Rodrigo Freitas getting ready for his school’s kids tournament

Jiu-Jitsu schools all over the country are preparing their young athletes to compete in one of the most important BJJ tournaments in the world for children: The IBJJF Kids International Championship, which takes place next Dec. 14, at the Long Beach Pyramid.

A primary skill for a youngster to be successful in competition is experience. That is one of the reasons why training is so important. Having the kids practicing and competing as much as they can generates confidence that helps them excel on the mat, championships and life.

Professor Rodrigo Freitas from GMA Gracie Barra Manhattan Beach motivates his young students to compete because he believes that while participating in tournaments, kids not only inspire themselves to continue learning Jiu-Jitsu, but also they can learn how to deal with stress and other feelings such as anger or anxiety. The school offers not only regular kids class and advanced kids class but also has a competition class for kids every Friday from 5pm to 6pm.

As a result, GB Manhattan Beach built an accomplished team of children that has exceeded in various recent competitions: Colin Yun took silver in the yellow Pee-wee 3, featherweight division at the American Nationals; Kathleen Cruz, light/middleweight, gray and black belt took 1st place at Dream Kids in march, 2nd at the NABJJ LA open, 1st at Kids Worlds, 1st at Vulcan open, 1st in last GB Compnet; Kennedy Jimenez, 9 year olds, yellow and white belt took silver at the medium heavy in the American Nationals in October; Jaden Marshall, yellow and white belt, heavyweight division was 1st place at IBJJF Kids American National, Big John McCarthy’s Submission Only, and Kids Worlds in San Bernardino; Joey Schobel, yellow and white belt, 6 years old, featherweight took 1st place at the 2014 Kids Worlds; and Malibu Rocco, gray and white belt was also 1st place at the 2104 Kids Worlds in November.

Would you like to bring your team to compete at the IBJJF Kids International on Dec. 14 in Long Beach? Click here to register now!

For more information regarding the tournament go to www.ibjjf.com

One of his favorite techniques, it helped Rodrigo to win the 2014 Pan No-Gi and be a silver medalist at the 2014 World No-Gi.

Watch and add it to your no-gi game.

Aldo “Caveirinho” Januario will teach at GB Manhattan Beach. Photo: Graciemag archive

Professor Rodrigo Freitas, head instructor of GMA Gracie Barra Manhattan Beach, is excited to announce that his very own professor will be in town.

Professor Aldo “Caveirinha” Januario will be at GB Manhattan Beach for a seminar on Oct. 31.

The seminar will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the academy which is located at: 5225 W. Rosecrans Ave Hawthorne, CA 90250.

For more information please go to www.gbmanhattanbeach.com

Qual é a sua opinião sobre os fechamentos no Jiu-Jitsu, leitor?

Teammates AJ Agazarm and Rodrigo Freitas fighting at the 2014 Worlds No-Gi. Photo: Ane Nunes

The 2014 World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi took place at Azusa, California, on Oct. 4-5th. During the black belt finals Gracie Barra teammates, AJ Agazarm and Rodrigo Freitas had no agreement and decided to fight for the gold medal. One takedown by AJ earned him the victory and his first world championship title as a black belt.

The fact that both athletes decided to duel instead of closing out their weight category by picking a winner through camaraderie surprised many of the spectators in the stadium watching the competition. Fighting a teammate in a tournament still not a practice commonly accepted by Jiu-Jitsu fighters that often prefer to have a gentlemen’s agreement.

The tournament had four other black belt categories where teammates clashed in the finals including: Feather (Samir Chantre vs. Osvaldo Moizinho), Middle (Marcelo Mafra vs. Tiago Abreu), Heavy (Jackson Sousa vs. Lucas Leite), Super-Heavy (Joao Assis vs. Luiz Panza); besides them only AJ and Rodrigo actually fought while the other pairs just entered the mat to watch their partners have the arm raised by the judge and celebrate.

After this happened, GRACIEMAG was curious to find out what might have motivated both Gracie Barra teammates to face each other in the finals and how did they feel about it? Here is what they said:

AJ Agazarm

AJ trying a takedown. Photo: Ivan Trindade

“After winning the No-Gi World Championship, I was overwhelmed with happiness. It is something I have been seeking to accomplish since I began Jiu-Jitsu quite sometime ago, but just like anything of worth, it did not come easy; there were many obstacles to overcome.

Competing in Jiu-Jitsu often takes the form of politics—the practice of the distribution of power and resources within a given community. Politics are seen throughout every tournament. It is evident when deciding what two members will represent in an absolute division for a team, the particular position of athletes in brackets, the favor of a referee during a match, the decision of who will get the victory if the two teammates meet in the final. It does not end there. In the black belt, it is very common to see two team members close out divisions together in the final. Division closeouts are detrimental because not only does it provide a disservice to the community, it also prevents growth and eventually deteriorates the prestige of the tournament.

Prior to this tournament, I anticipated the possibility of both Digo and I needing to compete against each other for the title, as I knew it is something that is important for both of our careers. I was willing to take on any challenge and although that meant I had to take on a teammate, it was something that had to be done. Gracie Barra is a very large team and as we continue to grow, so does the likelihood of two teammates competing against each other.

Many times, I see athletes on the same team closing out divisions and opting out of competing against each other. Unless it is an open or a small tournament, this opting out does more harm than good. It does a severe disservice to the fans and community of BJJ, eliminating the opportunity for fans to experience a fun and exciting event for the finals. Imagine being new to BJJ and thinking you are going to attend the finals of the World Championships to watch some fun and exciting match ups, but when you get there, 7 out of the 10 bouts close out and make no fight. The event becomes nearly pointless.

In order to challenge myself, in order for Digo to challenge himself, in order to prove our strength as teammates, and in order to provide a great tournament for the fans, we elected to compete against each other. I challenge all athletes to do the same, for not just themselves, but the future of our sport.”

Rodrigo Freitas:

Rodrigo Freitas defending the guard. Photo: Ivan Trindade

“I’m very happy with my performance, I have increasingly come near my main goals and I’m very focused in what’s coming next. Regarding the Worlds No-Gi final, the decision of fighting was taken on the following factors:

1-    Being a senior and have not yet achieved this goal, thus I do not believe it would behoove me to give it up for AJ.

2-    There was no option of AJ’s giving it to me.

Consequently, the decision was fighting. I believe he has every right to want to duel. Competing against a member of the same team weighs only because you can’t find the support of your team at the time of the fight, since there is no positioning, and no coach. But when it comes to new experiences, it adds a lot and I have matured with all these events in my career.”

So, dear reader, do you think athletes of the same team should fight each other in the championship finals or close out? Comment here!

Second degree black belt and head instructor of Gracie Barra Nottingham, Victor Estima, will be at GMA Gracie Barra Manhattan on October 16 to teach a seminar.

The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and it is open to everyone, all teams and affiliations.

Gracie Barra Manhattan Beach, home to Professor Rodrigo Freitas, is located at 5225 Rosecrans Ave. Hawthorne, CA 90250.

The cost per person is $60 but GB members can receive a discount at the front desk.

Find out more about GB Manhattan Beach at www.gbmanhattanbeach.com

Jackson Sousa against AJ Agazarm in the open class final. Photo: Erin Herle

On the day of the 2014 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship in New York City, the basement gymnasium never ceased action. The mats were full from nine in the morning to nine at night. The most packed divisions besides the many blue belts who always start the day, were the adult black belts.

Each division from light-feather to ultra-heavy held talent from near and far. Here is how the divisions panned out:

Light-feather

Joao Miyao with a triangle armbar. Photo: Erin Herle

The arrival of Joao Miyao into the division brought up the excitement level for this division. With five athletes, the final dwindled down to Mark Ramos of Ricardo “Rey” Diogo BJJ and Joao Miyao of Cicero Costha. Joao submitted his first match with a triangle armbar and Mark finished his with a guillotine. In the final, Joao bested Mark and submitted with an armbar for the gold.

First – João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Mark Daniel Ramos – Ricardo “Rey” Diogo BJJ
Third – Vitor Peres Paschoal – Caio Terra Association
Third – Jorge Elias Bucaram Santistevan – Alliance

Feather

The feather division also had five athletes and two of them were looking to meet at the final: Osvaldo “Queixinho” and Samir Chantre of Caio Terra Association. And this is exactly what happened. Queixinho edged out Gianni Grippo in his first match with one advantage in a final score of 2-2 points, 3-2 advantages and 1-0 penalty. Samir had a bye and in his first match he defeated Joey Taliercio, who won his first match against Daniel Keane. The match went the distance with Samir winning 23-0. In the final, Queixinho took the gold in a close-out since Samir won it last year. This is their third year in a row closing out this tournament.

First – Osvaldo Augusto Honorio Moizinho – Caio Terra Association
Second – Samir José Chantre Dahás – Caio Terra Association
Third – Gianni Paul Grippo – Alliance Marcelo Garcia
Third – Joseph Wallace Taliercio – Renzo Gracie

Light

Rodrigo Freitas against Garry Tonon in the light final. Photo: Erin Herle

The lightweight division accumulated six athletes of high caliber. The final came down to Garry Tonon and Rodrigo Freitas. Garry defeated Edson Oliveira with a rear naked choke and also AJ Agazarm with the same submission in the start of the division and Rodrigo won over Renan Borges with a points lead. In the final Rodrigo defeated Garry by an advantage with the final score as 2-2 points, 3-2 advantages.

First – Rodrigo Lamounier de Freitas – Gracie Barra
Second – Garry Lee Tonon – Renzo Gracie
Third – Renan Borges – New England United BJJ
Third – AJ Agazarm – Gracie Barra

Middle

Vitor Oliveira on the back of Enrique Coco. Photo: Erin Herle

The middle division had the most athletes with some big names. The final came down to Enrique Coco and Vitor Oliveira. Enrique defeated both Nik Ruben Nikolaisen and Francisco Iturralde on his way to the final. Vitor defeated Leonardo Iturralde and his second opponent didn’t show so there was no semi-final on that side. The final was a tough match with Vitor pressuring to pass and Enrique attacking the feet. But in the end Vitor made it to the back and secured the choke for the gold.

First – Vitor Henrique Silva Oliveira – GF Team
Second – Enrico Daniel Cocco – Fight Sports
Third – Leonardo I. Iturralde Aguirre – Alliance Ecuador
Third – Francisco Antonio Iturralde Lara – Alliance

Medium-heavy

Claudio Cardoso celebrates his win. Photo: Erin Herle

In medium-heavy there were five men total. Brian Beaury and Claudio Cardoso made it to the final. Brian defeated Warren Stout in his first match and Claudio defeated his first opponent, Romulo de Souza. In the final the match was rather even with Brian working to sweep and Claudio doing well on top. As soon as Brian came up to sweep, Claudio secured a toehold that ended the match and gave Claudio the gold.

First – Claudio de Mattos Cardoso – Gracie Barra
Second – Brian J Beaury II – Abusado Team
Third – Vinicius Agudo Silva – Team Link
Third – Romulo de Souza Azevedo – Welton Ribeiro

Heavy

Lucas Rocha on the back. Photo: Erin Herle

There were four athletes in the heavy division making it an even bracket. Lucas Rocha and Mauro Santiago made it to the final. Lucas defeated his first match against Gabriel Toribio. Mauro defeated his first match against Jackson Souza with a guard pass ending the match 3-0 points. The final came down to Lucas and Mauro closing out with Mauro taking the gold.

First – Mauro Celso Santiago – Gracie Barra
Second – Lucas Rocha de Freitas – Gracie Barra
Third – Jackson Sousa dos Santos – CheckMat
Third – Gabriel Toribio – Renzo Gracie

Super-heavy

Nelson and Thiago. Photo: Erin Herle

Super-heavy had three guys for a round-robin division. The first match against Nelson Puentes and Thiago Ribeiro ended with a submission for Thiago. Nelson went on to defeat Nicholas Liaskos to earn a spot in the final against Thiago for another attempt at victory. In this match, Thiago reaffirmed himself with an armbar finish for the gold.

First – Tiago Ribeiro do Valle Giussani – Fabricio International Team – FIT
Second – Nelson Horacio Puentes Zuniga – Alliance NYC
Third – Nicholas A Liaskos – RABJJ

Ultra-heavy

Abraham and Gabriel. Photo: Erin Herle

This was another round-robin division. Gabriel Lucas defeated Bruno Bastos and then Abraham stepped in to go against Bruno. Abraham secured a triangle choke for that match and the final was down to Gabriel versus Abraham. The triangle attempts were not enough this time and Gabriel passed to earn a win of 3-0 over Abraham and the gold as well.

First – Gabriel Lyrio Lucas – CheckMat
Second – Abraham J. Marte Messina – Yamasaki Academy
Third – Bruno Bastos Cruz – Bruno Bastos Association

Female

Luiza versus Megan in one of three matches during the day. Photo: Erin Herle

The only weight division with enough girls to have a match in the black belt division came in the middle category. Luiza Monteiro and Megan Nevill faced off. Luiza secured a 16-4 lead in points for the gold.

First – Luiza Monteiro Moura da Costa – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Megan Ann Nevill – Renzo Gracie

Bibiana Silva secured the gold by default in the feather division.

Open Class

MALE

Here is how each match in the open class for the black belt male adults panned out:

Abraham Marte defeated Gabriel Toribio by DQ knee reap.
Gianni Grippo defeated Garry Tonon by 6-4 points.
Mauro Santiago defeated Nicholas Liaskos by 20-0 points.
Romulo de Souza defeated Vinicius Agudo by armbar.
Enrique Coco defeated Thiago Ribeiro by 8-2 points.
Gianni Grippo defeated Mauro Santiago by 2-1 advantages.
AJ Agazarm defeated Jorge Elias by darce.
Jackson Sousa defeated Romulo de Souza by 4-0 points.
Abraham Marte defeated Enrique Coco by 4-0 points.
AJ Agazarm defeated Nik Nikolaisen by 4-0 points.
Jackson Sousa defeated Gianni Grippo 2-0 points.
AJ Agazarm defeated Abraham Marte by 4-2 points.
Jackson Sousa defeated AJ Agazarm by armbar.

First – Jackson Sousa dos Santos – CheckMat
Second – AJ Agazarm – Gracie Barra
Third – Abraham J. Marte Messina – Yamasaki Academy
Third – Gianni Paul Grippo – Alliance Marcelo Garcia

FEMALE

Here are the results for the female adult black belt open class with a round-robin division:

Luiza Monteiro defeated Megan Nevill by kneebar.
Megan Nevill defeated Bibiana Silva by rear naked choke.
Luiza Monteiro defeated Megan Nevill by ankle lock.

First – Luiza Monteiro Moura da Costa – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Megan Ann Nevill – Renzo Gracie
Third – Bibiana Dios Tan Pacini S. Silva – UFC Gym Stamford / BDT BJJ

Check out the gallery of all the black belt matches here:

Pan No-Gi 2013. Photo: Dan Rod

The Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship is already filling up its athlete list. Scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27 at the City College of New York in New York City, the event will bring the best no-gi players to fight for the Pan title.

As of now, the registration is at 76% capacity. The original registration deadline is Sept. 19, however the IBJJF will close the registration prior to the deadline if capacity reaches 100%.

So this means, if you are planning to compete this month for the Pan No-Gi title, get your travel accommodations arranged and register on www.ibjjf.org

The venue is the Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of the City College of New York located at: 160 Convent Ave. NY, NY 10031.

So far the black belts who have confirmed their registration include Rodrigo Freitas, Renan Borges, Lucas Rocha, Leonardo and Francisco Iturralde, Luiza Monteiro, Megan Nevill, Mark Ramos and more.

Don’t miss the opportunity to win this no-gi title. Go to www.ibjjf.org now.

Kayron Gracie vs. Daniel Tavares at the 2011 Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Photo: Dan Rod

No-gi season is upon us and the championships are coming up soon. The first of the two major tournaments this part of the year is the Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship on September 27 in New York City.

The Pan title is a major win and top black belts travel to the east coast each year to participate and earn their gold for their resume. In previous years, black belts who have taken to the mats are Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Caio Terra, AJ Agazarm, Garry Tonon, Murilo Santana, Vitor Oliveira, Lucas Lepri, Renan Borges, Laercio Fernandes, Bruno Fernandes, Pablo Popovitch, Roberto Alencar, Sofia Amarante, Kayron Gracie, Davi Ramos, and more!

The list is still growing but you can bet on Rodrigo Freitas, Gianni Grippo, Mark Ramos, Bruno Bastos to be at this year’s edition.

Register your spot now until September 19 at www.ibjjf.org.

The venue will be the Nat Holman Gymnasium at the City College of New York: 160 Convent Ave., New York, NY 10031.

Check out this no-gi technique from Roger Gracie to brush up on your game:

Rodrigo Freitas of Gracie Barra wins the lightweight division. Photo: Erin Herle

The 2014 IBJJF Vegas Summer Open is underway at the Sport Center of Las Vegas right off the strip. The one-day event on Aug. 9 is one of the hottest in the summer.

The black belt adults took to the mat early in the day with multiple matches for most of the divisions. The open division will begin at 3 p.m. PST.

Here is how the divisions unfolded:

Light-feather

Fabbio Passos of Alliance defeated Sonny Nohara of SoNo BJJ by 4-0 points.
Nobuo Yagai of Rigan Machado defeated Sonny Nohara by points.
Fabbio Passos defeated Nobuo Yagai by 6-2.

Winner: Fabbio Passos

Feather

Vitor Paschoal of Caio Terra Association defeated Orlando Machado da Silva Junior of Norfight by toehold.
Samir Chantre of Caio Terra Association defeated Gerson Atoigue of Nova Uniao by armbar.
Gianni Grippo of Alliance Marcelo Garcia defeated Vitor Paschoal by 8-6 points.
Samir Chantre defeated Gianni Grippo by 2-2 points 2-1 advantages.

Winner: Samir Chantre

Light

Rafael Benedito of Zenith BJJ defeated Andrea Rico Vaughan of Gracie Humaita Las Vegas.
Rodrigo Freitas of Gracie Barra defeated Francisco Iturralde of Alliance by 2-0 points.
Rafael Benedito defeated Osvaldo Moizinho of Caio Terra Association by 2-0 points.
Rodrigo Freitas defeated Rafael Benedito by armbar.

Winner: Rodrigo Freitas

Middle

Nathan Mendelsohn of Coalition 95 defeated Romulo Cavalcanti of Carlson Gracie Team by armbar.

Winner: Nathan Mendelsohn

Heavy

Antonio Antonioli of Atos Jiu-Jitsu defeated David Reed of Fabio Santos BJJ by DQ by stalling.

Winner: Antonio Antonioli

Super-heavy

Gustavo Pires of Gracie Barra defeated Manuel Diaz of Caio Terra Association by armbar.
Bradley Beckwith of Alliance defeated Thiago Veiga Ximenes of Roberto Traven BJJ.
Gustavo Pires defeated Bradley Beckwith by armbar.

Winner: Gustavo Pires

Ultra-heavy

Carlos Eduardo Farias of Roberto Traven BJJ defeated Thiago Reinaldo de Souza of Gracie Barra by referee decision.
Ranieri Albuquerque of Gracie Elite Team defeated Misael de Oliveira Miranda of Luiz Paulo Jiu-Jitsu by 1 advantage.
Carlos Eduardo Faria defeated Prescott Foster Bailey Jr of Easton BJJ by two advantages.
Carlos Eduardo Faria defeated Ranieri Albuquerque by 8-2 points.

Winner: Carlos Eduardo Faria

See the full results here: http://static.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/000294/en-US/Results.pdf

Check out a full gallery of photos below:

Renan Borges vs. Gianni Grippo. Photo: Erin Herle

The IBJJF will be back on the east coast later this month for the 2014 IBJJF Boston Summer Open on Aug. 23. If you missed the Spring Open, now is your chance to compete in Bean Town.

The divisions are stacking up with talent in every rank including black belt. Already set to compete are Rodrigo Freitas, Renan Borges, James Puopolo, Rafael Barbosa and new black belt Nathalia Amaral.

The venue is at UMASS Athletics located at 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125.

You have until next Friday, Aug. 15 to register your spot for the cost of $110 per person. Don’t miss the last chance to compete in the northeast for awhile!

To sign up, go to www.ibjjf.org