Both active competitors in the largest competitions in the world, the duo combines their expertise and experience to teach a shin to shin pass that is detailed and specific.

With Leo in shin to shin guard, Sinistro shows how to alleviate the hooks and get the pass. Check out the move below:

Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde at the 2013 IBJJF Chicago Summer Open where he earned his first black belt gold. Photo: Ivan Trindade

Of the athletes to compete in the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8, another new black belt has been added to the roster. The Ecuadorian Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde of Alliance Ecuador was promoted in June but has already earned himself three tournament titles.

Having started Jiu-Jitsu at an early age because of his older brothers, Sinistro found his path right away. He brought his talents to the States often growing up and earned three World titles, three Pan American titles to summarize.

As a purple belt he won the ticket to the Abu Dhabi World Pro and went on to earn two golds in the main event: one in gi, one in no-gi.

After placing third in the brown belt division at the 2013 Worlds earlier this year, Sinistro was promoted to black belt in the same month from the hands of Fernando Soluco.

In August Sinistro won his first black belt gold medal at the 2013 IBJJF Chicago Summer Open and earned a bronze in the absolute. At the Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship the following month he won the black belt division and earned yet another gold medal at the Abu Dhabi WPJJC East Coast Trial a month after that, solidifying his place in the main event for 2014.

His passion for competition was seen at a young age and the perseverance has brought him to this point. On Dec. 8 we will see Sinistro in the light/middle division against three other black belts at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid so stay tuned.

In the meantime, watch Sinistro’s final of the Chicago Summer Open against Philipe Della Monica:

Learn more about the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8 at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid at www.bjjproleague.com

Francisco Sinistro wins the lightweight black belt adult division at the IBJJF Chicago Summer Open. Photo: Ivan Trindade

During the past weekend, new Alliance Ecuador black belt Francisco ‘Sinistro’ Iturralde competed at the IBJJF Chicago Summer Open on August 17-18. Sinistro has won the Worlds and Pan Ams both three times each as well as the Abu Dhabi WPJJC main event among many others. His debut at black belt was a success with a gold medal in the black belt adult lightweight division and a bronze medal in the open weight division.

Training and teaching in New York City, he plans for more tournaments in the future with similar results. He talked exclusively with GRACIEMAG about his matches and plans:

GRACIEMAG: What can you contribute to your successful first black belt gold medal?

FRANCISCO ITURRALDE: I was focused on imposing my game and to not let my opponents fix their positions. I was trying to make good grips the whole time so I can apply my game plan. I have been working more on specifics and Kinephys, my strength and conditioning coach, put a great conditioning plan for me so I didn’t get tired at all. The last thing you want to have in your mind while fighting for ten minutes is getting tired.

Who was your toughest match at the Chicago Open?

All of the matches were tough; I can see that in the black belt division you fight for small details or grips that make a great difference during the match.

What happened in your match against Vitor and what did you learn from your mistakes?

Vitor is a well-known competitor who medaled in the main tournaments this year so I felt his experience played a big role in that match. I opened the scoreboard with a sweep but he was able to manage the fight to get the win during the second half.  Thank God I could get the gold medal [in the lightweight division] and God willing I will do the Boston Open this weekend. It was a great feeling to finally fight in a main Jiu-Jitsu event and share the podium with legends of the sport and also with my brother Leo. I will compete the most that I can to represent well for my team, my country [Ecuador] and family.

And what do you feel is your strongest asset as in what you can be known for at black belt?

I want to be the one who works the hardest and whatever happens during the match, will not give up.

See the match between Sinistro and Philipe Della Monica in the lightweight division:

The 2013 IBJJF Boston Summer Open is set for August 24 at UMASS Athletics. The second IBJJF tournament this year in this location, the tournament brings the best on the east coast with many team battling it out for the team trophy.

So far, notable black belts registered are: Renan Borges, new black belt Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde, his brother Leo Iturralde and Oliver Geddes.

The location is: 100 Morrissey Blvd Boston, MA 02125

There are still four days to register although the tournament could potentially reach its capacity before the deadline this Friday, Aug. 16.

To register, go to www.IBJJF.org.

Check out this match between Augusto ‘Tanquinho’ Mendes and Renan Borges at the Boston Open in 2012:

Francisco Iturralde with the black belt around his waist. Photo: Personal Archive

A pupil of Fernando Soluço, Ecuador’s Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde just got his black belt at the age of 21.

Sinistro is a well known face in IBJJF tournaments. At the 2013 Worlds in June, the lightweight nabbed third place at brown belt. Back in 2011, he won the WPJJC as a purple belt in Abu Dhabi.

“After eight years training a lot, I’m finally going to compete with the best black belts and represent Ecuador and Alliance in the big tournaments. I’m motivated and I’ll be training even harder to be the best in my division,” said Fracisco Iturralde on his Facebook page.

Our GMA representative in Ecuador, Fernando Soluço laid out his student’s characteristics and his new challenges. “He’s a skillful, technical kid who can play very well in various positions. Black belt lightweight is a very competitive category, but the brown belt today is also very tough. As either a lightweight or a middleweight, Sinistro is going to have a lot of potential,” he bets. “He’s a part of this new generation with a modern, submission-driven style of Jiu-Jitsu. But if I were to pick a single quality, I’d say Francisco is an excellent competitor. He’s one of Alliance’s big promises.”

Francisco Iturralde com a faixa-preta na cintura. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

Aluno de Fernando Soluço (Alliance), o equatoriano Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde foi graduado faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu aos 21 anos.

Sinistro é figurinha conhecida nos torneios da IBJJF. No Mundial 2013, em junho, o peso leve beliscou o terceiro lugar na faixa-marrom. Em 2011, de faixa-roxa, conquistou o WPJJC, em Abu Dhabi.

“Após oito anos treinando muito, vou enfim competir com os melhores faixas-pretas, e representar o Equador e a Alliance nos grandes torneios. Estou motivado e vou treinar ainda mais duro para ser o melhor da minha divisão”, declarou Francisco Iturralde, em sua página pessoal no Facebook.

Nosso GMA no Equador, Fernando Soluço destacou as características do aluno e os novos desafios.

“Ele é um garoto habilidoso e técnico, que sabe jogar muito bem em diferentes posições. O peso leve na faixa-preta é uma categoria muito competitiva, mas a faixa-marrom hoje também é bastante disputada. Como peso leve ou médio, o Sinistro vai ser promissor”, aposta.

“Ele faz parte dessa nova geração, tem um Jiu-Jitsu moderno e finalizador. Mas se fosse destacar só uma qualidade, diria que o Francisco é um excelente competidor. É uma promessa da Alliance”, elogia o professor.

The IBJJF New York Open is set for April 20 in the big apple. With many academies representing some of the largest teams such as Alliance, Nova Uniao, Gracie Elite and Gracie Barra the turn-out is sure to bring much competition. Right in the middle of tournament season between Pan Ams and Worlds, learn with the team that has won every major tournament including the 2012 NY Open.

In order to prepare, Fabio Clemente and his team of instructors are inviting you to their GMA New York academy. The training is from April 9-18 and includes top competitors and instructors like Babs, the Iturralde brothers Francisco “Sinistro” and Leo from Alliance Ecuador. There will be two training sessions a day at the academy. You can read about the atmosphere here when GracieMag made a visit earlier this year.

The camp is open to any team, affiliation and rank. If you are traveling and need accommodation, you can pay $40 a night to stay at the Alliance house with other members of the team and camp. For the entire camp, pay $300 and for just a week you can pay $200.

The Alliance NYC academy is located at: 93 3rd Avenue 2nd floor New York, NY 10003.

If you haven’t registered for the NY International Open yet, you can go here to confirm your spot.

To reserve your spot at the camp, please contact sinistroiturralde@gmail.com

Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde has competed consistently since a juvenile, winning the best tournaments under the Alliance banner. For him, competing is where he likes to have fun. But in the process, he has won many major titles since the one in this video below including the world championship three times, the Pan Ams three times and the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup in both gi and no-gi.

As a juvenile, you have the advantage of learning about competition before entering the divisions more noted on a resume. If competition results are your aim, you can enter the adults division as a prior champion with much more experience than most of your bracket.

The Pan American Championship is the largest tournament in Jiu-Jitsu, allowing juveniles to join in on the prestige. This year the competition lands along five days extending from Mar 20 to Mar 24.

The location is at the UC Irvine Brenn Event Centere 100 Bren Event Center Irvine, California 92617.

The registration deadline is nearing so don’t wait for your championship resume to bloom or else you may have to wait another year. Register before Mar 12 and you can click here to register.

Make sure you have your membership completed as all juveniles must have an IBJJF ID card to register and compete.

Enjoy the video and allow it to prove that being a champion at juvenile can easily extend into adulthood: