Sid Jacintho venceu em Dubai: retorno após sete anos sem competir. Foto: Acervo GRACIEMAG

Em Dubai, 19 e 20 de setembro foram dias de puro Jiu-Jitsu no ginásio do Al Wasl Club, em mais um bom campeonato da arte suave organizado nos Emirados Árabes. O aberto em Dubai reuniu feras como o campeão europeu Alexander Trans, Faisal Al-Kitbi e outros craques.

Professor radicado em Abu Dhabi, Sid Jacintho estava lá, e como velho parceiro de treinos de Ricardo Arona e outros craques da BTT, resolveu cair dentro e tirar a ferrugem, após sete anos sem lutar por medalha.

“Na verdade foi uma decisão pensada, pois vinha treinando forte com os companheiros do time de competição, e após muito incentivo dos amigos e da patroa, que cuida da minha parte física, vimos que era a hora, e Dubai seria o palco perfeito”, explicou o professor do Emirates Team, que caiu dentro do master e venceu Thiago Vella na final acima de 95kg, por uma vantagem da meia-guarda.

“Senti um pouco aquela adrenalina do dia que antecede a competição, mas o trabalho feito por minha esposa Tatiana Haritoff me deu tranquilidade. Eu recordei cada ensinamento do meu mestre Fabrício Martins antes de entrar no tatame. Tirando um pouco de tempo das posições, foi um retorno razoável. E o principal: pude mostrar a essa molecada daqui que idade não é nada, o que vale é a vontade de estar lá, de se testar e superar as dificuldades e lesões pelo simples motivo de fazer parte da festa”, concluiu Sid.

Pedro Henrique fecha com Alex Trans no absoluto

O dia 19 foi reservado para as disputas sem kimono, que contaram com 120 competidores, distribuídos nas categorias adulto e master, da faixa-branca à preta.

No absoluto preta sem pano, o campeão foi Jiddu Bastos Lemos, que fechou com seu parceiro Alex Trans, ambos do Emirates Team. O absoluto roxa foi vencido por Ahmad Al Kadmani, lutador sírio da academia Sidekick, do Kuwait. Na faixa-marrom, o destaque ficou foi Victor Moraes, brasileiro radicado no Cazaquistão.

No dia 20, as feras vestiram o kimono, e quem reinou no absoluto faixa-preta desta vez foi Pedro Henrique Peres, do time dos Emirados.

O faixa-marrom Victor Moraes (Kazakhstan Team) voltou a vencer com o pano, brilhando no peso até 75kg e no absoluto.

O campeão absoluto roxa foi Zayed Al Kaabi (UAEJJ Team). Na faixa-azul, quem reinou no absoluto foi Saoud Al Hammadi (Al Jazira Clube), de 85kg.

Veja os resultados na faixa-preta adulto:

Absoluto faixa-preta:

1) Pedro Henrique Peres (UAE)
2) Alexander Trans (UAE)
3) Paulo José Pinto (Command Group)

Divisão até 75kg:
1) Alexandre Di Salgado (UAE)
2) Rafael De Colonhese (UAE)
3) Vitor Lattari (Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club)

Divisão até 85kg:
1) Ygor Dantas (UAE)
2) Filipe Bobrick (Command Group)
3) Lauro Netto (Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club)

Divisão até 95kg:
1) Paulo José Pinto (Command Group)
2) Karol Piotr Migo (Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club)
3) Alberto Gonzalez (Rio Grappling)

Divisão acima de 95kg:
1) Alexander Trans (UAE)
2) Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE)
3) Pedro Henrique Peres (UAE)

The second edition of the Copa Podio Heavyweight Grand Prix will be on Feb. 1 in Rio de Janeiro, BR.

The next event for Copa Podio is the second season of the Heavyweight Grand Prix set for Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. local time in Rio de Janeiro, BR. The organization released the roster today which includes a variety of competitors from all different places, experience levels, backgrounds, professions and styles.

There are Americans, an Emirati, black belt world champions, a UFC fighter, a Judo Olympian, brown belts and lots of talent.

The ten athletes for the Copa Podio Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Rodolfo Vieira and Leandro Lo are the big features of the event but there are enough wild cards that can stir up the pot.

Tomorrow, Jan. 7, the names will be decided for both yellow and green groups. Each competitor will face every other competitor in their own group to gain points. A win via submission earns four points, a win via points earns three points, a draw earns one point for each and a defeat zero. The final tally will bring together the first place of one group against the second place of the other group. In the event of a tie in points, whoever completed more submission finishes will move on.

Another part of the event is the city challenge in which Magid Hage of San Diego, CA will face Franco Marini of Buenos Aires in a match with no time limit. Also, Felipe Preguica will face Guto Campos in a special match.

For more information and livestream purchases, go to www.copapodio.com

February 1, 2014.
Rio de Janeiro
Live stream – www.copapodio.com
01:00 pm (Los Angeles)
04:00 pm (New York)
09:00 pm (London)

CITY CHALLENGE:

San Diego (Magid Hage)  vs. Buenos Aires (Franco Marini)

HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND PRIX (over 189.6 lbs)

Alan Belcher (USA)

Alexandre de Souza (Brazil)

Faisal Alkitbe (United Arab Emirates)

Leandro Lo (Brazil)

Léo Nogueira (Brazil)

Luiz Panza (Brazil)

Tim Spriggs (USA)

Travis Stevens (USA)

Rico Bastos (Brazil)

Rodolfo Vieira (Brazil)

SPECIAL MATCH:

Felipe Preguiça (Gracie Barra BH) vs Guto Campos (Atos)

Claudio Calasans, against Braulio, was the big name of the World Pro 2010. Photo: Luca Atalla

The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup makes it to its third year of existence in 2011 with lots of news. The main event, in Abu Dhabi, kicks off April 8 and 9 with a no-gi tournament.

No, we’re not confusing things. Next season, besides the traditional Jiu-Jitsu event, from the 14^th to 16^th of April, the no-gi contest will take place. Competitors will be able to compete in both competitions. They will arrive the day before weight-in for the no-gi tournament and stay till the 17^th of the month. Between the events, competitors will be entertained with tours and the likes. The no-gi tournament too will offer prize money to the champions.

It’s worth noting that the competitions (gi and no-gi) are open to all, not just to those who qualify at the tryouts to be held around the world. The tryouts are an option for athlete’s not wishing to spend on airfare, food and board. There are no restrictions to those who wish to pay their own way to compete at the main event, as Rômulo Barral did this year.

Big prize money is one of the draws. Photo: Luca Atalla

Speaking of tryouts, they too will reward the winners of the black belt absolute division with prize money. There are no restrictions on nationality for the tryouts. All athletes from whatever nation can compete in any of the tryouts. That wasn’t the case with last year’s tryouts, so this is news. The tryouts and the main event will be broadcast over Abu Dhabi Sportv channel. In all there will be eighteen tryouts divided into three categories:

3 stars: (Korea, China and Bahrain) each leg will reward four athletes with all-expenses-paid trips to the main event

4 stars: (New Zealand, Poland and South Africa) each leg will reward seven athletes with all-expenses-paid trips to the main event

5 stars: (Brazil, with legs in Gramado, Natal and Rio de Janeiro; USA, with legs in New York, Las Vegas and West Palm Beach; Canada; Australia; Japan; United Kingdom; Portugal; and Sweden) each leg will reward thirteen athletes with all-expenses-paid trips to the main event.

Gabi Garcia took top spot among the ladies. Photo: Luca Atalla

All the athletes (tryouts and main event) will figure in a ranking system (check the rules below). The first four athletes in the ranking will go straight to the quarterfinals of the main event, while the fifth- to eighth-place competitors will go straight into the round of eight. Submissions will count for more points in the ranking, and at the end of the season, an extra 5,000 will be rewarded the first-ranked athlete, 3,000 to the second and 2,000 to the third. In the coming years title-defenses will be held during the tryouts (champion versus first-ranked).

The organizers calculated that with the prize money from the main event, qualifiers and travel, food and lodging costs, total prize money comes to one million dollars. Plenty of cash!

Check out how the pay outs will be rewarded (in US dollars):

Ricardo Demente jubilant at World Pro. Photo: Luca Atalla

No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Brown/black belt
Absolute – 15,-000 to first place / 1,500 to second / 750 to both third places

Weight division – 4,000 to first / 1,500 to second / 750 to both thirds

Purple belt – 2,500 to first / 1,000 to second (no reward for thirds)
blue belt – 1,500 to first / 750 to second (no reward for thirds)

There will be no female no-gi category

Faisal Al Kutb secured gold in the Arab Emirates. Photo: Luca Atalla

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Men’s brown/black belt
Absolute – 30,000 to first / 3,000 to second / 1,500 to thirds
Weight groups – 8,000 to first / 3,000 to second / 1,500 to thirds

Female purple/brown/black belt
No absolute
Weight divisions – 4,000 to first / 2,000 to second / 500 to thirds

Men’s purple belt – 5,000 to first / 2,000 to second
Men’s white/blue belt – 3,000 to first / 1,500 to second

Female white/blue belt – 3,000 to first / 1,500 to second

Trials prize money (only black belt absolute) – 4,000 to first / 1,000 to second

Australia's Kit Dale defeated Gustavo Silvestro. Photo: Luca Atalla

Ranking

The athletes are ranked according to their results since 2009

Main event:

Absolute

40 pts – 1^st place
20 pts – 2^nd place
8 pts – 3^rd place

Weight divisions

20 pts – 1st
10 pts – 2nd
4 pts – 3rd

Tryouts

Absolute
20 pts – 1st
10 pts – 2nd
4 pts – 3rd

Weight groups

10 pts – 1st
5 pts – 2nd
2 pts – 3rd

Mendes brothers face off. Photo: Luca Atalla

After all that, first hand here on GRACIEMAG, who could possibly want to miss out? Athletes participating in any of the tryouts and the main event need to sign up on the event’s website. The cost is US$ 20 for the entire season. Here are the dates for the various qualifiers:

Korea – Bucheon – 3 stars
October 24, 2010
contact@axisjj.com

Brazil – Natal – 5 stars
November 6, 2010
fabio_holanda@hotmail.com

New Zealand-Auckland – 4 stars
November 13, 2010
douglas@douglasjiujitsu.co.nz

Sweden – Stockholm – 5 stars
November 20, 2010
blackwellpeter@hotmail.com

USA – New York – 5 stars
December 4, 2010
renatousaatt@hotmail.com

South Africa – Johannesburg – 4 stars
December 11, 2010
quantumtribe@webmail.co.za

China- Shanghai – 3 stars
December18, 2010
info@jjfcn.com

Portugal-Lisbon – 5 stars
January 15, 2011
Organizer contact: zemarcello@mac.com

Brazil – Rio de Janeiro – 5 Stars
January 22, 2011
lerjji@gmail.com

Gramado trials winners. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Brazil- Gramado – 5 stars
February 5, 2011
: feparadeda@hotmail.com

Poland – Warsaw – 4 stars
February 12, 2011
kuba@mantofight.com

Australia – Sydney – 5 stars
February 19, 2011
pratesalex@hotmail.com

Canada – Montreal – 5 stars
February 26, 2011
fabio_holanda@hotmail.com

USA – Las Vegas – 5 stars
March 5, 2011
renatousaatt@hotmail.com

Japan – Tokyo – 5 stars
March 12, 2011
contact@axisjj.com

USA – West Palm Beach – 5 stars
March 19, 2011
renatousaatt@hotmail.com

United Kingdom – London – 5 stars
March 26, 2011
zemarcello@mac.com

Bahrain – Manama – 3 stars
April 2, 2011
reza@batelco.com.bh

United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi – No-Gi Tournament
April 8 and 9, 2011
worldpro@uaejj.com
United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi – Gi Tournament
April 14, 15 and16, 2011
worldpro@uaejj.com

But there was much more to the event. Demente exacted revenge for his loss in the absolute against Gabriel Vella, Alexandro Ceconi went past Rômulo Barral in the decider, Durinho maintains his aggressive ways, Gabrielle Garcia won yet again and Luanna Alzuguir had her revenge against Bia Mesquita.

Also to be remembered is the participation of Sheikh Tahnoon’s adoptive son Faisal Al Kutbi, who won at weight and open weight in the blue belt division, and there was even a bout between brothers.

Check out the images of all that in photos by Luca Atalla:

[flickr set=72157623752941461]

Faisal in action. Photo: Luca Atalla

The white and blue belt dispute served up heaps of excitement as well, on the final day of the World Pro in Abu Dhabi. Among the standouts was adoptive son of Sheikh Tahnoon, Faisal Al Kutbi.

In the over-78kg absolute, the local representative defeated all his opponents and overcame Tarek Mattar in the decider, by 4 to 2 with takedowns. The crowd went wild. Faisal also won at weight (93 kg), defeating Brazil’s Celson Frabetti.

In the under-78 kg absolute, Jonathan Tuck was on a roll, but lost in the final, dropping 2 to 0 against Mohammed Naser.

Matheus Luckmann was another who did great. The Alliance representative, who won last week’s Pan-American, won the under-68 kg division.

Check out all the results:

Over 78 kg Absolute

Faisal Al Kutbi (EAU)  defeated Tarek Mattar

Under-78kg Absolute

Jonathan Tuck (Guam) defeated Mohammed Naser (UAE)

Under -63kg

Tarek Al Kutbi (UAE) defeated Ahmed Gloum (UAE)

Under -68kg

Matheus Luckmann (Brazil) defeated Jacob Sandoval (USA)

Under -73kg
Final: Daniel Agard (United Kingdom) defeated Daniel Svensson (Sweden)

Under -78kg
Final: Khaled Abdul Kareem (Jordan) defeated Jonathan Tuck (Guam, USA)

Under -83kg
Final: Kit Dale (Australia) defeated Gustavo Silvestro (Brazil)

Under -88kg
Final: Krysztof Saganowski (Poland) defeated Majid Al Naqbi (UAE)

Under -93kg
Final: Faisal Al Kutbi (UAE)defeated Celson Frabetti (Brazil)

Under -98kg
Final: Yahya Mansoor (UAE)defeated Marcelo Tarso (Brazil)

Over-98kg
Final: Hideki Sekine (Japan)defeated Willie Leonard (USA)

Amanhã, o feminino (com prováveis batalhas como Lana Stefanac x Gabi Garcia) e o absoluto!

Confira a seguir alguns lances do primeiro dia e comente.

Finais

Até 65kg: Rafael Mendes x Guilherme Mendes

Até 74kg: Gilbert Durinho x Claudio Caloquinha

Até 83kg: Braulio Estima x Claudio Calasans

Até 92kg: Romulo Barral x Alexandro Ceconi

Acima de 92kg: Gabriel Vella x Ricardo Abreu

[flickr set=72157623866134402]

Blue belts Faisal Al Kitbi and Yahya Mansoor and black belts Braulio and Rafael Mendes were called to the table, with the belt as a centerpiece. Photo: Luca Atalla.

The biggest star at the pre-Abu Dhabi World Pro 2010 press conference, held at noon in the Emirates this Wednesday, came from the United States, was in pictures with everyone and weighs just a few pounds.

The star in question is the gold-plated belt made in the USA, to be coddled by the winner of the absolute black belt division. The open weight group will gather the cream of the sport’s crop, at the event stretching from tomorrow until Saturday: Braulio Estima (last year’s runner-up), Rominho Barral, Gabriel Vella, André Galvão, Ricardo Demente, Luiz Felipe Big Mac, Alexandre Souza, Alexandro Ceconi, Claudio Calasans, the Bulgarian Ivanov and some little guys. But not Celso Venícius, who chose to not take the risk even for the hefty sum of 20 thousand dollars. “I’ll leave it to the big guys. My weight class will be tough as it is,” said the Roberto Gordo student.

Celso won't risk taking a stab at the belt. Photo: Luca Atalla

“For sports like tennis or boxing, the reward isn’t that impressive. But for Jiu-Jitsu, a new style on the scene, it’s unprecedented. And that’s nothing yet, next year the thing will be really big,” said one of the organizers after the press-conference. There will be two silver belts for the winners of the blue and white belt division, one for the lightweights and the other for the heavies. As is the case with the World Cup, anyone who wins a division thrice gets to take the coveted piece home with them.

But the money and belts are not the only prizes up for grabs in Abu Dhabi. Yes, there are watches (each weight group winner gets a Rolex, or something of the sort), too, but that’s not what we’re talking about. The recognition of being grand champion in Abu Dhabi means a chance to be a hero to the country’s little ones.

Team Athos Guetho. Photo: Luca Atalla

These days, 20 thousand children practice Jiu-Jitsu in Abu Dhabi – kids between 12 and 15 years of age who are the future champions of the country. “Now the plan is to put together a team of youths who stand out in the sport, since with the Jiu-Jitsu in schools project stretching only to the sixth and seventh grade, the students who move up a year no longer train with us, and oftentimes leave the art for good,” remarks Fernando Antonio, a teacher, at the press conference.

It’s true, being an idol to 20 thousand kids in the Emirates is priceless, but with it comes responsibility. As vice-president of the wrestling, judo and Jiu-Jitsu federation Nasser Tamimi preaches: “Display pretty Jiu-Jitsu, as the kids will want to copy your Jiu-Jitsu.”

Who will be the grand champion of the World Pro 2010? Participate in the debate below!

Os faixas-azuis Faisal Al Kitbi e Yahya Mansoor e os pretas Braulio e Rafael Mendes foram chamados à mesa, com o cinturão à frente. Foto: Luca Atalla.

O astro maior da coletiva de imprensa do Abu Dhabi World Pro 2010, realizada nesta quarta-feira, ao meio-dia, nos Emirados (5h da matina no Brasil), veio dos Estados Unidos, tirou fotos com todos e pesa alguns poucos quilos.

Trata-se do cinturão folheado a ouro made in USA, que será afivelado na cintura do campeão do absoluto faixa-preta. A categoria aberto deve reunir a nata dos cascas-grossas do esporte, no evento que vai de amanhã a sábado: Bráulio Estima (vice ano passado), Rominho Barral, Gabriel Vella, André Galvão, Ricardo Demente, Luiz Felipe Big Mac, Alexandre Souza, Alexandro Ceconi, Claudio Calasans, o peso pesado búlgaro Ivanov e até alguns levinhos. Não Celsinho Venícius, que prefere não se arriscar nem pelo excelente prêmio de 20 mil dólares. “Deixa essa pros brabos. O peso já vai ser duro o suficiente”, disse o aluno de Roberto Gordo.

Celsinho não se arriscará pelo cinturão. Foto: Luca Atalla

“Para esportes como tênis ou boxe, o prêmio não impressiona. Para o Jiu-Jitsu, uma modalidade tão nova, é uma quantia inédita. E que ninguém se impressione ainda, pois ano que vem sim o negócio vai ser grande”, disse um dos organizadores após a coletiva. Haverá outros dois cintos prateados para os campeões das faixas azul e branca, um para os leves outro para os pesados. Como numa Copa do Mundo de futebol, quem ganhar a categoria por três anos leva a peça maciça para casa.

Mas o dinheiro e os cinturões não são os únicos prêmios em jogo em Abu Dhabi. Sim, tem os relógios também (cada campeão no peso vai ganhar um rolex ou algo parecido), mas não é disso que estamos falando. O reconhecimento como grande campeão em Abu Dhabi significa a chance de ser ídolo de muitos pequenos do país.

O time da Atos Guetho. Foto: Luca Atalla

Hoje, 20 mil crianças fazem Jiu-Jitsu em Abu Dhabi, jovens de 12 a 15 anos que serão os futuros campeões do país. “O plano agora é montar um time de jovens que têm se destacado no esporte, pois como o projeto do Jiu-Jitsu nas escolas atinge a sexta e sétima série, os alunos que passam de ano deixam de treinar com a gente, muitas vezes abandonando de vez a arte”, comenta o professor Fernando Antonio, presente à coletiva.

De fato, ser ídolo de 20 mil crianças nos Emirados é algo sem preço, mas que traz responsabilidades. Como pregou o vice-presidente da federação de wrestling, judô e Jiu-Jitsu, Nasser Tamimi: “Mostrem um Jiu-Jitsu bonito, pois as crianças vão querer copiar o Jiu-Jitsu de vocês”.

Quem será o grande nome do World Pro 2010? Participe do debate abaixo!