If you are in Europe and love to compete in high level Jiu-Jitsu events, you should book a trip to Munich, Germany, on the weekend of Feb. 21.

The IBJJF will be hosting the 2016 Munich International Open at the TSV Unterhaching – Sportarena.

You have until Feb. 13, this Saturday, to register before the final deadline.

Don’t miss out and join some of Europe’s best competitors in a full day of thrills.

Click here for more info and to register now.

You know that high level Jiu-Jitsu competition is not limited to the European championship, don’t you?

Well, of course it isn’t as the IBJJF already has an extensive calendar in the old continent.

The first stop in 2016 after the European will be in Munich, Germany, on February 21.

This is a special event, as you’ll be able to compete both in gi and no-gi divisions on the same day.

You can also save money if you choose to register for both styles.

The registration deadline for the 2016 Munich Open is February 13.

Click here to know more and sign up now.

GMA Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg at NAGA Germany. Photo: Personal archive

On May 24, the competitors of GMA Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg – Team Miketo Resch participated in the 2014 edition of the NAGA Germany Championship. By the end of the day, the team had earned three medals to bring back home.

In the teen division, Kai Possenti earned the bronze medal in the white belt gi lightweight category and Nick Kunnert received gold in the white belt gi heavyweight category. Both athletes are fifteen years old.

Most mentionable is Ken Possenti who fought in the adult white belt welterweight category. He started in the 22-men strong category being the lightest competitor amongst them and finished second, bringing the silver medal home!

Check out more Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg and their triumphs at www.rcjiujitsu-luxembourg.com

Registration for the 2014 IBJJF Munich International Open is open with the deadline approaching. The second edition of the event will be the Winter Open on Mar. 1.

Last year the IBJJF expanded to Munich for the first time and saw a variety of not just teams but countries represented. Local stars in Europe won their golds like Roger Gracie black belt Oliver Geddes as well as athletes competing in their first tournament ever. Even Faisal Alkitbe of United Arab Emirates made his way to Germany and earned a champion title in the brown belt super heavy division.

This year the tournament has a list of athletes from at least twenty countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, United States, England, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Philippines, France, Netherlands, Jordan, Greece, Brazil and more.

Represent your country in a truly international championship by registering before Feb. 21 at www.ibjjf.org

Watch the variety of athletes and spectators at the 2013 Munich Open:

Master Cavalcanti with Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg. Photo: Personal Archive

GMA Cavalcanti Jiu-Jisu Luxembourg hosted Master Ricardo Cavalcanti during their annual training camp in November. The yearly tradition is scheduled around the same time as the NAGA Europe Championship in Paris.

Head instructor Mike “Miketo” Resch, as leader of Team Cavalcanti in Europe, arranged four seminars for Cavalcanti: two in Paris, one in Luxembourg, one in Germany. The two in Paris, Cercle Tissier and Team Shinko BJJ, are two of the oldest and most renowned martial arts academy in the area. Resch says, “I wanted to offer Master Ricardo Cavalcanti the possibility to spread his knowledge as much as possible.”

As for the competition, the Luxembourg team brought seven competitors and two of them returned with medals around their necks. The results are as follows:

Jing Zhu earned a bronze medal in the white belt gi heavyweight division and a bronze medal in the no-gi beginner heavyweight division.
Raphael Geib in his first Jiu-Jitsu tournament earned a silver medal in the white belt heavyweight master division.

To complete Master Cavalcanti’s visit, he led a belt ceremony with belt testing and rank evaluations. Students were promoted as follows:

Purple belt: Mike Resch
Blue belt: Jing Zhu, Joe Possenti
Stripe promotions: David Strotz blue belt three stripes, Ken Possenti white belt four stripes, Alex Carvalho Balsa and Björn Backes white belt three stripes, Stefan Klein, Alex Nielk and Henrik Steffen white belt one stripe
Kids and youth promotions: Max Strotz grey and white belt, Jim Konsbruck white belt one stripe

Resch plans for another great edition of the “Cavalcanti Jiu Jitsu Luxembourg Training Camp & Seminar Series” in 2014 as 2013 was their most successful yet.

Learn more about Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg by visiting https://www.facebook.com/RCJiuJitsuLuxembourg

Check out the video and let us know what you think!

It’s not every day that we can roll with the best Jiu-Jitsu black belts in the world and it’s not every day that we see these legends remaining as humble as can be.

For added fun, watch the video in fast-forward to see the differences between Rodolfo’s calm and consistent pace compared to those of his training partners:

From November 1 to 15 Cavalcanti led seminars in Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Germany.

At the first belt test for his association branch in Luxembourg he promoted ten students, pictured above.

He also led five students at the November 10 NAGA Europe tournament in Paris, taking home three medals. Standout student Mike Resch placed second in the masters blue belt featherweight Gi division as well as third in the masters intermediate featherweight No-Gi division.

The aim behind his European tour was to further the long-term advancement of his sport. “I spent 15 days in Europe spreading Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It was good to see the evolution of our sport in Europe,” he remarked.

With no break from his role as Jiu-Jitsu mentor, he was immediately back on the mats in his hometown of Las Vegas, where he aided his students in becoming the top team at Grappler’s Quest in Las Vegas, being handed the trophy from Grappler’s Quest director Brian Cimmins for the third year in a row.

Congrats to Ricardo Cavalcanti and his Carlson Gracie Team students for their recent accomplishments, and thank you for your efforts to help spread the sport we love so much!

Visit Ricardo’s team in Las Vegas, NV: http://www.rcjiujitsu.com/

Well the 23-year-old undertook a diet that led him to put on four kilos of lean muscle mass in the lead-up to the 2012 European Cup, a traditional tournament that kicked off today.

Candidate for top player at the Eurocup, the number 8 on the German national team cut Coca-Cola from his menu. Publicity photo

According to the player’s father and agent, Mustafa Özil, part of his diet consists of eating fish at least twice a week and never drinking Coca-Cola. The Turkish descendent born in Gelsenkirchen is also a good cook, and he loves preparing noodles with garlic, tomatoes and eggs.

The information was originally printed in German newspaper “Frankfurter Aligemeine” and reproduced on the website Terra.

What about you, gentle Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, is there anything you say no to? Let us know what it is in the comments section below.

Okami versus Marquardt. Photos: Josh Hedges.

The UFC set up its octagon in Oberhausen, Germany, for its 122nd installment.

In the headlining fight, Japan’s Yushin Okami ended up beating favored-to-win Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision. With the result Okami notches his third win in a row and takes the front of the line for a shot at the middleweight title, to be determined in the Anderson Silva-Vitor Belfort matchup in February. Okami’s mission is to put Japan at the top of the biggest event in the world.

Tá Danado gets the finish.

Making his promotional debut, Carlos “Tá Danado” warned that he wasn’t in the UFC to piddle around. He kept his promise. Training with Roberto Gordo paid off for the Dacio Lira student, who used his slick Jiu-Jitsu skills to latch on to a leg and finish with a kneebar while still in the first round.

Matyushenko beats Cacareco.

Now Vladimir Matyushenko wasted no time against UFC first-timer Alexandre Cacareco, who came into the bout without much time to prepare. Coming off a loss to Jon Jones, Matyushenko got back to his winning ways with a knockout at 2:20 min of the opening round.

UFC 122
Overhausen, Germany
November 13, 2010

Yushin Okami defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision;

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara (fight canceled);

Dennis Siver defeats Andre Winner via rear-naked choke;

Amir Sadollah defeats Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision;

Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Goran Reljic via unanimous decision;

Rob Kimmons vs. Kyle Noke defeats Rob Kimmons via TKO in R2;

Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira via TKO in R1;

Pascal Krauss defeats Mark Scanlon via unanimous decision;

Duane “Bang” Ludwig defeats Nick Osipczak via split decision;

Karlos Vemola defeats Seth Petruzelli via TKO in R1;

Carlos Eduardo Rocha submits Kris McCray via kneebar in R1.

Tá Danado submits another one, in photo by Sebastian Kappes.

Following a successful run in events across Europe, going undefeated with seven submissions and a knockout, Brazil’s Carlos Eduardo “Tá Danado” Rocha prepares for his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Kris McCray this Saturday in Germany.

For the encounter, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt relied on the help of coach Roberto Gordo, who will be in the fighter’s corner and sent in news to GRACIEMAG.com:

“I’m here with Eduardo Tá Danado. He just weighed in and is ready to debut on the right foot in UFC. He’s from Dacio Lira team in Ceará, and he trained with me for the last two months,” says Gordo.

Tá Danado should have the local crowd on his side, as he has been living in Germany for some time. Regardless, the fighter is confident.

“He’s a tough opponent, but we already have a strategy laid out to win, and I expect to finish him. I’ve never been in such great shape, I’m 110%,” warns the fighter.

Check out the complete card:

UFC 122
Overhausen, Germany
November 13, 2010

Yushin Okami defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara (fight canceled)

Dennis Siver defeats Andre Winner via rear-naked choke

Amir Sadollah defeats Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision

Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Goran Reljic via unanimous decision

Rob Kimmons vs. Kyle Noke defeats Rob Kimmons via TKO in R2

Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira via TKO in R1

Pascal Krauss defeats Mark Scanlon via unanimous decision

Duane “Bang” Ludwig defeats Nick Osipczak via split decision

Karlos Vemola defeats Seth Petruzelli via TKO in R1

Carlos Eduardo Rocha submits Kris McCray via kneebar in R1

Tá Danado with another finish in photo by Sebastian Kappes.

A black belt making his UFC debut next Saturday, Carlos Eduardo “Tá Danado” Rocha is a well known entity in Germany, where the 122nd promotional event will take place.

Following a poor upbringing in the Brazilian state of Paraíba, Jiu-Jitsu entered his life later in the state of Ceará, at the team of Darcio Lira. The gentle art took the fighter to Hamburg, Germany, where he amassed a record of eight wins, seven by way of submission, as well as a knockout, nearly all in the first round. Better still, in the lead-up to his fight against Kris McCray, “Tá Danado”, with the approval of his master, fulfilled a dream: he went to train under Coach Roberto Gordo.

“He inspired my Jiu-Jitsu game and he has some of the best fighters on his team (Gracie Fusion-Evolve). What I experienced while training in Rio was a dream come true. I’d seen the guys on TV and then I trained with them. That motivated me more than ever,” he told the UFC website.

His debut will be against McCray, runner-up of season eleven of the TUF reality show, who holds a record of five wins (one loss) with four submissions. Is it likely there will be some lively ground action in the fight?

“For the fans who see my fights and only see submissions, I have a warning: ‘My life is a continuous learning process. I don’t focus on feet, necks or arms in training. I’m going into the octagon to show the best of what a martial arts practitioner has: wisdom.’”

Check out the card for the event headlined by Nate Marquardt against Yushin Okami, also featuring the promotional debut of Alexandre Cacareco:

UFC 122
Oberhausen, Germany
November 13, 2010

Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara

Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic

Rob Kimmons vs. Kyle Noke

Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Pascal Krauss vs. Mark Scanlon

Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak

Seth Petruzelli vs. Karlos Vemola

Kris McCray vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha