UPDATE: A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SEMINAR ON SUNDAY WILL GO TOWARDS RYAN MINOR WHO IS RECOVERING FROM BRAIN SURGERY.

Between April 24-27 both Caio Terra and Yuri Simoes of GMA Institute of Martial Arts will be in Oregon state for a four-day training camp at three different locations. Both black belts are active competitors and champions and since they are one both sides of the spectrum, light and heavy, their knowledge covers all bases.

On Thursday and Friday, April 24 and 25, the duo will be teaching at CTA Hillsboro. On Saturday, April 26 they will teach a seminar at Ben Baxter’s Performance Martial Arts Academy in Eugene. On Sunday, April 27, they will teach another seminar at a Caio Terra Association affiliate PDX Jiu-Jitsu in Portland.

Here are the addresses of the academies:

CTA Hillsboro: 1414 Southeast 18th Avenue # 100 Hillsboro, OR 97123
PDX Jiu-Jitsu: 2335 NW 23rd Place Portland, OR 97210
Performance Martial Arts Academy: 869 Shelley St, Springfield, OR 97477

The cost for all four days of the camp is $150.
For just the two days on April 24-25 at CTA Hillsboro the cost is $80.
For three days in Portland at CTA Hillsboro and PDX Jiu-Jitsu the cost is $125.
The cost for just the seminar alone at either PDX Jiu-Jitsu or at Performance Martial Arts Academy is $75.

You can help support the recovery of a fellow Jiu-Jitsu community member, Ryan Minor, who is currently recovering from brain surgery due to a tumor.

More information can be found at www.caioterra.com

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.”