fun match,” he says, “Diogo’s very technical. I was able to take him down, pass his guard, and then take his back.”

Brent says the Las Vegas International Open was a great experience and he’s glad he made the 15-hour drive from Oregon to get there. “It was definitely worth the drive,” he says, “I went against some tough competitors I wouldn’t be able to find in Oregon. I also loved watching guys like Caio Terra compete as well.”

Two years before the 2011 Worlds he tore his knee, so he only competed at the smaller tournaments. The last time he competed in a Worlds was 2009, when he came in second to Ryan Beauregard of BJJ Revolution in the brown belt division. Brent is in good health now and plans on competing at all the big tournaments this year and next. Brent would like to thank his instructor, Ryan Clark, and his academy. “Thank you for making me the competitor and person I am today.”

Laércio ao lado do mestre Giva Santana. Foto: Deb Blyth.

Está virando moda os mais levinhos irem bem na categoria absoluto, prova de que, muitas vezes, a técnica supera a força. No Phoenix International Open, no último sábado, foi assim.

O grande nome do evento da IBJJF foi o faixa-preta Laércio Fernandes, representante da Lotus Club. O lutador, que geralmente compete na categoria pluma, ficou com o ouro no peso pena. Para completar, o guardeiro subiu ao alto do pódio no absoluto também.

Na categoria aberta, Laércio enfrentou o mesmo adversário da final na categoria de peso, Gustavo Carpio.

Steven Rosenberg garantiu o primeiro ouro como faixa-preta na IBJJF.

Outro destaque na faixa-preta adulto foi Steven Rosenberg, aluno do nosso GMA Gustavo Dantas, ouro entre os leves.

Entre as equipes, quem levou a melhor foi a Nova União, seguida pela BJJ Revolution Team e Brazilian Top Team.

Gustavo Dantas comemora com a Nova União.

Confira todos os resultados clicando aqui.

Laércio with his master, Giva Santana / Photo: Deb Blyth

Little guys winning the absolute division has become something of a fashion, proving how, often, technique can overcome strength. That was the case last Saturday at the Phoenix Open.

The big name of the IBJJF event was Laércio Fernandes, who fights under the Lotus Club coat of arms. The fighter usually competes as a light featherweight, but took gold in the featherweight division this time around. The icing on the cake, though, was that the diminutive black belt hopped atop the winners’ stand for the open weight division too.

In the absolute divisional final Laércio faced the same opponent from his final at weight, Gustavo Carpio.

The brothers sporting gold at the Arizona International Open / Deb Blyth

Best known for winning the Worlds as a brown belt in 2008, Ryan Beauregard leads the charge for Team Beauregard BJJ / BJJ Revolution in Arizona and is proud and happy to have his two younger brothers, Colin and Ian, standing by his side as he does so.

Ryan and his brother Colin started training Jiu-Jitsu about six years ago. “We’ve always been into competitive sports,” Ryan says, “But after high school we started getting into trouble . . fighting . . . we needed to find some way to channel our aggression. We found Jiu-Jitsu.” What they found was Professor Demetrius Ramos and BJJ Revolution right down the street from their house. “How lucky is that?” he asks.

Now a black belt and in a whole different league of competition, Ryan says he trains really hard and, as an American, feels like he has something to prove in a sport dominated by Brazilians. “When we first started training, I felt like we were behind, compared to those who grew up doing Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, but we have put so much time into the gym. We’re not behind anymore.”

Ryan received his black belt after the 2010 Pan, so he’s relatively new to the “black belt club,” but he is holding his own just the same. He competed in Portugal and came in third and is planning on competing at the 2011 Pan and the Worlds in June. “We haven’t missed a Pan or Worlds since we started training Jiu-Jitsu,” Ryan says.

Ryan competing at Arizona International Open / Photo: John Cooper

At the 6th Arizona International Open, Ryan won gold in his weight class. “I had one match against Michael Martin,” he says, “He’s a local instructor. It was good for us to challenge each other. It was a good fight. He’s a tough guy. I won with a choke from the back.” In the open, Ryan had one match against Gracie Barra’s Don Ortega, which he lost. “Don won at the Worlds as a brown belt the same year I did,” Ryan says, “He was a light heavy and I won at light.”

For Ryan, the day was a big success and he was very happy about the results and the performance of his team. “We had five people from our personal academy in Phoenix here today and they brought home five gold medals. We also did two blue belt promotions on the podium today.”

Ryan says his experience at the 6th Arizona International Open was great. “I think Gustavo’s (Dantas) tournaments are awesome. He puts together a great tournament. Arizona has great competitors now and I think this is the reason.”

Colin Beauregard is the middle brother in the Beauregard family. He is currently a brown belt in the feather weight division. Colin had a great experience at the Arizona International Open. He took home gold in his division. “I had one match and won with a kneebar in a little over a minute,” he says.

Like Ryan, Colin competes and trains a lot. “I’ve had hundreds of fights,” he says, “I won the last three state championships I’ve entered; the last 2 state championships at brown belt, by submissions.”

Colin received his brown belt after the 2010 Worlds. He’s excited by the progress he’s made in the sport and the fact that most of his wins have been by submission. “I’m excited to tap the legs finally,” he says, “It’s how I’ve gotten most of my submissions since I’ve got the brown belt.”

The most seriously competitive-minded of the three brothers, Colin loves Jiu-Jitsu and the fact that it allows him to stay in a competitive sport after so many years of wrestling. “It’s a good release for me,” he says, “I’ve competed my whole life. Jiu-Jitsu has taken over my life since high school. It allows me to keep my competitiveness.”

Jiu-Jitsu has also brought the Beauregard family closer together. “All three brothers spend every day together,” he says, “We improve because of each other. We push each other. If Ryan goes to the gym, I have to go. If I ask Ian to go to the gym, he’s going to come no matter what. We never say no to each other.”

Ian, the youngest brother, moved to Phoenix about six months ago to join his two older brothers on the mats. Colin says that Ian is training with him and Ryan and “blowing through everyone” during his competitions.

“We always tell him at his tournaments that rolling here can’t be any harder than rolling with us,” Ryan adds, “We go hard on him. We never take it easy on anyone. We push all of our students and each other as far as we can. BJJ Revolution is the #1 team in the nation – we have no room to slack.”

“We love Jiu-Jitsu,” Colin says, “We do it because we love it.”

All three of the brothers competitively wrestled in school, but it was youngest brother Ian who found martial arts first, albeit an unorthodox form of it. “He found ‘Hawaiian Jiu-Jitsu’ in Arizona,” Ryan says. But then the guys found BJJ Revolution, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Older brothers with baby brother Ian after his big win / Photo: Deb Blyth

Ian Beauregard is a blue belt who now fights in the adult light division. At the 6th Arizona International Open, he won four matches, three of them ending in submission. In his final, he fought Jonathan Hill and won on points.

Ian’s been training for about four years. His signature move is a judo throw. “I like takedowns,” he says. Ian just turned 19 and only recently started competing in the adult division. Already, he’s done well, placingthird3rd in blue/purple gi and secondin the blue/purple no gi at the Abu Dhabi Trials in Las Vegas.

Ryan says he coaches Ian every day. “He’s blessed because he’s a mix of me and Colin. He sucks info from his two older brothers. He’s just now starting to shine and it’s showing the depth of our family. He’s still young. We’re going to see lots more of him. I’m very proud of him.”

Ian agrees with his brothers that Jiu-Jitsu has made his family closer. “We love Jiu-Jitsu”, Ian says, “My parents come to every tournament. I train with my brothers every day. We share everything, and we hang out every day. We’re all really close.”

Big brother Ryan concurs, “Jiu-Jitsu is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. Not only has it brought me and my brothers closer together – we are together every single day smashing each other…my two brothers are everything to me, but it’s also brought my parents together, too. They never miss a match, no matter where it is. We have our own academy. It doesn’t get any better than that.”