Tanquinho, vice-campeão mundial dos penas, é o principal nome confirmado no US Open, entre mais de uma dezena de faixas-pretas e marrons. Foto: Alicia Anthony/2009.

Que praticar Jiu-Jitsu leva você a voos mais altos na vida todos já sabiam, mas os organizadores do US Open e do Pride NY exageraram, com uma promoção bem bolada.

Dois dos torneios mais clássicos e bem organizados dos EUA, o US Open, em San José, Califa, e o Long Island Pride, no estado de Nova York, decidiram dar a seguinte moleza aos participantes. Neste ano, quem competir num dos dois torneios concorre a uma viagem costa a costa nos EUA.

A promoção funciona da seguinte maneira: quem se inscrever no Long Island Pride, que ocorre no próximo dia 11 em NY, concorre a uma viagem com tudo pago, passagem ida e volta, hotel e inscrição para o US Open, que é em outubro. Com isso, o atleta viaja com tudo pago e ainda mantém o ritmo do seu Jiu-Jitsu. De quebra, ainda pode tirar onda de “unificar” o título das costas leste e oeste.

Da mesma maneira, quem se inscrever no próximo US Open, dia 15 e 16 de outubro, pode ganhar uma viagem Califa-NY-Califa com tudo pago para competir na edição do Pride seguinte, marcado para março de 2012.

Para saber mais sobre o US Open, e saber quem já está dentro da festa, clique aqui.

Para se inscrever já no Long Island Pride, clique aqui.

Tanquinho, the featherweight world runner-up, is the big name confirmed for the US Open, along with another dozen of brown and black belts. Photo: Alicia Anthony/2009.

That practicing Jiu-Jitsu lets you soar to new heights everybody knows, but the organizers of the US Open and Long Island Pride went overboard, with a well designed promotion.

Two of the most classic and best-organized tournaments in the USA, the US Open, in San Jose, California, and Long Island Pride in New York state, decided to make things easier on their participants. This year, anyone who competes in both tournaments enters the running for a coast-to-coast trip in the USA.

The promotion works like this: anyone who signs up for Long Island Pride, to take place on the coming 11th in NY, will enter the running for an all-expenses-paid round trip including hotel and sign-up fees for the October US Open. Thus, the competitor gets to travel without shelling out a cent and even gets to keep up their Jiu-Jitsu rhythm. To boot, they could even to to town and “unify” the East and West Coast titles.

By the same token, anyone who signs up for the upcoming October 15 and 16 US Open could win an all-expenses-paid Cali-NY-Cali trip to the next installment of Long Island Pride, set for March of 2012.

For more on the US Open and to find out who has already joined the fray, click here.

To sign up for Long Island Pride, click here.

Hermes nos tempos das vitórias no UFC. Foto: Josh Hedges

A 11ª edição do campeonato de Jiu-Jitsu Long Island Pride se aproxima, e a superluta já tem seus protagonistas. No dia 5 de março, um sábado, o veterano do UFC Hermes França encara o faixa-preta Jared Weiner, atleta da escola BJJ United/Lloyd Irvin.

O evento de nossos GMAs Milton Almeida e Elói Santos será no York College, em Long Island.

Hermes during days winning in UFC / Photo: Josh Hedges

The eleventh installment of the Long Island Pride Jiu-Jitsu championship is coming up, and the stars of the superfight have already been named. On March 5, a Saturday, UFC veteran Hermes França will face black belt Jared Weiner, a BJJ United/Lloyd Irvin athlete.

The event promoted by our GMAs Milton Almeida and Elói Santos will be held at York College in Long Island.

Lepri tosses Cyborg in the highlight of Pride Long Island.

Moments before the final match, Roberto Cyborg revealed his strategy, “I don’t think he’ll want to fight standing, so I’m going to pull guard first. But since a fight is a fight, we’ll only know once we get our hands on each other’s gis. He’s really tough, lost by just one advantage point to [ADCC 2009 champion] Pablo [Popovitch]. And Pablo’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen.”

Cyborg (Fight Sports South Beach) was referring to Alliance teacher in New York Lucas Lepri, who had won two frenetic matches to make it to the final, in the semifinal undergoing a bout of sweeps and attacks with Guybson Sá (East West Combat Club), who ended up getting submitted by Lepri with a choke from the half guard a few seconds from the end of a bout Lepri already led by 10 to 8.

ADCC under 99kg runner-up Roberto Cyborg made it to the final with two lighting quick submissions. His victim in the semifinal was the tough-as-nails silver medalist at the European Championship Renan Borges (BTT Boston), who was unable to overcome the weight difference of nearly 30 kgs (66 lbs). Cyborg finished him from the back and immediately, with only one arm, hoisted Renan up onto his shoulder, to the delight of the crowd in attendance at Queens College this Sunday, March 7, in New York, watching the latest installment of Milton Regis and Eloi Santos’ Long Island Pride.

In the decider, Cyborg fulfilled his promise of pulling guard, and the tactic started out well, as he was the one to score the opening two points with a sweep. But Lepri wasn’t intimidated. He insisted on throwing Cyborg off balance even after his initial attempts hit the dead end of his opponent’s solid base. As the match played out, the plan proved effective, since Lepri managed to tie the score, and then take a 6 to 2 lead, even landing a sightly overhead sweep followed by an arm attack, and a choke attempt from the back. All of which Cyborg defended.

In the end, Lepri took the win, driving his students who went to see him into delirium. And his partner, another Alliance professor, Fabio Clemente, who shouted, “You did it, Lucão!”

“Was it the best match of your career?” the reporter asked.

“No. My best match was against Lucas Leite [in the semifinal of the No-Gi Worlds 2008]. But this one was really good, too,” he said in celebration. And added, “And you can call it an excellent ‘warm-up’ for the Pan, can’t you?”

That’s what everyone with their eyes on the competition coming up April 10 (for which sign-ups are already open at www.ibjjf.com) hopes. In the meantime, check out the photo gallery from Long Island Pride:

[flickr set=72157623577787638]

Results:

Kids
1st Emerson Souza BJJ
2nd Kioto BJJ
3rd Budokan

Adults
1st Kimura BJJ
2nd Kioto BJJ
3rd Emerson Souza BJJ

Lepri levanta Cyborg no melhor momento do Long Pride Island.

Momentos antes da luta final, Roberto Cyborg comentou sua tática: “Acho que ele não vai querer trocar em pé, então vou puxar primeiro”, revelou. “Mas como vai ser a luta mesmo, a gente só vai saber na primeira pegada do kimono. Ele é muito duro, perdeu por apenas uma vantagem para o [campeão do ADCC 2009] Pablo [Popovitch]. E o Pablo é o cara mais sinistro que eu já vi”.

Cyborg (Fight Sports South Beach) se referia ao professor da Alliance em NY Lucas Lepri, que havia vencido duas lutas frenéticas para chegar a finalíssima, na semi foi um duelo de raspagens e ataques com Guybson Sá (East West Combat Club), que acabou finalizado por Lepri com um estrangulamento da meia-guarda a poucos segundos de um combate que já marcava 10 a 8 no placar.

Vice-campeão acima de 99kg do ADCC 2009, Roberto Cyborg chegou à final com duas finalizações relâmpago. A vítima da semifinal foi o duríssimo vice-campeão europeu Renan Borges (BTT Boston), que no entanto não aturou a diferença de peso de cerca de 30kg. Cyborg finalizou das costas e imediatamente, com um braço só, ergueu e jogou Renan no ombro, para delírio da platéia que foi nesse domingo, 7 de março, a faculdade do Queens, em Nova York, assistir a mais uma edição do Long Island Pride, de Milton Regis e Eloi Santos.

Na decisão do título, Cyborg cumpriu a promessa puxando para a guarda, e a tática começou bem, pois foi o sul-matogrossense que abriu o placar com dois pontos de uma raspagem. Mas Lepri não se intimidou. Insistiu em desequilibrar Cyborg, mesmo que no início as tentativas tenham resvalado na boa base do adversário. Com o decorrer da luta, o plano provou ser eficiente, já que Lepri conseguiu empatar, e depois alargar para 6 a 2, com direito a um lindo balão seguido de um ataque no braço, e uma tentativa de estrangulamento pelas costas, ataques bem defendidos por Cyborg.

Ao fim, vitória de Lepri, para delírio dos alunos que foram assisti-lo. E do sócio, e também professor da Alliance, Fábio Clemente, que gritava: “Se superou, hem Lucão”.

“Foi a melhor luta da sua carreira?”, perguntou o repórter.

“Não. A minha melhor luta foi contra o Lucas Leite [na semifinal do Mundial Sem Kimono 2008]. Mas essa foi muito boa também”, comemorou. E completou: “E pode-se dizer que foi um excelente ‘esquenta’ para o Pan, né?”

É o que todos de olho na competição que ocorre em abril (e já está com a inscrição aberta pelo www.ibjjf.com) esperam. Enquanto isso, confira a galeria de fotos do Long Island Pride:

[flickr set=72157623577787638]

Resultados:

Crianças
1º Emerson Souza BJJ
2º Kioto BJJ
3º Budokan

Adultos
1º Kimura BJJ
2º Kioto BJJ
3º Emerson Souza BJJ

GMA members Milton Regis and Eloi Santos promoted the first 2010 edition of their Long Island Pride Jiu-Jitsu tournament.

Lots of members attended and took their students to compete, such as Francisco Mansur, Carlos Alberto Terrinha, Aldo Santos, Alexandre Soca, Emerson Souza, Eduardo Santos and many others.

However the highlights go to the four superfight finalists, who were all also GMA members.

Lucas Lepri, from Alliance NY, became champion, whilst Roberto Cyborg from Fight Sports South Beach was the runner-up. Third place went to Guybson Sá (East West Combat Club) and fourth went to Renan Borges (BTT Boston).

Check out its photo gallery:

{flickr 72157623577787638}

Results:

Kids
1st Emerson Souza BJJ
2nd Kioto BJJ
3rd Budokan

Adults
1st Kimura BJJ
2nd Kioto BJJ
3rd Emerson Souza BJJ

Dear Fighter,

We would like to thank you for your continued support of the LIPRIDEBJJ.

We are really working hard to make each event even better.

No matter if you win or lose, here is the best place to test your improvements.

Your participation is very important to us, helping to grow and spread this  amazing sport that we learned and love. People show up from many schools and places, traveling from others states, believing that today and in this area, this is the best tournament.

Everyone is welcome, either going to fight or to watch, you must be there. Behind the scenes, we are making everything run smoothly and at the time, place, registration, communication, presentation, service, website, medals, safely, infrastructure, staff, insurance, patches, t-shirts, referees,brackets, podium, schedule, Super Belt Division, etc.

But hold on, we can not forget your part before the show starts, and you should do your part, talk with your friends, relatives and partners, get everybody involved, share your motivation and your pride to convince the importance of supporting this cause.

LIPrideBJJ always bringing you and your sport to the top. Hoping to see you on the game.

Registration is still available at http://www.lipridebjj.com/