Jackson Sousa with his super-heavyweight and absolute bling.

The Brazilian nationals were not alone this weekend as the only big no-gi event, as the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship took place in New York on Sept. 30.

In the end, two Checkmat representatives had taken double gold.

Men
Riding some momentum from his bronze campaign at the ADCC Worlds, Jackson Sousa first beat Eliot Kelly (Yamaso BJJ) in the super-heavyweight final, and then bested Diego Ramalho (ZR Team) in the open division.

Checkmat closed out the women’s absolute.

Women
Michelle Nicolini bagged gold at lightweight as she defeated Jéssica Santos (Elite BJJ Redmond). Then she and middleweight champion Catherine Perret both made it past the absolute semifinals to close it out for Checkmat.

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We also had João Miyao (Cícero Costha) topping the light featherweight podium, Gianni Grippo (Alliance) beating the featherweight field, and Renato Canuto (Zenith BJJ) nabbing gold at lightweight.

Read on to see who made the podium of each division.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Rooster

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light-Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class

BLACK / Adult / Female / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Female / Light

BLACK / Adult / Female / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Female / Super-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Female / Open Class

Jackson Sousa com as medalhas douradas do super pesado e do absoluto. Foto: Reprodução

Além dos duelos sem pano do Brasileiro Sem Kimono da CBJJ, realizado no Tijuca Tênis Clube nesse final de semana, outra legião de astros deixou o paletó e a calça de algodão no armário para vestir suas roupas de lycra, só que dessa vez nos EUA.

Em mais uma edição de tirar o fôlego, o Pan de Jiu-Jitsu Sem Kimono da IBJJF foi realizado em Nova York, no último dia 30 de setembro.

Jackson Sousa e Michelle Nicolini, ambos representantes da Checkmat, ficaram com ouro duplo na competição.

No masculino, Jackson, embalado pelo bronze no ADCC 2017, venceu primeiro no peso super pesado, ao bater Eliot Kelly (Yamaso BJJ), para em seguida entrar no peso aberto e superar Diego Ramalho (ZR Team).

Michelle e Catherine completaram a festa ao fechar o absoluto feminino para a Checkmat. Foto: Reprodução

No feminino, Nicolini faturou o peso leve ao vencer Jéssica Santos (Elite BJJ Redmond) e em seguida fez a festa com a companheira de equipe Catherine Perret, campeã no peso médio, ao fechar o absoluto para o time da Checkmat.

Outros destaques no torneio ficaram para João Miyao (Cícero Costha), campeão no peso-pluma; Gianni Grippo (Alliance), campeão no peso-pena; e Renato Canuto (Zenith BJJ), campeão peso leve.

Veja abaixo os pódios do Pan de Jiu-Jitsu Sem Kimono!

BLACK / Adult / Male / Rooster

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light-Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class

BLACK / Adult / Female / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Female / Light

BLACK / Adult / Female / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Female / Super-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Female / Open Class

Nikki at the top of the podium at the 2014 Pan No-Gi. Photo: Personal archive

In the fall of 2009, Nikki Sullivan took on Jiu-Jitsu as a new hobby. Five years later she won the Pan No-Gi purple belt lightweight title. In between, she became a preschool teacher. Over the past year she has made it to Abu Dhabi as a blue belt, earned her purple belt and made it to the top of the podium a few times. The Indiana native finds time to train just as other serious athletes do but while also making a difference in the lives of youth on a daily basis.

Check out how Nikki manages her time of training and teaching, what awkward situations have arisen from two dueling roles she plays and her plans in the future:

GRACIEMAG: What got you into Jiu-Jitsu?

NIKKI SULLIVAN: I’ve always liked to ‘wrassle’, even before I knew what I was doing. My brothers and I used to roughhouse all the time when we were little. I’ve always been interested in the martial arts. I tried taekwondo my freshman year in college, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for. I wanted to feel like I could defend myself if I needed to. My senior year in college, a friend recommended Jiu-Jitsu. I took a class through the university, and immediately fell in love with it. I got involved with the BJJ club at Indiana University. I wanted to roll all the time, anywhere. I remember rolling outside in the grass a couple of times, or even on a racquetball court once, haha. (I decided not to do that again.)

When did you decide to become a preschool teacher?

I knew I loved teaching since I was a kid. I decided to major in education when I was in college, but did not decide to work with the preschool age until after graduating and working for a few years.

Have the two roles, Jiu-Jitsu competitor and teacher, conflicted in terms of priorities and schedule?

It can be tough to balance teaching full-time with training and teaching Jiu-Jitsu as well. Some days I’m so drained after work that all I can do is drill. I make the most out of the down time and breaks that I get- I’ve had to learn to conserve my energy throughout the day. And I drink lots of coffee!!! I have to make sure I’m eating right so I don’t crash. I love being able to hit the training really hard on weekends, when I’m mentally and physically fresh. Sometimes I’ll do mini workouts at school: I’ll hold the kids and do squats, or have one of them climb on my back while I do pushups. The kids love it. Sometimes I’ll have them do bear crawls, bunny hops, etc. to get their energy out. I have time to plan and prep at work, so when I get done at 4, I’m free to train or do whatever else I need to. The best part about being a teacher… we get breaks! Summer, fall, winter break, etc. This summer, I was able to just focus on training, and it was wonderful. The breaks give me time to put in some more intensive training, and also to get some much-needed rest. Also, my school has been great about letting me take vacation days when I need to travel for tournaments. My boss and co-workers are very supportive of my passion for Jiu-Jitsu. I have a great team around me.

How often are you able to train? What’s an average daily schedule like for you?

I train 6 days a week, an average of 4 hours per day. On an average week day, I work 8 to 4, then have about an hour after work to chill before training. I then train until 8 or 9. For instance: on Tuesday, I help teach our kids judo class at the academy from 5-6, then train 6-8, then sometimes I’ll hop over to the university club after and roll until 9:30 or 10. Sometimes, when I’m prepping for a tournament, I’ll go in a couple mornings at 6:45 and get in some extra drilling before work. I also teach a women’s class on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. I train from 10-4 on Saturdays. I road-trip to other schools in the area when I can. I’ve also been trying to add some strength training in there. I have a really hard time making sure I take rest days. They’re super important though.

Do the parents find out that you do Jiu-Jitsu? Any interesting run-ins or embarrassing jokes?

There have been a few times when I came in to work with a black eye, and I got some looks… some questions. One time someone jokingly asked if I got into a fight, and I had to respond, “Wellll… yes…but let me explain…” Eventually, everyone gets used to the fact that bruises are a part of my life. In general, I think the parents love that I train martial arts. Most of them still think I do karate. They will make jokes like, “Oh, so that’s how Miss Nikki keeps you in line!” Some of the kids have siblings that go to my kids judo class. I brought in some of my tournament medals one day and let the kids wear them around, which they loved! I think the parents really enjoyed seeing their babies being little champions.

How much were you preparing for Pan No-Gi when you won the lightweight division?

I was training as much as I could. My training schedule didn’t change too much, but I was going into the gym at 6:45 a.m. a couple mornings a week to get extra drilling and rolling in before work. I also try to grab a buddy and drill after or in-between classes to get extra reps in. I go to a school in Greenwood on Sundays for competition training, and that’s super helpful for tournament prep. Lots of working from the feet, shark-tanking, etc.

Walk me through your matches. Which was the toughest?

In my first match against Hanna Rauch, I got taken down, then swept, passed the guard, took the back, and finished with a belly down rear-naked choke. In my second match against Danielle Alvarez, I pulled a high guard and caught a tight armbar early in the match. My final match against Eva Tarnay was probably the toughest. I pulled guard again and was able to sweep, then it was a battle to pass and control on top. She was aggressive, never gave up, and had great movement. I’m not sure if I ever got points for the pass. I was able to take the back and attacked submissions until the end of the match. Her defenses were great! This was the only match that I was unable to finish with a submission.

What’s next for you?

I’m competing in the FIVE North American Invitational Championship in Miami. I want to do Pans and Worlds in the Spring and maybe the Europeans if I can swing it.

Watch the semi-final of Pan No-Gi:

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

The match did not go all the way and Santana’s win meant a close out with teammate Luiz Panza.

See how he defeated young gun Agazarm.

Murilo Santana was the big name of the 2013 Pan No-Gi

The 2013 Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship gathered more than 700 athletes this Saturday, September 28, at the City College, in New York City.

Since 9AM, men and women from the blue belt to the black belt, from adult divisions to senior 3 diplayed a lot of technique and love for the gentle art.

In the adult black belt division, two teammates dominated actions in the open class.

Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu’s Murilo Santana and Luiz Panza closed out the absolute.

Murilo fought twice and first beat Erza Lenon (ATT) by points and then he defeated AJ Agazarm (Gracie Barra) by guillotine choke.

Panza also had two matches and first tapped out Ronnie West (Balance JJ) with a triangle and then caught GFT’s Victor Oliveira’s foot in a ankle lock.

The gold medal went to Santana on a gentlemen’s agreement.

In the black belt weight divisions, the results were as follows.

Light-featherweight

In a single match, Laercio Fernandes (Alliance) outscored Milton Bastos (Paragon) 4-0 for the gold.

Featherweight

Caio Terra’s Samir Chantre and Osvaldo Moizinho closed out after each one defeated one opponent. Samir got the gold.

Lightweight

AJ Agazarm was the champion after outscoring Steven Barnett (Pellegrino MMA) and then tapping Nichlas Moraes (SAS) in a foot lock.

Middleweight

Francisco Iturralde (Alliance) tapped out Victor Oliveira with a choke from the back for the gold medal.

Medium-heavyweight

Murilo Santana outscored Thomas Jules (Tropa de Elite) for the gold.

Heavyweight

Luiz Panza defeated Daniel Simmler (Renzo Gracie) in the final.

Super-heavyweight

First – Ronnie Wuest Jr. – Balance (No match)

Ultra-heavyweight

Tom De Blass (Ocean County BJJ) defeated Leo D’Avila by advantages for the gold.

For the full results, go to ibjjf.com

Aldo Batista Team at Caxcudo C’Ship

GMA member Aldo Batista is very pleased with his team. His students did very well in two recent events in the east coast.

First, on Feb. 16, Aldo Batista’s Club BJJ – ABC BJJ \ Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team finished second in the teams competition at the Caxcudo World Cup Championship, in Milford, MA.

Caxcudo Championship is organized by fellow GMA member Carlos Alberto Terrinha, from GB New England.

ABC BJJ Team in New York

Later on, on Feb. 24, in Mineola, NY, Aldo’s pupils earned another 2^nd place among teams at the Long Island Pride Championship.

Professor Batista had only good things to say about his team: “I want to thank all for the effort and dedication. Congratulations to every athlete!”

For more info on Aldo Batista’s Club BJJ, go to aldobatistabjj.com.

Ryan, Aldo, Bryan

GMA member Aldo batista has a lot of reasons to be happy with his team ABC-Aldo Batista’s Club BJJ/ ICON JJ.

At the recent 2012 Pan No-Gi, in New York, two of his students secured the highest step on the podium.

Brian Viglione was the purple belt medim-heavy champion and Ryan Clay was the blue belt light-featherweight champion.

“Congratulations to my students. Their results were the prize for a lot of dedication and hard work. I am very happy for them,” said Aldo.

For more info, go to abcbjj.com

Renzo Gracie and Sahid

Assistant coach at Roger Gracie Buckinghamshire, Sahid Khamlichi tested his Jiu-Jitsu skills at the Pan No-Gi in New York and came away with top spot.

Sahid won the gold medal in the heavyweight brown belt masters category.

This was Sahid’s debut as a brown belt.

He was only promoted to the rank last month by Roger Gracie. which makes it all the greater an achievement!!

For more info, go  to rgaa.co.uk

Popovitch in action in NYC. Photo By Dan Rod

The 2012 Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship set the New York City College on fire this Saturday.

Pablo Popovitch was the adult black belt absolute champion, defeating Alliance’s Lucas Lepri in the final match by two advantages scored for having almost passed Lepri’s guard.

The gold in the open class was a comeback for Popovitch, who was defeated by Erza Lennon in the middle-heavy semifinal, settling for the bronze medal.

The black belt division champions were: Henrique Silva (light-feather), Osvaldo Moizinho (Feather), Lucas Lepri (Light), Vinicius Marinho (Middle), Kleber Oliveira (Medium-heavy), Roberto Alencar (Heavy), Diego Gamonal (Super-Heavy), Diego Santana(Ultra-Heavy).

Sofia Amarante won the female black belt featherweight and Thaysa Silva was the medium heavy champion. Valerie Worthington had no adversaries in the open class.

In the master & senior division, Fernando Di Pierro (master heavyweight champion) and UFC veteran Ricardo Almeida (senior 1 meddium-heavyweight champion) deserve mention.

In the Teams competition, Alliance topped the adults podium with 72pts followed by Gracie Elite (43pts) and Toronto BJJ (43pts). Alliance also won the female and the master & senior divisions. In the juvenile competition, Renato Tavares Association finished first.

For the full results, click here.

IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship

Is is all set for the 2012 Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship.

The fourth edition of the event taks place this Saturday, at the Nat Holman Gymnasium, in New York City.

Caio Terra, Pablo Popovitch, Osvaldo Moizinho, Lucas Lepri, Samir Chantre, Renan Borges, Roberto Tussa and Ian McPherson are some fo the stars that will display their technique on the mats.

The IBJJF has already released both the brackets, schedule and the No-Gi uniform requirements.

To warm things up, here is a video of last years’ adult open class black belt final match, between Davi Ramos and Kayron Gracie.

For more info, go to ibjjf.org