Marcos Torregrosa em ação no Pan 2013. Foto: Alicia Anthony/IBJJF/Divulgação

O Pan 2013 começou na quarta-feira e já foi a plataforma de lançamento para novos valores, como o faixa-azul absoluto Dominic Pica (Gracie Elite) e o roxa absoluto Michael Liera Jr. Na faixa-preta, o absoluto também foi definido ontem. Marcus Buchecha enfrenta André Galvão e Gabi Garcia enfrenta a valente Bia Mesquita, peso leve.

O sábado, no entanto, também foi dia dos mestres e veteranos, que provaram que tem muito a ensinar, em Irvine, na Califórnia.No master, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros (Brasa) venceu o absoluto depois de passar por Bruno Bastos (Nova União) na final. Rodrigo fisgou o bronze na categoria pesadíssimo, que foi vencida pelo sempre perigoso Rodrigo Munduruca (Gracie Humaitá).

O master estava de fato recheado de estrelas. No peso-pena, Denilson Pimenta (GFTeam) foi o campeão, em categoria que teve Baret Yoshida em terceiro lugar. No peso médio, Adriano Silva (Barbosa) foi o melhor. No meio-pesado, Rodrigo Pinheiro levou o título para a Gracie Humaitá.

Outros que brilharam entre os atletas com mais de 30 anos foram Gustavo “Sirizinho” Pires (Gracie Barra), melhor do superpesado, Marcos Torregrosa (Yemaso BJJ), ouro no leve após vencer Theodoro Canal, e Daniel Beleza (SAS), campeão no pluma. No pesado, Gustavo Camargo (Gracie Barra) venceu Fernando Soluço na final e ficou com o ouro.

No sênior, destaque para Roberto Godói, campeão superpesado e do aberto. Outro campeão com estilo foi Fabio Leopoldo, que comandou a divisão dos pesados, que contou com feras do naipe de Eduardo Telles (prata) e Marcelo Vilhena (bronze).

No sênior 1, Cassio Werneck venceu o médio e Cleber Luciano foi o mais eficiente do pena.

Já no sênior 2, Givanildo Santana (Lotus Club) foi implacável no pesado e no absoluto.

Siga a cobertura completa do Pan, nas redes sociais de GracieMag, no Google Plus, Twitter e Facebook.

Para ver os resultados completos, clique aqui!

Laércio Fernandes attacks Carlos Esquisito’s guard at the 2013 European Open. (Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com)

Prior to the 2013 European Open, Lotus Club black belt Laércio Fernandes promised he’d raise the roof in Lisbon. Said and done. In the light featherweight’s first two matches he took the back and finished in style.

In the final, Laércio, the current world runner-up, defeated CheckMat ace Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda by an advantage point.

“He’s strong and technical. That’s why I knew the match would be won on details, and that’s just what happened. He made a mistake and I scored an advantage for a guard pass. I didn’t manage to stabilize the position, as Carlos defended really well,” added Laércio.

“I need to highlight the training camp I did with [Rubens] Cobrinha in Vigo, Spain. It was sensational. At the European Open I did attacking Jiu-Jitsu, and it worked for me. That guard-pass attempt in the final is something I worked on with Cobrinha,” he added.

The professor at Lotus Club also warned that he’s gunning for gold at the Pan next March. And after that, the goal is the Worlds… But what will he be packing up his sleeve to surprise the current light-featherweight world champion, Gui Mendes?

“My next stop will be the Pan. I’m already training hard for the championship in Irvin and I hope to be in good shape when I get there. After that I’ll go to the Worlds, but I’m not thinking only of Guilherme, as I could end up beating him and then losing to someone else, which wouldn’t do me any good. My objective is to prepare to fight well, and that way victory will come naturally. He’s certainly the favorite, being the world champion and all, but there are a lot of tough guys at light featherweight who have what it takes to win,” said the black belt in closing.

Laércio Fernandes ataca a guarda de Carlos Esquisito no Europeu 2013. Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com

Antes do Europeu de Jiu-Jitsu 2013, o faixa-preta Laércio Fernandes (Lotus Club) prometeu levantar a galera em Lisboa. Dito e feito. O peso-pluma, em suas duas primeiras lutas, pegou as costas e finalizou com estilo.

Na final, Laércio, atual vice-campeão mundial, venceu Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda (CheckMat) por uma vantagem.

“Ele é forte e técnico, por isso sabia que a luta seria vencida nos detalhes, e foi o que aconteceu. Ele cometeu um erro e fiz a vantagem da passagem de guarda. Acabei não estabilizando a posição pois o Carlos defendeu muito bem”, completou Laércio.

“Tenho que destacar o camp que fiz com o (Rubens) Cobrinha em Vigo, na Espanha. Foi sensacional. No Europeu, fiz um Jiu-Jitsu ofensivo e deu certo. Essa tentativa de passagem de guarda da final treinei com o Cobrinha”, completou.

O professor da Lotus Club já avisou que vai buscar o ouro no Pan, em março. E, depois, a meta é o Mundial… Mas o que ele vai preparar para surpreender o atual campeão dos plumas, Gui Mendes?

“Minha próxima parada será o Pan. Já estou treinando forte para o campeonato em Irvine e espero chegar bem. Depois vou ao Mundial, mas não penso somente no Guilherme, pois pode acontecer de eu ganhar dele e perder para outro, e assim eu continuaria na mesma. Meu objetivo é me preparar para lutar bem, e assim a vitória virá naturalmente. Ele certamente é o favorito pois é o atual campeão mundial, mas no pluma tem muito cara bom, que também têm condições de vencer”, concluiu a fera.

O bravo “Lalau” e seu mestre, Givanildo Santana. Foto: Acervo Pessoal

Atual vice-campeão mundial dos plumas, Laércio Fernandes (Lotus Club) é mais um faixa-preta que promete levantar a galera em Lisboa, no Campeonato Europeu que começa nesta semana.

“Cheguei em Portugal ontem. Mas já estou indo encontrar o Rubens Cobrinha em Vigo, na Espanha. Estou me sentindo muito bem, a minha preparação foi de acordo com o planejamento. Treinei muito com o Giva Santana e meus alunos. Agora fico essa semana com o Cobrinha fazendo os últimos ajustes”, contou Laércio ao GRACIEMAG.com.

“Fiz muitos treinos específicos e estou muito empolgado para lutar. Espero acordar bem no dia e fazer meu trabalho, depois voltar para mostrar a medalha para minha família na Califórnia. Quero deixar todo mundo orgulhoso este ano”, completou o exímio guardeiro, que está na mesma categoria que Carlos “Esquisito” (CheckMat) e Francielio da Costa (Alliance), entre outras feras.

O Campeonato Europeu rola entre os dias 24 a 27 de janeiro em Lisboa. Para conferir quem mais vai tentar atrapalhar Laércio e outros nomes, visite o site da IBJJF, aqui.

The brave “Lalau” and his master, Givanildo Santana (personal archive photo)

The current world runner-up in the light featherweight division, Laércio Fernandes of team Lotus Club is yet another black belt spicing up next weekend’s European Open Championship.

“I arrived in Portugal yesterday. But I’m going to hook up with Rubens Cobrinha in Vigo, Spain. I’m feeling really good, and my preparations went according to plan. I put in a lot of training with Giva Santana and my students. Now I’ll spend this week doing some final adjustments with Cobrinha,” Lárcio told GRACIEMAG.com.

“I did a lot of specific training and am really excited about fighting. I hope I wake up feeling good and do a good job and return home to California with a medal to show my family. I want everyone to be proud of me this year,” said the masterful guard player who will be in the same division as CheckMat’s Carlos “Esquisito” and Alliance’s Francielio da Costa, among others.

The European Championship will go down from July 24 to 27 in Lisbon, Portugal. To find out who else will try and rain on Laércio and everyone else’s parade, click here to check out the IBJJF website..

Caio Terra tenta raspar Laércio Fernandes na chamada “cadeirinha”. Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Comprovando a boa fase, Caio Terra tornou-se o primeiro campeão da nova IBJJ Pro League, a liga que ofereceu prêmios em dinheiro em Long Beach, no sábado.

Sua final, até 64kg, foi a primeira a ser realizada na Pirâmide, que viu ainda a consagração de Leandro Lo, Rominho Barral e Roberto Tussa.

O professor radicado na Califórnia finalizou Daniel Beleza na semifinal, e na decisão final passou por Laércio Fernandes (Lótus Club).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZzs7BD3fnU

Caio Terra attempts a sweep on Laércio Fernandes. Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.

Still at the top of his game, Caio Terra earned himself the distinction of being the very first champion to come of the IBJJ Pro League, a Gi Jiu-Jitsu tournament with a cash-prize payout in Long Beach, California, last Saturday.

His under-64 kg divisional final was the first to take place that day in the Pyramid, where Leandro Lo, Rômulo Barral and Roberto Tussa were the other three crowned champions of the maiden event.

Terra, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor living in California, tapped out Daniel Beleza in the semifinals and outdid Lótus Club’s Laércio Fernandes in the final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZzs7BD3fnU

Lotus Club and Alliance team member Laercio Fernandes is one of the top competitors competing in the IBJJ Pro League tomorrow, December 8. In this video he welcomes you to watch the event, for it will be a great day for Jiu-Jitsu.

If you don’t know much about Laercio, he finished second at the 2012 World Championships after a tough match against Guilherme Mendes in the finals that was left to a referee decision.

The biggest win of his blooming career that sparked the most interest in this 31-year-old Irvine, CA resident, was his 2010 match with Caio Terra whom he defeated by points at the 2010 American Nationals. What was seen as an upset then, helped give rise to Laercio’s recognition however he still manages to slide under the radar despite numerous places on the podium since then.

When he’s not teaching and training in Irvine, he heads over to GMA member Cobrinha BJJ in Los Angeles, making the trek in order to train with the 9x world champion Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Maciel.

Don’t forget to tune into the live stream if you’re not local to the Long Beach Pyramid. The free live stream is available at www.ibjjftv.com and will start at 3pm PST!

Laercio training / Photo by Erin Herle

The kids division was an exciting one, with GD Jiu-Jitsu winning it by racking up 131 points in the team standing. BJJ Revolution took second with 88 points, and MMA Lab took third with 66 points.

Araya Garcia of Relson Gracie strategizes / Photos: Deb Blyth

Araya Garcia is an 11-year-old yellow belt from Relson Gracie in Arizona who competes in the medium heavyweight division. She’s been training for three years and had two matches on the day, both against Mikaila Gonzales, who also hails from Relson Gracie. Her first match didn’t end the way she would have liked but she was happy for the win. “I tried to armbar and choke her, but I couldn’t,” Araya says, “I ended up winning by advantages.” In her second match, she tried for the choke, but once again it eluded her. “She pulled guard, and I got in mount for four points,” Araya says, “That’s how I won.”

Araya trained extra hard for this tournament. She likes to compete and says she likes to fight new people who have techniques and games she hasn’t seen before. Her favorite move is the triangle or the forearm choke, and although she went for them today and wasn’t able to close with them, she is still really excited about her gold medal win. “I feel awesome,” she says. Araya loves Jiu-Jitsu for a variety of reasons and says it’s changed her life for the better. “I feel stronger, and I have more confidence now,” she says.

Araya and her supportive father, Ron

Araya’s dad, Ron, is her biggest fan. He says she does all of Gustavo’s tournaments, so she’s competing every three months. “I’m here to support her,” he says, “She knows more than I do. I try to coach her and she’s like, ‘No, I don’t want to do that!’ I love watching her. She makes me so proud. She loves it and has a great time. And even though she doesn’t win all the time, she still has determination to come back and compete again. She’s really grown in the last six months. Her Jiu-Jitsu’s getting really good.”

Damian Hosokawa goes for a takedown.

Nine-year-old yellow belt Damian Hosokawa of BJJ Revolution comes from a Jiu-Jitsu family. His dad, Gerson Atoigue, is a brown belt; his mom, Nana Hosokawa, is a blue belt. They fully support Damian in his efforts on the mats, and it shows. He trains everyday with his dad, to his delight.

At the 3rd Southwest Classic, Damian had two matches in his featherweight division. He won the first by armbar and the second by a sweep. “It’s been a good day,” Damian says, “I won today, and I’ve won all year. I’ve been in all four of Gustavo’s (Dantas) tournaments and I’ve won them all.” Damian, who has been training for three years, says winning gold feels great.

Like the sweep he won his final with, Damian says the half-guard sweep is his favorite move. “It’s easy,” he says, “If they’re already on top of you, it’s easy to ‘timber them over.’”

Damian says he loves Jiu-Jitsu because “if anything goes wrong, I know self defense.” Asked if he’s been picked on at school, he says, “Yes, but I didn’t do anything but tell my teacher. I didn’t feel like I needed to do anything. I feel really confident.”

Damian and his family all partake in Jiu-Jitsu.

His dad, Gerson, really enjoys watching his son grow and develop through Jiu-Jitsu. “He’s awesome,” he says, “He’s gonna be better than I ever was. It’s a pleasure to watch him.” His mom, Nana, concurs, “He just enjoys doing Jiu-Jitsu so much,” she says, “I support him 110%. He’d rather be on the mats than anything else. He’ll turn down other really fun things for it.”

Robert Maloney gets his hand raised.

Robert Maloney of Siege MMA/Lotus Club is a 15-year-old green belt with some strong grips! This ultra heavyweight had two matches in his division and closed them both out with a one-handed lapel choke, earning him a gold medal for the day.

It’s no surprise the lapel choke is Robert’s favorite move, but the way he sets it up is. “People always think I’m going for an Ezekiel,” he says, “but then I hold myself up with one arm – I have really good balance – and choke with the other.”

Robert competes every couple of months. He does all of Gustavo Dantas’ tournaments and says he usually comes in first or second. He recently learned the flying armbar and it’s quickly become his favorite move, although he’s a little nervous to use it in a tournament, so he hasn’t tried it yet. “I know that I just need to exhale as I hit the floor so I don’t knock the wind out of myself,” he laughs.

Robert Maloney and his BJJ crew

Robert loves everything about Jiu-Jitsu and it’s changed his life in the process. “I used to get in trouble in school,” he says, “Jiu-Jitsu kept me out of it. I train every day. It keeps me out of bad stuff.”

Jiu-Jitsu has given Robert a sense of confidence he didn’t have before. He’s a sophomore in high school, so he sees a lot of bullying and intimidation going on around him, but he is unfazed by it. “I see kids fighting at school for nothing,” he says, “I stay away from them. I don’t have to prove myself.” He does his “proving” on the mats.

Derek Wheeler and his proud coach, Michael Westbrook

Derek Wheeler of MWBJJ is a 14-year-old yellow belt under ex-NFL great and now Jiu-Jitsu black belt Michael Westbrook. Derek had two matches for the day and won both by points. “I compete a lot,” he says, “I’ve been to all four of Gustavo’s tournaments. I win about half the time.” Although that record would discourage some, Derek is motivated by it and trains harder. “When I lose, it means to me that I need to train harder,” he says.

Hard work is no stranger to Derek, Michael Westbrook says. “He’s been working his butt off – five times a week! He’s advancing at a pace he’s supposed to be at, and I’m very proud of him.” Michael says that Derek is a great listener. “That’s hard to get kids to do sometimes,” he says, “Derek makes coaching easy.”

Derek’s goal is to win as many tournaments as he can and to do Jiu-Jitsu for the rest of his life. “I want to be a black belt,” he says, “Jiu-Jitsu has changed me. It’s made me stronger, bigger, and more relaxed. I feel confident in the world… at school and anywhere.”

Laércio against Gustavo Carpio in Phoenix / Photo: IBJJF

A representative of Lotus academy and student of our GMA Giva Santana, Laércio Fernandes was the big standout at the Phoenix International Open, winning his weight group and the absolute division, which regular GRACIEMAG.com readers already knew.

Besides winning the open weight division, the black belt also wreaked havoc at featherweight, although Laércio generally appears as a light featherweight.

Check out the decider, where he faced Gustavo Carpio:

Laércio contra Carpio em Phoenix. Foto: IBJJF.

Representante da Lotus e pupilo do nosso GMA Giva Santana, Laércio Fernandes foi o grande destaque no Phoenix International Open, vencedor no peso e absoluto, o que o leitor assíduo do GRACIEMAG.com já sabia.

Além da categoria aberta, o faixa-preta lutou no evento entre os penas. No entanto, Laércio costuma aparecer na categoria pluma.

Confira como foi a final da fera contra Gustavo Carpio:

Laércio ao lado do mestre Giva Santana. Foto: Deb Blyth.

Está virando moda os mais levinhos irem bem na categoria absoluto, prova de que, muitas vezes, a técnica supera a força. No Phoenix International Open, no último sábado, foi assim.

O grande nome do evento da IBJJF foi o faixa-preta Laércio Fernandes, representante da Lotus Club. O lutador, que geralmente compete na categoria pluma, ficou com o ouro no peso pena. Para completar, o guardeiro subiu ao alto do pódio no absoluto também.

Na categoria aberta, Laércio enfrentou o mesmo adversário da final na categoria de peso, Gustavo Carpio.

Steven Rosenberg garantiu o primeiro ouro como faixa-preta na IBJJF.

Outro destaque na faixa-preta adulto foi Steven Rosenberg, aluno do nosso GMA Gustavo Dantas, ouro entre os leves.

Entre as equipes, quem levou a melhor foi a Nova União, seguida pela BJJ Revolution Team e Brazilian Top Team.

Gustavo Dantas comemora com a Nova União.

Confira todos os resultados clicando aqui.