James Selby / Photo: Jerry Roberts

At the Las Vegas Open, Craig had one match in the middleweight division, against Rickson Gracie rep Fernando Flores, and won. He got the sweep after pulling guard, then went to side-control. From an arm attack on Fernando he moved to mount. “He rolled over and I ended up in side-control again as time ran out, finishing with a 12-0 victory,” Craig says.

There was a “round robin” for Craig’s open class division. He won his first match on points with 14-0. In the final he faced Frank Miranda of University of Jiu-Jitsu under Saulo Ribeiro. “I was ahead 4-2 and got a triangle choke from the back and won the final by submission,” a jubilant Craig says. That made him a double gold winner for the day.

The closest Craig had come to winning double gold before was getting double bronze at the Pan as a blue belt in 2010.  “Before this double gold win, the best thing I’ve done in Jiu-Jitsu was as a blue belt,” Craig says, “I won silver at the 2007 No-Gi Master and Senior Championship, silver at the 2009 Gi and No-Gi American Nationals, and silver at the Gracie So Cal Classic in 2008.”

Craig says one of the hurdles he faces, as an older Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, is making sure he doesn’t over train and injure himself. He has some great advice for those who are getting up there in years. “There are three things that we old guys have to do to keep in good condition,” he says, “We need to work on our balance, keep our muscles flexible, and use our minds to keep them working.  Jui-Jitsu has all these things and many more benefits that I could go on all day about.”

Craig says he believes that he made a great decision when he started training at 41 years of age. “I don’t see myself stopping until I am six feet under,” he jokes, “Even then, I will be able to roll with the best guys who are no longer with us.”

Craig would like to thank his professor Mike Buckles from Gracie Barra Costa Mesa and all his training partners, who have become his family in Jiu-Jitsu.

Frank Miranda / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Craig’s opponent in the finals, Frank Miranda, who’s only been a purple belt for about 9 months, has his own reasons to be happy. “I’m 53 years old, and I started training six years ago,” he says, “I won the lightweight division by default and took second in the open. In every tournament I’m always the smallest in the open class.”

Frank was thrilled with his performance at the Las Vegas Open. “One of the main reasons I compete is to prove to myself that I still can,” he says, “At my age I’ll never be as strong, fast or flexible as the younger guys, and that’s OK, but I want to be as strong, fast and flexible as I can possibly be. That’s why I love Jiu Jitsu and its life style, which is nutrition for the body, mind and soul.”

As the saying goes, “Old guys rule!”

Nicole Leite in victory / Photo: Tanya Wilson

Nicole, who trains under Rodrigo Teixeira but competes under Checkmat, has been training for almost five years and has been a purple belt for a little over two years. At the Las Vegas Open the middleweight had four matches in all: one in her weight class and three in the absolute, and she won all of them.

Nicole fought Jill Baker of Jean Jacques Machado twice, once in their division (in the final) and once in the absolute. Her favorite Jiu-Jitsu moves are sweeps from half-guard or spider-guard and she was able to work them against Jill in the final. “Facing her in the absolute was definitely more difficult,” Nicole says, “She has an amazing guard and was able to pull and sweep me. I was losing for most of the match, and then a sweep opened up for me. I ended up sweeping her and passing her guard. I couldn’t believe it!”

In the open class final, Nicole faced off against Ronda Andrews of Gracie Humaita, and that was another difficult match for her. “Ronda was very strong and had me worried about passing the entire time,” Nicole says, “I was eventually able to set up a triangle and finish, but my grips were close to giving out. It was tough.”

Nicole, who tries to compete as much as she can, has competed in the absolute before, but says she didn’t really do too well in them. “I’ve always either come in second or third, which makes these wins at the Las Vegas Open that much more satisfying to me,” she says, “It’s my first big win at a federation tournament at purple belt.”

As for her experience at the Las Vegas Open, Nicole says she absolutely loved it. “I’m definitely coming back for more next year.”

Brown belts:

Heavyweight Chris Engle of Cascao Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas won his final against Brian Kim of Rickson Gracie with a head-and-arm choke in about 1 ½ minutes. Chris, who’s been a brown belt for a little over a year, says he really feels like he’s finally coming into his own now. “I’m ready for anything,” he says, “I love my team. They’re like a family. I work hard in training every day.”

David Reed / Photos: Jerry Roberts

Medium heavyweight David Reed of Fabio Santos in San Diego, California, won his first match with a triangle in 30 seconds and then won the final against Justin McDermott of Checkmat BJJ with an armbar in about 2 ½ minutes. “I have 14 wins in the last 17 matches,” he gushes, “ All submissions!” After waiting so long to eat all day,” he says, “I need a buffet immediately!” Reed, 24, loves the armbar and is always looking for it in all his matches. He loves Jiu-Jitsu and says, “Jiu-Jitsu saved my life. In this world of temptation, it gave me something to be anchored to.”

Lightweight Matthew Hache of Renzo Gracie came all the way from Ottawa, Canada, for the Las Vegas Open with his beloved instructor, Pat Cooligan. The 27-year-old had two matches in his division. He won the first by choke from mount. “I won it Roger-style,” he says. Matthew’s final was a battle against Mathew Darcy of AKA. “He got me in a kneebar and I defended, I got him in an arm triangle and he defended,” he says, “I was finally able to take his back and submit him.” Matthew says he and his teammates loved their time in Las Vegas and offered some words of advice to other Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, “There needs to be more people here next year. Las Vegas is right next to California. There’s no excuse not to be here!”

In the featherweight division, Israel Ceron from Ralph Gracie San Francisco defeated Ryan Heilman of Nova Uniao in the final. His first two matches he submitted his opponents with by armbar in under a minute, but the final was a tough match that went the distance. “It was hard,” Israel says, “Ryan’s flexible and technical. I had to use more force to stabilize my positions.” Israel, who’s been a brown belt for two years, was able to pass Ryan’s guard, and he won via points. “It feels good to win gold,” the 30-year-old says, “All my hard work paid off.”

Purple belts:

Brian Morizi / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Brian Morizi of Atos won the Las Vegas Open middleweight division. He had four matches on the day, winning his first and third by points and his second with an omoplata. In the final, against Jeff Boudreaux of Roberto Travern, he won by one advantage point. “No one scored any points or advantages against me today,” Brian says proudly, “It’s been a good year. I’ve been competing a lot. I just started training with Andre Galvao and he’s been helping me a lot.”

In the featherweight division it was Davin Maxwell of Cassio Werneck Sacramento, California, who shut down all his opponents. He had three matches, winning his first with a bow-and-arrow choke, his second by an advantage, and his final with an Ezekiel (forearm) choke from the back. “I’ve been training since I was eight years old,” Davin says, “I’m 23 now. When I was a kid I competed against Kron Gracie and won.” Davin had a great time in Las Vegas and was thrilled with his gold medal. “It’s been a wonderful experience. Now I’m going to go eat and gain back my weight!”

Jonathan Van Buren / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Jonathan Van Buren of Nova Uniao in Phoenix, Arizona, beat Ty Yung of Gracie Humaita with a submission at light featherweight. Jonathan had three matches for the day. He won his first two via points. “It feels really great to win gold,” he says, “All my hard work paid off.” Jonathan competes as much as he can. He’s been training in Jiu-Jitsu for three years and his favorite move is the omoplata. “I go for it all the time,” he says, “I’m always looking for the arm.” Jonathan has won gold a few times at Gustavo Dantas’s Arizona tournaments and took silver at the 2011 Worlds as a blue belt. “I got my purple belt a week later,” he says. This was Jonthan’s second tournament as a purple belt and he went home a gold medal winner.

Davin Maxwell atop the featherweight podium / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Blue belts:

In the middleweight division, Joel Hadden of Renzo Gracie Ottawa, Canada, won his final match with an armbar in under two minutes. By this time he was on a roll, winning his first match by kimura in one minute and his third with a triangle in under two minutes. His second match was his reality check: “It was my hardest match,” Joel says, “I was hunting for one attack the whole time and got the ref’s decision. I got a talking to from Pat (Cooligan), who told me to go back to the basics. I listened.” Joel earned his gold medal that day, saying, “That’s what happens when you listen to your coach.” He additionally came up with a new motto he learned from Pat while in Las Vegas, “I don’t have a favorite move anymore,” he laughs, “I take what my opponent gives me!” Smart thinking for a 21-year-old.

Andrew, 22, from Gracie Barra Fullerton, California, won all five of his matches at featherweight, even though he came into the tournament with a badly injured shoulder. He won his first match by points and his next four via armbar. His opponent in the final was Tae Um from Gracie Barra Corona. “I fought him before and beat him by points,” Andrew says, “He’s a really tough opponent.” Andrew was able to get to full mount, where, lo and behold, he went for the arm again. “I finished with my favorite submission: the armbar,” he laughs. This was Andrew’s first time competing in the Las Vegas Open. “I’ve never competed outside of California and now with this experience, it will not be my last,” he says, “I will definitely be competing next year, so watch out!”

In the women’s middle weight division, Taylor Leonardi, 18, fought for her team, Ricardo Cavalcanti’s Carlson Gracie Las Vegas. Taylor’s been a blue belt for two years. She loves the De La Riva guard and likes to work her sweeps from there. “I’m very flexible and it’s easy for me to work the moves,” she says, “People tell me it’s hard to pass my guard.” Taylor fought Victoria Trueb from Renato Travern in the finals and it was a major rematch for her. “She won both the Pan and Worlds this year,” she says, “I fought her at the Pan and lost. She’s a very good, strong competitor.” This time, things worked to Taylor’s advantage. “I worked my De La Riva on her, got her off balance, and then shot my legs up for a triangle,” she says, “I had it locked in tight and could feel she was about to tap. I pulled down harder on her head and finally she tapped. The match lasted 30 seconds.” Taylor was very happy with her performance. “The moment when you get your hand raised on the mats is the most accomplished feeling to me.”

Vanderson atop the podium / Personal archive photo

The Las Vegas Open was no different. The big man had three matches in the masters open class. His first fight was won efficiently and quickly with a submission. “I was very calm and confident in my game plan going into my first match,” Vanderson says, “My opponent pulled guard on me and I was able to pass to half-guard and quickly submit him with a shoulder choke.”

Gomes’s second match was his most challenging of the day. He was pulled into half-guard, where most of the match played out. “My opponent had a very strong half-guard position that was extremely difficult to pass,” he says, “The fight went the distance and I was awarded the decision via points.”

After his last battle, Vanderson realized that he had lost his grip. He knew he needed to finish the final quickly. “Fortunately, I was able to pass my opponent’s (Coalition 95’s Carlos Melo) guard and submit him with a choke from the north/south position in under three minutes.”

Vanderson aksi won the ultra heavy division, where there was no one else in the bracket. “It felt good to be out there competing again and even better to secure the gold in the absolute division and my weight class after not competing for almost a year,” Vanderson says, “I had a great time at the Las Vegas Open and look forward to defending my title next year. Now I’m heading back to GB Costa Mesa to train hard for the Nationals this September.”

With his competitive matches out of the way, Vanderson threw on his black referee’s shirt and took to the mats to fulfill his responsibilities as an IBJJF ref. He was working his eight-hour shift, thinking the hardest was behind him, but in his seventh hour of work, the funniest thing happened to him. “I was doing my job, helping to draw some opponents back to the center of the ring and suddenly my pants split from behind,” he laughs, “I was in shock and yet I had to keep working. I worked my last hour with my hands crossed behind my back as if nothing ever happened!” It sounds like the fans behind him got more of a show than just a good Jiu-Jitsu match!

Although as the old saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” this story was too good not to share! Sorry, Vanderson…

Gomez spent most of the match unraveling Terra's omoplata. Photo: Jerry Roberts.

Mikey, 29, had two contests in the absolute. In his first, he went against medium heavyweight Ben Baxter of University of Jiu-Jitsu. “He seemed like he was a wrestler type,” Mikey says, “So, I pulled him into my closed guard and did this move that Bráulio Estima showed me a long time ago. I was able to climb my legs up him and get his arm. I got him in an armbar in about 20 seconds.”

His next match was against Caio Terra. Mikey says he’s never met Caio before and was excited about their impending bout. “Caio was really cool,” Mikey says, “He came up to me and shook my hand and introduced himself. Then he left and came back and said, ‘If you catch me in any submission, I’ll tap, but please don’t hurt me.’”

Mikey says he was a little taken aback by the request and didn’t know what to make of it. “I have a lot of respect for Caio and what he’s done for Jiu-Jitsu,” Mikey says, “Coming from such a high-caliber guy and world champion who’s used to competing in all the open classes, I was surprised that he would ask me something like that. All I could think of was that maybe he was hurt or maybe he was trying to psych me out, which he did subconsciously.”

Caio pulled guard at the outset. “Then we were in half-guard,” Mikey says, “I was trying to pass, and he went for a triangle. I started to posture up and he came up with me and put me in an omoplata. I was in that for like six or seven minutes. I was just holding it trying to get out without giving him the advantage points.”

Still struggling to break free of the omoplata / Photo: Jerry Roberts

With less than a minute left in the match, Mikey was certain the ref was going to give Caio the match. “He had the submission right there,” he says, “I couldn’t really move my arm in the right direction to escape. Then at one point we ended up in a weird position and he got my arm in an armbar. I tapped.” Once it was all over, Gomez took third in the open, sharing the podium spot with Kron Gracie’s Rodrigo Teixeira.

Gomez, who is an MMA fighter looking to make it into the UFC middleweight division, says, although he thought the situation was a little strange, he was ok with it because competition isn’t his life. “It’s his life, not mine,” he says, “I wasn’t gonna rough him up, but I did take it easy on him. I’m not out to hurt anyone. It’s not a fight. It’s a Jiu-Jitsu match, but it was kind of scary competing against him. I felt like I could break him in half.”

Once it was over, Gomez had lost the match but beat the omoplata. Photo: Jerry Roberts.

Gomez does Jiu-Jitsu for the love of the sport and owns the newly-opened Gracie Barra Temecula academy. “I just enter as many of these tournaments as I can to stay active in the sport,” he says, “With my new school having just opened and not having had the opportunity to really train the way I like to, I wanted to compete at the Las Vegas Open to start getting in shape again for my next MMA fight.”

Mikey won the super heavyweight division because the competitor he was supposed to face moved up to masters.

All in all, the tournament was a great experience for him. “I love competing with the gi,” he says, “This is such a great environment. I’m always excited to be around Jiu-Jitsu. I love training in the gi. It’s how I started out. I get to train with guys like Otavio Sousa, Kayron Gracie, Romulo Barral, Rodrigo Simoes, Marcio Feitosa, Flavio Almeida, Marco Joca, and Luciano Cristovam, who just moved here and is the head instructor at Gracie Barra Santa Monica. He’s just one more guy to kick my butt on a daily basis.”

Manny's arm raised at Mike Colón's expense / Photo: Jerry Roberts

This was Manny’s second time competing in an absolute. The first came at the US Open, where he had the good fortune to close out the bracket with a teammate. This time, the win was all his. He had four matches in the open class. He won the first two by points and the third by armbar. “I fought really tough guys,” Manny says, “The little guys drain me. They really move. They wore me out!”

But Manny persevered and went on to face Gracie Barra’s Mike Colón in the finals. The two are not strangers to each other. They’re in the same weight class and met up at last year’s Pan in the same fashion, with Manny getting the better of Mike. At the Las Vegas Open Manny was able to shut Mike down again to take gold in the absolute.

“I watch Mike all the time,” Manny says, “He’s got the longest legs. I had to stay tight so he wouldn’t triangle me. He’s really good and he’s got good sportsmanship, too. It’s like battling a friend. It’s been a good experience fighting him. It makes it better. Makes it feel like we’re friends out here.”

As the two exchanged humorous banter after the match, Manny telling a laughing but frustrated Mike that there was a way he could beat him at his game. “You could get me if you just figured out how,” Manny said. The two went back and forth until Mike finally figured out that the omoplata is Manny’s kryptonite where Mike is concerned. “Maybe we should train together,” joked Colón.

In the medium heavy division, Manny had three matches on the day. He won the first by points. “I was playing guard, which is my game,” Manny says, “I like to let an opponent decide what they’re gonna do. Everyone likes the top; I like guard, so it works to my advantage.”

His second match was against the aforementioned Mike Colón. Manny won by two advantages to one. “He has a really good spider-guard,” says Manny, “Him and his daddy long legs! I had three loop chokes on him and he got out of all of them.”

Manny overcame Brad Pearson of Lloyd Irvin in the final to take divisional gold. It would be Manny’s first time winning double gold on his own and also his first time competing at the Las Vegas International Open. “It’s a great tournament,” he says, “Really well organized. I will definitely come back next year.”

One interesting tidbit about Manny is that he has only been doing Jiu-Jitsu for two and a half years. Prior to him taking up the gentle art, he was a golf pro; a teaching professional. “I just get it,” he says, referring to learning Jiu-Jitsu techniques. Winning double gold for the day, Manny definitely proved at the Las Vegas Open that he indeed gets it!

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.”

Bruna and Durinho / Photo: Deb Blyth

Light featherweight Bruna took gold in both the open class and her weight group, but Durinho joked, “No one showed up for her division or the open. She won double gold without having to fight!” So, it was a successful, no sweat day in hot Las Vegas for Bruna.

It was a completely different experience for the women in the blue belt women’s division. In the open class, Karna Nelson and Erin Herle of Alliance Cobrinha closed out their division, with Karna taking gold, and Erin, silver.

Karna, whose favorite Jiu-Jitsu move is the triangle from guard, had two matches before closing out the bracket with Erin. She was looking for the triangle in her first two matches but the opportunity to use it didn’t present itself. So she won her first and second matches by points. “I’ve never done the open class before,” Karna says, “I’m definitely going to try it all the time now. I didn’t know what to expect.” Karna says it was “awesome” to close out the division with Erin. “We train with guys who are bigger and stronger than us, so this was kind of like that,” she says.

Karna, who is 25 years old and has been a blue belt for 2 ½ years, also took gold in her lightweight division. She had three matches. She won two of them by points and the final by rear-naked choke. “It’s been a really fun experience,” she says, “This was my first time at this event. Actually, it’s my first time in Las Vegas. I want to thank Fabio Passos and Cobrinha for their help with my training. They are the best!”

When asked if she’s ready for her purple belt, Karna gets a big smile on her face and laughs, “I don’t know!” she says, “We’ll see what Cobrinha says when I get back to L.A.”

Photo: Jerry Roberts

Karna’s Alliance Cobrinha teammate Erin Herle was also all smiles at the Las Vegas International Open. She picked up a gold medal in her featherweight division after winning three matches; the first in 30 seconds with a triangle armbar and the second on points.

The final was against Mylene Manolo of Cascao JJ, and Erin beat her on points. “That was my hardest match,” Erin says, “She’s really tough. I got a foot in the mouth and I think I kneed her in the face! It was gnarly.”

This was Erin’s second time at the Las Vegas International Open. She won as a white belt last year and received her blue belt on the podium. Erin, who is 21 years old, loves the spider guard and used it a lot at this event. “I played it in every match,” she says, “I love this tournament! I have good luck here.”

One lucky thing might have been the gi she was wearing. Erin says she wanted to wear a gi at the tournament that fit her really well, so she asked to borrow one from a black belt at her school. “I’m wearing Bruno Malfacine’s gi,” she says proudly, “A black belt from my school let me wear it. It’s a kid’s gi. It’s great!”

Erin says her Jiu-Jitsu has definitely improved over the last year under Cobrinha’s tutelage. “I try to train five times a week. I drive 40 minutes each way to get to Cobrinha’s school. Thank you to Cobrinha and my training partners for putting up with my excuses and constant talking!”

In the absolute, Erin took a silver medal. She had three matches in the open before closing out the bracket with her teammate Karna Nelson. She won her first two matches by points and her third with a triangle before closing out with Karna and earning her silver. “I’ve never finished with a triangle before,” an excited Erin says, “I finally did it! It was a great experience.”

This was Erin’s first time competing at featherweight. She normally fights at light, but she’s decided to stay at feather from here on out. As for the open, this was her second time competing in one and she was happy for the wins she got. “The last time I did the open class I lost in my first match,” she says, “I feel vindicated now. I’m ruling the world!”