“It is with great honor and satisfaction that we invite ‘purple belt’ athletes to be part of a really cool selection process that opens doors for many talents in the gentle art to thrive in life and as fighters,” says Fabio Gigantinho, professor at Gracie Barra Cedar Park in Texas.

A reference in the Kids Program at Gracie Barra, as well as a victorious competitor in major IBJJF tournaments, Gigantinho has been continuously improving in his career as a professor and entrepreneur.

In addition to Gracie Barra Cedar Park, his first school in Texas, the Brazilian now has a school in Round Rock and the new branch in Georgetown. “I want to share all of my experiences with athletes who are in the process of development. Using Jiu-Jitsu as a tool to change lives, that’s my main goal.”

“In addition to learning advanced Jiu-Jitsu, the selected athletes will master the English language and understand how the business world of the gentle art works,” promises the black belt. “These are the main foundations for a successful career.”

“Today we have a group of six Brazilian athletes who are living the dream of working solely and exclusively with Jiu-Jitsu. They came here with a dream, and we have all the necessary structure for them to achieve their goals in life.”

“Ready to live this dream? Send your sports résumé to the email address atleta@gbwilco.com and be part of a championship-winning team on and off the mats!”

Oss!

Emily SHeil

The highlights of Day 2 of the 2016 Pan Jiu-Jitsu championship were the female blue belt and purple belt divisions.

All weight classes played out until champions were crowned, including the open class winners.

In the blue belt division, JR Academy’s Emily Sheil topped the absolute after finishing Halie Tucker with an armbar.

Sheil finished third on the lightweight division to end the day with a gold medal and a bronze medal.

Here are the full results for the blue belt division (female).

BLUE / Adult / Female / Rooster

First – Mei-lein Preston – Gracie Barra

Second – Rita Ochoa Navarro – Tiburones BJJ Puerto Rico

Third – Natasha Nicole Espinosa Delgado – Mauro Sergio BJJ

Third – Kriti Raju – BJJ Revolution Team

BLUE / Adult / Female / Light Feather

First – Sarah Stump – GF Team

Second – Mikaela Brenna Carpenter – Power MMA

Third – roya darvishian – Team Lloyd Irvin

Third – Crystal Gaxiola – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

BLUE / Adult / Female / Feather

First – Melissa Templeman – Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Berkeley

Second – Natalie Konieczny – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Vicky Shearer – Gracie Barra

Third – Ana Cristina Araujo Rodrigues – Guigo BJJ

BLUE / Adult / Female / Light

First – Cristina Anaya – Soul Fighters BJJ

Second – Meagan Curran – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Emily Sheil – JR Academy

Third – Nicholle Stoller – Team Lloyd Irvin

BLUE / Adult / Female / Middle

First – Leslie Mclea – Elite Mixed Martial Arts

Second – Halie Tucker – American Top Team Wellington

Third – Gabriela Ulyssea Franzoni Mello – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Megan Redfern – The Black – HWD

BLUE / Adult / Female / Medium Heavy

First – Emily C. McGivern – Nova Uniao Jiu Jitsu Mississauga

Second – Sonia Sillan – SBG International (SBGI)

Third – Alexandra Brynn Coleman – João Paulo Team USA

Third – Chanelle Michelle Alarcon – One Jiu-Jitsu USA

BLUE / Adult / Female / Heavy

First – Amanda Cristina Alves da Silva – Ns Brotherhood

Second – Ashley Montellano – Brazilian Top Team

Third – Kayla Dehm – Crazy 88

Third – Tammy Lorraine Emmsley – GD Jiu-Jitsu Association

BLUE / Adult / Female / Super Heavy

First – Danielle Stein Martinez – Baret Submission

Second – Teara Lewis – Jean Jacques Machado BJJ

Third – Camille hook – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Chelsea Kilpack – Absolute MMA Behring

BLUE / Adult / Female / Open Class

First – Emily Sheil – JR Academy

Second – Halie Tucker – American Top Team Wellington

Third – camille hook – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Alexandra Brynn Coleman – João Paulo Team USA

Gabrielle McCobb

In the purple belt division, Gabrielle McComb rose to the top of the open class after beating Heloisa Ferreira in the final.

With an advantage for a near-takedown, McComb secured the gold medal to complete her day at the Bren Events Center, in Irvine, CA.

Before that, Gabrielle closed out the featherweight with Gracie Humaita’s teammate, Brenda Heller.

Here are the full results of the purple belt.

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Rooster

First – Amber Rymarz-freitas – Gracie Barra

Second – Megan Allison Parducho – Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy

Third – Mimi Shing – Alliance

Third – Jennifer Bann – GD Jiu-Jitsu Association

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Light Feather

First – Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos – GF Team

Second – Victoria Tome – Bruno Bastos Association

Third – Andrea Bathan – Gracie Barra

Third – Patricia Magalhaes – Brazilian Top Team

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Feather

First – Brenda Heller Pessoa Freitas – Gracie Humaita

Second – Gabrielle McComb Lima – Gracie Humaita

Third – Katherine Hill – Carlson Gracie Team

Third – Taylor Biagi – Bonsai JJ – Chicago

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Light

First – Larissa Paes da Silva – Gordo Jiu-Jitsu

Second – Margot Ciccarelli – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Claire North – Bonsai JJ – Chicago

Third – Victoria Maciel – Soul Fighters BJJ

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Middle

First – Renata Marinho Moreira – Alliance

Second – jessica Swanson – Soul Fighters BJJ

Third – Ashley Bilak – Dark Horse Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Martha Hernandez – Cobra Kai Jiu Jitsu

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Medium Heavy

First – Raquel Dayne Kaleialoha Paaluhi – Zenith BJJ

Second – Melissa DuBose – Alliance

Third – Ketra Bartek – Gracie Humaita

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Heavy

First – Sarah Louise Draht – Pacific Top Team Okanagan

Second – Bethany Bates – Fredson Paixao BJJ Las Vegas

Third – Emily Heisler – Paragon BJJ Academy

Third – Alejandra Gonzalez – MABJJNC

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Super Heavy

First – Heloisa Silva Rodrigues Ferreira – Alliance

Second – valentina bigman – Brasa CTA

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Open Class

First – Gabrielle McComb Lima – Gracie Humaita

Second – Heloisa Silva Rodrigues Ferreira – Alliance

Third – Jessica Swanson – Soul Fighters BJJ

Third – Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos – GF Team

Here are the best images of day 2.

On another note, day 2 saw the drawing of the two most important brackets of the entire event.

Fifteen black belts signed in for the female black belt absolute while 40 competitors registered for the male open class.

See here the way to the gold for each athlete.

The adult black belt open class kicks off this Saturday, around 3:30PM.

Click here to follow the complete coverage.

Click here for the full results after two days.

Coverage brought to you by GAMENESS.

Jiu-Jitsu in the northwest has steadily been growing over the years, a culture beyond the California, Texas and east coast meccas. Brown belt brothers Zach and Nathan Adamson are two pioneers in Oregon under Rafael Lovato, Jr. who push to help spread the art in the northwest region today. Through positivity and passion the two have created their GMA academy Seaside Jiu-Jitsu Academy to instill these attributes into others through Jiu-Jitsu.

Their most recent endeavor is the 2013 Adamson Bros Kids In-House Tournament set for April 13. The invite-only style event was created to gather the best kids in the region (ages 5-12) to all come together to battle for trophies and prizes. Zach says, “We did this event pretty much invite only style so that our facility wouldn’t be over run but we could still have the top kids from various teams all bring their kids out to the coast for the event. We have roughly 50 of the best kids confirmed from the Idaho, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene areas.”

Every competitor is guaranteed two matches.
All of the kids matches will be as follows:

3 Minute Matches for kids ages 4-6 year old
4 Minute Matches for kids ages 7-12 year old

Also announced are male purple belt super-fights. Already confirmed are:

Dong-Yeob Mok: Alliance (South Korea)
Brian Swift: Carlson Gracie Team (Seattle, Washington)
Curtis Mickelson: Team Adamson Bros (Sand Point, Idaho)
Ryan Cunningham: Performance Grappling Team (Springfield, Oregon)
James Bang: Marcelo Alonso Team (Seattle, Washington)
Dyton Galliher: Iron Lion (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho)
Seth Dawson: Northwest Martial Arts (Eugene, Oregon)
Kevin Dadik: Five Rings Jiu Jitsu (Portland, Oregon)

Tournament rules and regulations will follow the IBJJF format. This Includes the purple belt super fights. The winner of the purple belt super fights will win $100 cash, sponsor pack plus a trophy/title. Cash bonuses will be awarded for submissions!

Saturday April 13 marks the event date, set to be held from 12-2 p.m. The academy location is at Seaside Jiu-Jitsu 1601 S Roosevelt Dr. Seaside, Oregon.

If you would like to register please visit http://www.oregonjjevents.com/

Brian Morizi competing at the 2010 Pan

One of GB’s highest hopes at purple belt is Brian Morizi. He’s a very young purple belt who recently came in 3^rd at the Pan. Morizi has been training for about three years and has already competed in over 60 tournaments. Part of his success may stem from the fact he’s been able to train with some great black belts who’ve been helping him along. “I’ve been training with Kayron Gracie, Flavio Almeida, Lucas Rocha, and Otavio Sousa, to name a few,” says Morizi, “Whatever’s working on those guys has to work on other purple belts!” At the Pan, Morizi had four division matches, only to lose to Jordon Schultz from Alliance in the semifinals. Schultz went on to take first in the lightweight division.

At that time, Morizi said he had a lot to “clean up” before the Worlds. “I have a lot to work on,” Morizi says, “I need a smarter game plan for the Worlds.” As part of his preparation, Morizi recently competed in the GB Season Opener where he took 1^st place in the Adult Division, “It was a great experience,” Morizi says, “Any time you can compete, it really helps you in other tournaments. The GB tournament has good rules, great refs, and a friendly environment to fight in.”

Morizi says the level of competitors at the GB tournament is the same as what you’d find at the Worlds or anywhere else, so he thinks more purple belts should sign up for it. “If more guys came out to fight at this tournament, we’d have more fights in our own weight class, which would help us prepare for the other big tournaments like the Pan and the Worlds and it would be more realistic of what we’d be facing there.” Morizi says he’s looking forward to the Worlds and he feels confident about his training in preparation for it.

Jeff Shulze competing at the 2010 Pan

Jeff Shulze trains at GB Santa Ana under Ulpiano Malachias. He also trains at GB America a couple times a week to train with the black belts there. Shulze, a young purple belt, says he’s been a little frustrated with his Jiu-Jitsu lately, but he’s working through the kinks, “Professor Ulpiano’s been giving me hints. I need to figure out what’s going to make me better.”

Shulze says he’s going to register for the Worlds. “It’s my responsibility to represent my school,” he says, “I’m a big fan of competing. The more you compete, the better you get. If you don’t compete, your nerves build up and you don’t perform as well. If you compete all the time, you get used to the stress.”

Shulze was disappointed in his performance at this year’s Pan. “I lost my second fight,” he says, “It was really tough.” Shulze also competed in the GB Season Opener to prepare for the Worlds, where he came in third “I lost to Guilherme (Cotliarenko). Competing in that tournament showed me that I’m in a good place and working my way up. You have to rise to the occasion with each new belt.”

Shulze believes, win or lose, competing at any tournament only helps with the overall evolution of his Jiu-Jitsu. “When I compete in BJJ, it magnifies my results,” he says, “It makes me a better person – it gives me goals to set. It helps me deal with stress and gives me confidence to go about my daily life.”

Brian Mansfield fights off Rafael Villanueva at the 2010 GB Season Opener

Brian Mansfield is a purple belt in the masters division. He trains at GB America about four to five times a week. Mansfield loves to compete and does so whenever he can. He says he will drive anywhere to compete in a tournament. He went to Arizona in March and came in 2^nd at a tournament there and then competed in the GB Tournament and placed 2^nd again, where he lost to Rafael Villanueva.

“GB America has one of the larger schools in America,” he says, “The competition is great. There are so many different people playing different types of games, with different strengths. You have to train hard to adapt to that. That’s why there’s no downside to competing. The experience you get is invaluable. You learn more in those 5 minutes of competing than you can in an hour class.”

Cedric Chamouille training with fellow GB purple belts Paul Barbosa (GBF) and Felipe Guedes (GBSC)

Cedric Chamouille is a purple belt at GB America. He’s been at it for 3 ½ years. Chamouille is a world traveler – he was born in New Caledonia (between New Zealand and Australia), moved to Tahiti when he was 12 years old and came to the U.S. in 1995. “I’ve lived everywhere,” he says, “My dad’s a TV Director, so we moved a lot.” Chamouille says he has put his suitcase down in Irvine, “I’m done moving,” he says, “I’m staying in Orange County.” With the kind of training he gets at GB America, who can blame him?

Chamouille’s real passion is teaching. He wants to have his own school one day, but says he wants to be a black belt first. “I want to learn as much as I can,” he says, “I want to stay on the mats and be one of the best Jiu-Jitsu instructors in GB.”

Chamouille says he also likes the experience of competing, but he prefers the GB tournaments. “They’re such great tournaments,” he says, “They’re like family reunions. Not everyone can be the best, but everyone can get there. If all the purple belts from GB competed in that tournament, the level would be really high. I mean, look at Brian Morizi. He’s a phenomenal guy. He’s one of those prodigy kids. Time-wise, he’s still a blue belt, but his level of purple belt is more like a brown belt. Can you imagine if everyone signed up?”

Chamouille says the GB purple belts are going to be a force to be reckoned with, “We’re the first homegrown purple belts,” he says, “We’re the first wave. We’ll see more coming up in the future. We’ve only been around Southern California for like 5 years, but our purple belts are already really good.”

Rafael Villanueva has been training at GB America for a little more than 3 years. Villanueva is a little different because, not only is he a GB purple belt, he’s also a 4^th degree black belt in taekwondo (which is master status), a black belt in Aikido and a brown belt in judo.

The GB Tournament was his first tournament as a purple belt. His strategy for fighting comes from his wide range of martial arts skills. “I’ve been training martial arts for 22 years, so I think differently. judo helps with the grips and takedowns, but it takes a lot of energy to take someone down for 2 points. Sometimes it’s easier to pull guard and get the sweep because you get more points. If I feel my opponent’s grips are strong, I just pull guard. If I test him and I know I can do ok, I’ll throw him for sure, for the points.”

Villanueva’s strategy must work because he came in 1st at the GB Tournament in the Masters division. He thinks more people should sign up for it, “There’s a lot of talent in GB. It’s a ‘faith’ tournament. You can test yourself in a friendly environment. It’s good to test your skills against other schools. I try to go around and visit other schools to see where I’m at. It helps.”

Villanueva believes that competing makes you see things differently. “When you compete, you’re stepping up to a different level,” he says, “You feel it right away – how you respond to stress and different circumstances. It’s completely different than taking a class. After so many tournaments, you don’t get nervous and you can stay calm. Any experience competing helps.”

Brian Morizi competes against Guilherme Cotliarenko for 1st place at the 2010 GB Season Opener

One other purple belt to look out for at the Worlds is Guilherme Cotliarenko. He’s a tough GB competitor who also trains at GB America with the stellar list of black belts there. He also has an MMA background. The other purple belts say Cotliarenko’s a tough competitor who will be a threat at the Worlds.

With the Worlds only a couple of weeks away, the GB purple belts are training hard to prepare themselves for the biggest tournament of the year. It will be interesting to see the results of their hard work and efforts.