Jackson won his last fight with dominace. Photo: Personal Archive

Jackson “Samurai” Filho, 32, is shining in MMA in the United States. A few days ago, in August 14th, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt dominated Steve Chang at the United Fight League in every round and won by unanimous decision.

Jackson’s victory over a previously undefeated opponent further enhances his reputation on the competitive MMA scene. The victory came at a crucial time for the fighter, reinforcing his consistency in building a streak of good performances.

“I won a very important victory against an undefeated athlete. I needed to win, my goal now is to build a winning streak,” said Jackson, who has seven wins and only four losses.

Jackson’s dedication to preparation was evident in his performance inside the cage. His routine includes intense training at Fight Ready in Arizona, meticulous nutrition and well-worked rest. Here’s how Jackson feels after having his hand raised.

“I trained hard for this fight, I did everything that was in my control from training, nutrition to recovery practices. I was focused on delivering a great performance. And at that moment I saw that all the hard work had paid off,” he explains.

The Jiu-Jitsu black belt also details the main change he had compared to his last MMA fights. He explains that he has learned to control the pace more.

“I think I improved my patience and my fight IQ, I was able to control the pace well during the fight. You only develop fighting rhythm when you fight. You have to be active to have a fighting rhythm,” says the champion.

Thamires Monteiro is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Lucas Leite

Women’s BJJ at Checkmat is thriving, and the person leading the charge of this renovation of new talents is Thamires Monteiro, 23. She dominated the light division at the Pan and No-Gi Worlds, as well as winning silver at the No-Gi Pan and at the Worlds, all from the IBJJF, in 2021.

The new champion pointed to her mindset as her biggest evolution during the latest BJJ season.

“I believe in the last few years I grew a lot both technically and physically, but in this year of 2021 for sure I evolved a lot mentally”, said Thami. “This greatly helped improve my performance in championships. Logically, I wanted to have won the Worlds too, but it was a great year. It’s gonna be better in the next season, now as a black-belt. I want to do well in the sport’s elite!”

Monteiro was recently promoted by Lucas Leite and Jackson Douglas, the latter her husband and fellow black-belt.

“It’s a mixture of feelings,” she said with a chuckle. “I feel very well and very anxious for the next year of competition! I’m still deciding, but I believe I will fight as a featherweight in the black belt—I believe it’s an excellent division for seeing my jiu-jitsu flow.”

Before finishing the interview, Thamires remembered her performance during her last season as a brown-belt: “All the matches in my brown belt period left some kind of mark on me, but the final of the No-Gi Worlds, without a doubt, was the most memorable! I was very focused and had an incredible flow! I was conscious of every movement I was making and was able to find the finish much more quickly than I expected.”

Middleweight tournament finalists
Mike Perez from Atos (silver) and Matheus Diniz from Marcelo Garcia (winner)

By Dan Rod

Kasai is quickly making its mark in professional Jiu Jitsu, with some New York flair and some of the best and upcoming athletes, the second edition of the event proved the tournament style, along with great superfights, makes for a great spectator sport – complete with beer and hot dogs!

The final of the tournament was an action-packed match between Matheus Diniz and Mike Perez. Diniz put on nonstop pressure on Perez, who was able to defend from a major submission, although not always able to stay on the mats – a couple of times the front row folk got more than sweat… In the end it was Diniz who walked away with the belt. When asked what he had done in order to prepare for the match, he recited Marcelo Garcia’s mantra – “Be always prepared – for any match, any time.”

In order to avoid the explosive agility of Renato Canuto, Eddie Cummings “sat” for most of the entire superfight. Every time Canuto tried to step in, Cummings would reply with a grab and attempt a submission. This led to Canuto keeping some distance, which ended up costing him a penalty. Although not entirely exciting to watch, in the end Cummings’ strategy worked, and he “sat” away with the win.

Right before this superfight, we were graced with a match for 3^rd place in which the Australian Craig Jones was able to apply a quick and sneaky heel hook on rubbery Californian Richie Martinez, who used his rubber guard skills to eliminate Felipe Mota from the tournament with a beautiful armbar from his exquisite guard in a little over 2 minutes.

Richie’s brother, Geo, had a superfight with Nicky Ryan – a great back-and-forth of attempted ankle locks which ended in a 0-0 tie, later decided by the refs for Ryan. Martinez made sure to let all know he was not happy with the decision, and the New York crowd responded in kind.

In the first superfight of the night, we saw AJ Agazarm relentlessly attack Marcos Galvão’s heels. His insistence was rewarded at the 9-minute mark, when he finally sank it deep and got the tap from Galvão, who had the home crowd going for him the entire length of the match.

Below are the full results.

Undercard

Blue Belt 185 lbs. No Gi
Steven Ramos (Essential BJJ) def. Ryan Kenski (Vanguard Gym) via Points (19×0)

Purple Belt 160 lbs. No Gi
Juan Quispe (Renzo Gracie Brooklyn) def. James Haseman via Points (5×2)

Purple Belt 155 lbs. Gi
Caio Basso (Igor Gracie Academy) def. Andre Solano (Kioto BJJ) via Points (2×0)

Purple Belt 185 lbs. No Gi
Sergio Vilas (Renzo Gracie) def. Kevin Luzardo (Una BJJ) via Submission (Knee Bar at 4:26)

Brown Belt 160 lbs. Gi
Cameron Florczak (Renzo Gracie Ottawa) def. Jason Olcott (Kioto BJJ) via Submission (Bow and Arrow Choke at 1:18)

Brown Belt 145 lbs. No Gi
Frank Rosenthal (Renzo Gracie NY) def. Zach Maslany (10th Planet Jiu Jitsu) via Submission (Heel Hook)

135 lbs. No Gi
Mikael Yahaya (Absolute MMA) def. Tony Bergamo (Mushin MMA) via Points

180 Lbs. No Gi
Steven Kasten (10th Planet Jiu Jitsu) def. Chris Schlesinger (Soca BJJ) via Submission (Triangle Armbar at 1:44)

Black Belt 150 lbs. Gi
Alex Oliveira (A-Force BJJ) def. Thiago Britto (G13 BJJ) via Points (2×0)

Main Card

Middleweight Round Robin 185 lbs. Round 1

Craig Jones (Absolute MMA) def. Nick Calvanese (Tac Team BJJ) via Submission (Triangle Choke at 2:24)

Mike Perez (Atos Jiu Jitsu) def. Dante Leon (GF Team) via Submission (Heel Hook at 4:19)

Felipe Mota (Oxy RGA) def. Pierre-Olivier Leclerc (Tristar Gym) via Points (9×0)

Matheus Diniz (Alliance Marcelo Garcia) def. Richie Martinez (10th Planet Freaks) via Points (7×0)

Middleweight Round Robin 185 lbs. Round 2

Nick Calvanese (Tac Team BJJ) def. Mike Perez (Atos Jiu Jitsu) via Points (4×2)

Craig Jones (Absolute MMA) def. Dante Leon (GF Team) via Points (2×0)

Matheus Diniz (Alliance Marcelo Garcia) def. Felipe Mota (Oxy RGA) via Points (2×0)

Pierre-Olivier Leclerc (Tristar Gym) tied Richie Martinez (10th Planet Freaks) (0x0)

Middleweight Round Robin 185 lbs. Round 3

Dante Leon (GF Team) def. Nick Calvanese (Tac Team BJJ) via Submission (RNC at 1:19)

Mike Perez (Atos Jiu Jitsu) def. Craig Jones (Absolute MMA) via Points (3×2)

Richie Martinez (10th Planet Freaks) def. Felipe Mota (Oxy RGA) via Submission (Armbar at 2:39)

Matheus Diniz (Alliance Marcelo Garcia) def. Pierre-Olivier Leclerc (Tristar Gym) via Submission (Choke at 3:19)

Bronze Match

Craig Jones(Absolute MMA) def. Richie Martinez (10th Planet Freaks) via Submission (Heel Hook at 1:18)

Final

Matheus Diniz (Alliance Marcelo Garcia) def. Mike Perez (Atos Jiu Jitsu) via Points (2×0)

Superfights

AJ Agazarm (Gracie Barra) def. Marcos Galvao (Vitor Shaolin BJJ) via Submission (Heel Hook at 9:03)
Nicky Ryan (Renzo Gracie NY) def. Geo Martinez (10th Planet Freaks) via Decision (Unanimous)
Eddie Cummings (Renzo Gracie NY) def. Renato Canuto (Checkmat International) via Points (1×0)

FUJI Sports is proud to announce a new multi-year athlete partnership with jiu-jitsu world champion Xande Ribeiro. Xande has had a long and illustrious career in jiu-jitsu, and FUJI Sports is excited to begin a collaborative effort with Xande, who will serve as a global brand ambassador and technical advisor for the company’s jiu-jitsu line of products.  Read the full article HERE.

Featherweight black-belt Gianni Grippo has had a great season so far for the IBJJF. Just two weeks ago at the San Diego BJJ Pro, Grippo won the gold and the $4,ooo prize money, winning his first-ever BJJ Pro and breaking his slump in the middle division. Now this past weekend at the Atlanta Summer Open he took gold in his division and lost the close ref decision in the open-class final again Horlando Moteiro.

Since the IBJJF World Championships, Grippo has taken first in his division at every IBJJF event he’s registered for. Boston Summer, Washington, D.C. Open, San Diego BJJ Pro and now the Atlanta Summer. He has beaten tough opponents like Shane Hill-Taylor, Silvio Duran and Alexandre Molinaro. Let’s see whether he can keep up this consistency till the Worlds 2018.

Watch his full finals match vs. Silvio Duran at the Atlanta Summer.

Here is the open-class final match of the IBJJF São Paulo Open 2017 between #1 IBJJF ranked Erberth Santos and #5 IBJJF ranked Dimitrius Souza. Santos has a fantastic performance with constant attacks and searching for the finish. He eventually sinks in the bow-and-arrow choke for the W.

Watch the full match below.

Otavio Sousa took home the $4,000 over the weekend at the San Diego BJJ Pro, winning an epic final against Jaime Canuto of GFTeam. The match was action-packed, as the two competitors both gave it their all. In the end it was Sousa who was the aggressor with a constant attack of sweep attempts, a back-take and multiple submission attempts to keep Canuto on the defensive.

Click play below to watch what’s being called the most exciting fight of the tournament.

After taking a bit of a hiatus from the competition scene, top black-belt prospect Tim Spriggs made his return at the IBJJF Washington, D.C. Open this past weekend. Spriggs doesn’t seem to have missed a step while away from the sport, as he managed to get the finish in his weight division and open class matches. He took home gold at the super-heavy division and closed out the open class with his teammate Mahamed Aly.

Watch the videos of his super-heavy final and 0pen class semifinal matches below.

Super-heavy final:

Open class semifinal:

This weekend the IBJJF brings to you the 2017 Asian Championship. The black-belt divisions are set with Keenan Cornelius, Lucas Barbosa, Igor Silva and Abraham Marte all looking to take home the gold. Additionally, Kayron Gracie will be making his return to the tournament circuit.

Here are the links to watch each day’s livestream.

• Asian IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017 day 1

• https://freshlive.tv/jbjjf/148941

• Asian IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017 day 2

• https://freshlive.tv/jbjjf/148943

• Asian IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017 day 3

• https://freshlive.tv/jbjjf/148944

Gustafsson aplica golpe limpo em Glover na luta principal do UFC Suécia. Foto: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

O UFC realizado em Estocolmo neste domingo, dia 28, levou grandes lutas de MMA à tela dos brasileiros em horário atípico, logo pela manhã. Após um card preliminar de sucessos brasileiros, com as vitórias de Netto BJJ e Pedro Munhoz na decisão dos jurados, a luta principal teve um anticlímax para os fãs brasucas, mas foi digno de festa para os locais expectadores suecos.

Alexander Gustafsson e Glover Teixeira fizeram a luta principal do card, que contou com outros 11 combates. O duelo entre as feras do peso meio-pesado, que definia o próximo desafiante ao cinturão da categoria, teve ações dominantes de Gustafsson ao longo dos cinco assaltos. Com agilidade e domínio nos golpes, o sueco castigou um valente Glover, que não se entregou e andou para cima do oponente sob qualquer adversidade.

No último round, porém, Gustafsson conseguiu tirar o nocaute da cartola. Com uma combinação brutal de três uppercuts, golpe que abusou ao longo do combate para furar o bloqueio de Glover, Alexander sacudiu o brasileiro, antes de fechar com um cruzado poderoso que levou Glover ao solo com pouco mais de um minuto da etapa.

Reveja no vídeo abaixo e confira os resultados completos em seguida.

UFC: Gustafsson x Glover
Estocolmo, Suécia
28 de maio de 2017

Alexander Gustafsson nocauteou Glover Teixeira a 1min07s do R5
Volkan Oezdemir nocauteou Misha Cirkunov aos 28s do R1
Peter Sobotta venceu Ben Saunders por nocaute técnico aos 2min29s do R2
Omari Akhmedov venceu Abdul Alhassan na decisão dividida dos jurados
Nordine Taleb venceu Oliver Enkamp na decisão unânime dos jurados
Jack Hermansson venceu Alex Nicholson por nocaute técnico aos 2min do R1

Card preliminar

Pedro Munhoz venceu Damian Stasiak na decisão unânime dos jurados
Trevor Smith venceu Chris Camozzi na decisão unânime dos jurados
Netto BJJ venceu Reza Madadi na decisão dividida dos jurados
Bojan Velickovic venceu Nico Musoke por nocaute técnico aos 4min37s do R3
Darren Till venceu Jessin Ayari na decisão unânime dos jurados
Damir Hadzovic venceu Marcin Held por nocaute aos 7s do R3

Neste domingo (24), a partir da 10h, a cidade gaúcha sediará a primeira edição do Glory – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship. O evento promete agitar o público, que deve lotar as dependências do Ginásio Municipal de Cachoeirinha, situado na Rua Rondônia, n° 137, no bairro de Vila Anair. A entrada para o torneio custa 1kg de alimento não-perecível.

A competição terá disputas em todas as faixas, tanto no masculino quanto no feminino. A grande expectativa do campeonato gira em torno dos confrontos no Absoluto Adulto Masculino, que distribuirá premiações em dinheiro nas faixas branca, azul, roxa, marrom e preta. Nas demais categorias, o campeão absoluto receberá um kimono como prêmio, exceto no Master, no qual o campeão absoluto Marrom e Preta receberá um cheque vale-presente no valor de R$ 500,00.

Organizador do Glory – BJJ Championship, Guilherme Freitas, que é faixa-preta do Mestre Ricardo Murgel e líder da equipe Union Team BJJ, contou como surgiu a ideia do torneio e suas expectativas para domingo.

“Hoje existem muitas competições no Rio Grande do Sul, e apesar da maioria deles ocorrem na região metropolitana, os municípios de Gravataí e Cachoeirinha, nunca tiveram um campeonato, mesmo tendo várias equipes de nome e muitos competidores assíduos. Então, surgiu a ideia do Glory, uma competição de Jiu-Jitsu que paga em dinheiro desde a faixa branca. As expectativas são as melhores, já contamos com a presença de atletas das melhores equipes do estado e temos pelo menos mais uma edição marcada para este ano, que será em Gravataí”, disse Guilherme, que também é árbitro de competições de Jiu-Jitsu há seis anos.

GLORY BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU – 1ª Edição

Data: 24/07/16
Local: Ginásio Municipal de Cachoeirinha
Horário: 10h às 19h
Ingresso: Contribuição de 1 kg de alimento

PREMIAÇÃO ABSOLUTO ADULTO MASCULINO

Faixa-branca: R$ 500,00 | Faixa-azul: R$ 500,00 | Faixa-roxa: R$ 500,00
Faixa-marrom: R$ 500,00 | Faixa-preta: R$ 500,00

Masculino|Master|Marrom e preta|Absoluto: R$ 500,00 (Cheque presente)

PREMIAÇÃO PARA DEMAIS ABSOLUTOS: 1 kimono