GRACIEMAG will be present tomorrow, April 20 at the 2013 IBJJF New York International Open. Set at the City College of New York in the heart of the city, the Nat Holman Gymnasium will be the battlefield for local teams to determine who is the best. You can follow all the coverage on our google + page!

Gracie Barra has sent a team of some of their best black belts to the other coast from California. Philippe Della Monica came out and held a seminar at GMA Gracie Barra Long Island and will be present along with his teammates. World champion Otávio Sousa leads the pack that includes also Rodrigo Simoes, Gustavo Pires and Magid Hage. Renzo Gracie team has opted to represent their academy without combining into the Gracie Elite Team name and Alliance is being represented by both New York academies Alliance NYC and Marcelo Garcia Academy. Nova Uniao is holding their own with Times Square locals Vitor Shaolin Academy. Many streams of competitors will be present from all over the nation to see who comes out on top. This tournament, however, has always been very important to the teams who are all located in rather close proximity and who gains the overall lead in points to win the team trophy. Will you be present to catch all of the excitement and/or defend your team’s glory?

The schedule is up as well as the brackets so be sure to check those both below:

Click here to see the schedule!

Click here to see the brackets!

Make sure you follow our live and up-to-date coverage tomorrow for all the action on our google plus page: www.gplus.to/GRACIEMAG

Celebrate victories at these three IBJJF tournaments / Photo by Erin Herle

The IBJJF calendar is in full force once again giving athletes from all across the country a chance to compete nearby before the big 2013 World Championship at the end of May.

New York City, New York: April 20

Team trophy podium picture at the 2012 NY Open

This weekend on April 20, the 2013 IBJJF New York International Open will be happening at the City of College of New York, Nat Holman Gymnasium. The one day tournament reached its full capacity a record eight days before the scheduled registration closure date. We will see you there this weekend if you were able to secure your spot in time or if you are close enough to make the visit to see a high-level tournament in the heart of New York. Many of our local GMA members like Vitor Shaolin Academy, Marcelo Garcia Academy, Renzo Gracie Academy, Alliance NYC and more will be well-represented so make sure you come out to support the local scene. California is sending various athletes like a team of Gracie Barra black belts including Rodrigo Simoes, Philippe Della Monica, Magid Hage and Otavio Sousa, Caio Terra Association is sending Samir Chantre to represent and Atos black belt Leonardo D’Avila will be present as well.

Location: Nat Holman Gymnasium 138 th Street & Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031

Las Vegas, Nevada: April 27

Vegas Open 2011 black belt open weight podium podium

The 2013 IBJJF Las Vegas International Spring Open will be the first installment of its kind. As the Las Vegas Summer Open has gathered enough competitors, IBJJF has decided to add another competition during the year. Registration is still open for this one-day tournament on Saturday, April 27 but only until April 19 so reserve your spot right away. The event will be in the Sport Center of Las Vegas, home of all the local Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, right off the famous Strip. With names like Mackenzie Dern, Sofia Amarante, Baret Yoshida, Alberto Crane, Gustavo Pires, Rodrigo Simoes, Osvaldo Augusto Queixinho, Manuel Diaz, Christian Broadnax, Rene Lopez and more, it’s worth attending or the pure skill level to be exhibited! Not too far from the biggest cities in California, don’t miss out on a quick Vegas trip to bring back a gold medal because not everything that happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

Registration ends April 19: http://www.ibjjf.org/lasvegasspring2013home.htm

Location: Sport Center of Las Vegas 121 East Sunset Road, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Dallas, Texas: May 5

Rafael Lovato Jr. at the 2011 Dallas Open

The annual IBJJF Dallas International Open is here the first weekend of May on Saturday, the fifth. For Texas, this high-level tournament allows those who missed the Houston Open to get their share of serious competition. Located at the Texas Women’s University a short drive from downtown Dallas, the biggest teams will be present. Registration deadline it approaching so secure your spot before April 27. Let this be the perfect primer for the World Championships as you compete alongside already confirmed athletes such as Leonardo Iturralde, Thaysa Silva, Renato Tavares, Sofia Amarante, and more from GMA academies: Pesadelo BJJ,Peak Performance, Cobrinha BJJ, Lovato Jiu-Jitsu, Marcelo Garcia Academy, Team Tooke MMA, Brazil 021, Texas Punishment Crew, Alliance Ecuador and more!

Registration ends April 27: http://www.ibjjf.org/dallas2013home.htm

Location: TWU – Kitty Magee Arena 1600 N. Bell Ave, Denton, TX 76209

Be sure to register before the deadlines and support your local competition scene! For more general information for all IBJJF events, please visit www.IBJJF.org

In Philipe’s first match, he faced Marcos Torregrosa of Lloyd Irvin, winning by referee’s decision. His second match had him up against renowned Jiu-Jitsu artist and world champion surfer Joel Tudor. “I got my knee on his belly and then got a baseball choke in from side control,” Philipe says, explaining how the match played out after he pulled guard and managed to sweep.

Della Monica's hand raised, to surfing legend Tudor's dismay. Photos: Deb Blyth.

The win over Tudor led to the third and final match, which he and Simões were thrilled about, as they closed out the bracket for their team. The two agreed that Philipe should take the gold this time around. “I won the American Nationals last year,” Rodrigo says, “so this year I gave the title to Philipe.” To get to the finals himself, Rodrigo had a difficult road, having to face off against the one and only Megaton during his journey.

Lightweight podium – from the left, Simões, Della Monica, Megaton, Tudor

Philipe decided not to register in the Gi absolute because he wanted to conserve his energy for the No-Gi competition on Sunday. It turned out to be a good thing because, once again, Philipe cleaned out the competition, taking gold in the No-Gi lightweight division.

Philipe had two No-Gi matches on Sunday. The first saw him take on Osvaldo “Queixinho” Augusto from Gracie Fighter. Philipe won by advantages, but when the buzzer rang, Philipe had taken his back and had a choke in ready to strike. In his second match, the divisional final, Philipe encountered Marcos Torregrosa, who had just defeated Philipe’s teammate Rodrigo Simoes. Philipe ended up winning by points, taking Marcos down and passing his guard in the first minute of the match, then trapping him in his guard. In the end, it was a close match but Philipe held out, winning gold on the day.

Philipe playing guard against Marcos Torregrossa

Philipe likes both Gi and No-Gi but trains more in the Gi. “I train No-Gi once a week,” Philipe says, “I like the stand up part and the takedowns. I’ve come in third place the last three years at the No-Gi Worlds, and I’m hoping to come in first this year.”

Gracie Barra has already started their camp for the No-Gi Worlds and Philipe says he thinks his team will do very well there. Gracie Barra placed first as a team at the American Nationals, so he’s hoping they can do the same at the No-Gi Worlds.

More than the actual act of competing and winning, Philipe really savors the journey of getting to the tournament. “I come here to enjoy myself,” he says,” I love to train, to diet and to prepare myself for a tournament. It makes me feel healthy.”

Celebrating with Gracie Barra teammates

For Philipe personally, he has been focusing more on his role as a professor than he has on being a competitor. He has been competing since he was 13 years old and got his black belt at 20 years of age. Now 26, he has a different focus and passion. “I love to compete,” he says, “I’ve been to all the big tournaments and have been involved in all competitive situations. I’ve won a lot and I’ve lost a lot and I feel like I’ve fulfilled that part of my life. I’m a very competitive person, and I like to win, but my focus is not on winning gold medals anymore. Now, I like to share my competition life with my students and give them whatever they need on and off the mats.”

Philipe doesn’t have the time or the desire to maintain the “competitor lifestyle” that is required to win all the big tournaments but says that he will keep competing and that he will always make sure he’s ready to do his best at every tournament he attends and try to win all of them just the same.

You can find Philipe coaching his students at the upcoming October 15th Gracie Barra CompNet Tournament in Irvine, after which he will compete in the November No-Gi Worlds.

Bruno Antunes wrestles a tractor tire during training

Juggernaut is a strength and conditioning facility that Smith says, helps Jiu-Jitsu athletes increase their power, strength, coordination, and speed. “It’s great for their cardio,” he says, “They will have the ‘explosion’ they need, when they need it.”

Smith and his business partner, Nate Winkler, opened Juggernaut in September 2009. Smith is a two-time National Shot Put champion and is currently ranked 3rd in the world in his weight class as a power lifter. “My weight class is the 308’s,” he says, “I’m a very physically dense person.” Smith isn’t kidding. With his 6 feet tall, 300-pound frame, he’s a very solid and imposing individual.

Smith says, he had a tough start in the business. “I got laughed out of one guy’s office,” he says, “It couldn’t have been a worse experience, but then I connected with the Jiu-Jitsu community through Fabio “Gigante” Vellela. He was totally into strength and conditioning for his athletes.” After that, Smith met Mikey Gomez who took him to meet and train with Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Alexandre “Dande” Santos, Philipe Della Monica, and Ulpiano Malachias, to name a few.

“I’ve been working with the Gracie Barra athletes to increase their speed and power, so they feel confident going into their fights. They’ll know that even at the last minute of their matches, they’ll still be feeling ‘fresh-ish’ while the guys they’re fighting are gassing out.”

Smith says strength is the basis of everything. “When Jiu-Jitsu technique is the same, strength will win out,” he says, “Like Jiu-Jitsu itself, I’m helping these guys become more effective with less effort. They are doing more with less effort. They aren’t going to gas out when they need to explode.”

Fabiana Borges is excited about the No-Gi Worlds and feels her extra training is going to help her in her matches. “For the first time, I’m going to fight at the light weight division,” she says, “I’m trying to gain a lot of muscle. Since I’ve been doing more strength and conditioning, my cardio is better. I don’t get tired training anymore.”

Bruno Antunes, who’s consistently been medaling on the tournament circuit lately, hopes his additional training will push him into the gold medal bracket. “I’m very excited to fight at the No-Gi Worlds because I think I’m prepared to fight now,” he says, “I started this physical conditioning and I really feel like it’s helped me become stronger and faster. I feel ready to fight and I hope to have good results.”

Rodrigo Simoes agrees. “I feel really good because of all my extra training,” Rodrigo says, “I’m also ready to fight.” Mikey Gomez, who’s been fighting MMA for the last four years, has been training really hard for the No Gi Worlds. “I’m excited to compete in the toughest division there is – the black belt division – after four years of just fighting MMA.”

Fabricio Pitanguy, who recently came out from Renzo Gracie’s school, says, “I feel great. My training’s been awesome. The conditioning has helped me a lot and my Jiu-Jitsu training is really good too, so I just really just want to play my game and see what happens.”

Jeff Schulz says since training at Juggernaut, “I’m not afraid to get tired when I’m fighting anymore because I know I can recover fast. Going out and fighting at the Worlds will be a lot easier than coming here for the training!”

Smith is pleased with all of their results so far. “I see them improving weekly,” he says, “There’s a marketable difference in their work outs today compared to five weeks ago. It’s not even comparable.”

With the Worlds coming up quickly this weekend, it remains to be seen how Gracie Barra will do, but one thing is certain: they are primed and ready to go.

Check out the action as captured by the lenses of Mike Colón and Deb Blyth.

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Confira as melhores imagens do evento nas lentes de Mike Colón e Deb Blyth: 

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Samir Chantre pegou Megaton e venceu o Americano, peso pena. Fotos: Deb Blyth.

Além de Caio Terra, campeão absoluto do Campeonato Americano de Jiu-Jitsu, muito faixa-preta teve motivo para se orgulhar no último fim de semana, com o apagar das luzes do ginásio em Carson, Califórnia.

No feminino, Emily Wetzel (BJJ Revolution) foi a grande campeã absoluto, ao vencer a faixa-marrom Kiri Liao (Ribeiro) na final, por 6 a 4.

Laércio Fernandes festeja com Giva Santana. Foto: Deb Blyth

No peso galo masculino da faixa-preta, Caio Terra não conseguiu vencer o desgaste no absoluto e sucumbiu frente a Laércio Fernandes (Lotus), por 4 a 2. O aluno de Givanildo Santana vai com moral agora para o Mundial Sem Kimono, em novembro.

No peso pena, Wellington Megaton e Samir Chantre fizeram a final. Deu Chantre (Gracie Fighter), com uma chave de braço. “Puxei para a guarda, raspei e caí montado. Ao tentar empurrar, ele me ofereceu o braço. Esperei antes o juiz dar os pontos da montada, e aí apliquei a chave”, disse Samir.

Na semifinal, ele ainda precisou passar pelo havaiano Baret Yoshida. “Ele me venceu no Mundial Sem Kimono do ano passado, então foi a revanche. Venci por uma vantagem”, disse Chantre.

Rodrigo simões comemora. Foto: Deb Blyth

No peso leve, Rodrigo Simões (Gracie Barra) encarou a pedreira americana Zak Maxwell (Gracie Humaitá). Rodrigo levou a peleja por pontos, e estava amarradão. “Raspei, ele depois me raspou, mas eu raspei de novo”, disse o campeão. No fim, 4 a 2 para o brasileiro.

Simões, que no absoluto foi eliminado por uma chave de braço de Caio Terra, vai estar no Pan Sem Kimono, de Nova York, no próximo dia 2.

Clark Gracie em foto de Deb Blyth

No peso médio, a divisão terminou com Clark Gracie e Ryan Beauregard na final. Os dois são atletas da BJJ Revolution, mas decidiram se enfrentar. Clark então finalizou Ryan!

“Não chegamos a um acordo sobre quem levaria a medalha de ouro para casa, então lutamos. É dureza lutar 100% contra um amigo, mas assim que eu senti a intensidade dele no começo da luta, acordei e percebi que precisava dar tudo para vencê-lo”, disse o Gracie.

Beauregard começou vencendo por 4 a 0, até que caiu na guarda de Clark., que o finalizou com uma omoplata. “Na verdade eu asfixiei o pescoço dele dali”, explicou o Gracie, que no caminho para o título venceu também Marcelo Mafra (CheckMat).

O filho de Carley Gracie venceu o Americano quatro vezes, mas foi o primeiro ouro na faixa-preta. “Estou ficando quase pronto para encarar os melhores do mundo”, disse.

No peso meio-pesado, Marco “Sharpei” Machado (Drysdale) fez mais uma final contra Bruno Antunes (Gracie Barra), repetindo o desenrolar do Las Vegas Open. Marco venceu, novamente, com 5 vantagens à frente.

Marco Machado agora luta o Miami Open, em outubro, e o Mundial Sem Kimono no mês seguinte.

No superpesado, deu Bruno Bastos (Nova União), que venceu Alberto Vilanova (Gracie Barra). “Raspei e passei a guarda, mas no fim da luta quase que ele me pega numa guilhotina. Escutei o Gustavo Dantas berrar que só faltavam 30 segundos, então segurei e escapei”, disse Bastos.

Leandro Santos e Stephen Hall em foto de Deb Blyth

Já no pesadíssimo, o campeão foi Leandro Santos (Ribeiro), que foi bronze no absoluto. Leandro, afastado das competições por um ano devido a uma contusão no tríceps, venceu Stephen Hall na final, com uma passagem de guarda.

Laercio Fernandes and Giva Santana. Photos: Deb Blyth.

In the adult light featherweight final, Caio Terra of Gracie Fighter faced Laercio Fernandes of Lotus Club BJJ. Terra, coming off his big win in the open class the day before, told GRACIEMAG.com on Saturday that he was unsure whether he wouldo compete in his division on Sunday because of a back injury he suffered in his open matches. However, he chose to compete anyway, and he and Fernandes went at it, with Fernandes pulling off the big win.

Fernandes won on points, 4-2. “It was a hard fight,” an excited Fernandes says, “He’s a world champion. I trained really hard for this tournament.” This was Fernandes’s ninth tournament of the year.

“I had a good experience,” he says, “I’m very happy I got to fight Caio Terra. Thanks to my master, Giva Santana, and to my team.” Next up for Fernandes: the No-Gi Worlds in November.

In the adult featherweight division, the final was between Wellington “Megaton” Dias of Gracie Humaita and Samir Chantre of Gracie Fighter. Chantre won with an arm bar. “I pulled guard, swept him, and then fell into mount,” Chantre says, “He tried to push me off and he extended his arm. I caught it, waited for my points, and then went to the arm bar.”

Samir Chantre

Chantre says he uses this sweep often. There is no name for it, but it seems to work for him when he applies it because he recently won another tournament with it. “I’m not totally stabilized when I do it, so everyone tries to push me off and they extend their arm,” he says.

In the semifinals, he was excited to face Baret Yoshida. Chantre and Yoshida have a personal competition going. “He beat me in the 2009 No-Gi Worlds,” Chantre says, “This was a rematch. He tapped me out last time. This time I won by an advantage.”

Chantre competed in the black belt open on Saturday, but did not medal. He lost in the last thirty seconds of his match. He tried the same sweep maneuver on a heavier competitor, but he pulled his arm back, so Chantre didn’t get the submission he was looking for, but Chantre was still happy with his performance. “Caio Terra is my training partner and roommate and he has been helping me a lot,” he says.

Rodrigo Simoes and his GB Team

In the adult lightweight division finals, Rodrigo Simões from Gracie Barra Manhattan Beach competed against Zak Maxwell of Gracie Humaitá and won on points. “I pulled to guard,” a happy Simões says, “I swept him, then he swept me, and then I swept him again.” After all the back-and-forthing, it became a bit of a “dog fight” at the end as Maxwell fought to pick up points before time ran out. Simões ended up winning 4-2 to pick up the gold in his division.

Simões competed in the open class the day before, but did not medal. He won his first match by an advantage, but got caught in an arm triangle to Caio Terra in his second match.

“I trained really hard for this tournament,” Simões said, “I’ve been taking a special conditioning class with Kayron Gracie, Fabiana Borges, and Mikey Gomez. It’s really been helping.” Simões’s next stop will be the New York No-Gi Pan.

In the adult medium weight class, the division ended with Ryan Beauregard and Clark Gracie, both of BJJ Revolution, in the finals. They tried to come up with a gentleman’s agreement, but were unable to come to terms, so they decided to compete for the gold, with Gracie tapping Beauregard out to win it.

Clark Gracie

Gracie says that he and Beauregard couldn’t agree on who should take the gold and all that talk got him out of his zone. “I came out not in tune for the fight,” he says, “It was hard to go 100% against a friend, but as soon as I felt his intensity, it woke me up, and I knew I had to match it.”

Beauregard was winning 4-0 when he ended up in Gracie’s guard. “I finished the match with an omoplata,” Gracie says, “I choked him from that position.” Gracie later informed GRACIEMAG.com that the referee told him the score should have been 4-2 because he hadn’t counted Gracie’s takedown. Regardless, the points were not a factor because of Gracie’s submission.

Gracie’s first divisional match was against Marcelo Mafra. “It was a good fight,” he says, “I had never competed against him before, so I didn’t know his game. I played it safe.”

This is Gracie’s fourth time winning a gold at the American Nationals in other belts. “This is my first medal as a black belt,” Gracie says. He received his coveted belt on May 29, 2010 from his father Carley Gracie. “I’m really excited to be stepping up as a black belt,” Gracie says, “I’m getting ready to face the best guys in the world.”

Gracie is now back training and teaching at his academy, Gracie La Jolla, in San Diego, but he will be back facing all the best guys in the world at the 2010 No-Gi Worlds, which he won last year as a brown belt.

At adult medium heavyweight, Marco “Sharpei” Machado from Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu and Bruno Antunes from Gracie Barra found themselves in the final together again. They met in the same position at the Las Vegas Open, with the same results. Machado took gold again.

Machado’s first match was DQ’d, so Antunes was Machado’s first and final fight. Machado won by five advantage points. “I went to take him down, and he tried to fight on top. After a couple of minutes, I pulled to guard. I laid a lot of pressure.” Machado almost passed his guard twice and almost took his back twice.

“I had a lot of fun,” he says, “I like this tournament.” Machado is proud of his Drysdale team. “Our team is growing a lot. Everybody fights really well.” Machado will be at the Miami Open in October and then the No-Gi Worlds in November.

In the super heavy adult division, Bruno Bastos of Nova União, not fully recovered from his loss to Caio Terra in the absolute on Saturday, won his first and final match against Alberto Silva Vilanova from Gracie Barra and took home the gold for his academy.

“I swept him, then passed his guard,” Bastos says, “We both got penalties in the match because we weren’t moving. I passed his guard again and won by points.” Bastos says at one point Vilanova almost got him in a guillotine. “I almost tapped,” he says, “Then I heard Gustavo (Dantas) say ‘there’s only one minute thirty seconds left,’ so I tried to control my breathing and I was able to escape. He was a really tough guy.”

Bastos says he was still tired from the open and he refereed all day, so that had an impact on his performance, but he carried on anyway. “I have to support the sport to keep it growing,” he says, “It’s a pleasure to help grow it in the U.S.”

This was Bastos’s first time at the American Nationals. “I really liked it,” he says, “Gustavo Dantas brought lots of students and I brought some, too, but I hope to bring more next year to get a trophy. Thanks to Nova União and Octagon in Dallas for their support.”

Leandro Santos and Stephen Hall

In the adult ultra heavy weight class, Leandro Santos of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu fought Stephen Hall of Alliance and won the gold medal for his efforts. Santos was coming off a third place win in the absolute.

Santos hadn’t competed in over a year because of a triceps injury. “I felt more confident today than yesterday,” Santos says, “Everything was clearer today. I was able to move better and think clearer. I pulled guard to feel him out and ended up in his guard. I was able to pass. I felt loose by the end of the fight.”

Santos wasn’t feeling 100% at the tournament. “I was more confident in my grip exchanging, but I can’t grip well. I missed so many competitions. I was only performing at about 40% this weekend.”

Santos says during the open class on Saturday, he felt foggy and was late getting into positions. “Competing is way different than in the gym,” he says, “Split-second decisions count and I definitely paid for my mistakes. Thanks to Saulo and Xande for being my masters, and Cory Miller, Gazze and Mica for all their support inside and outside the mats.”

Group shot of Marines and GB Staff. Photos: Publicity/Camp Pendleton

Recently, GB standouts, Kayron Gracie, Otavio Sousa, Fabiana Borges, Marcelo Lacerda Brandao, Rodrigo Simoes, Lucas Rocha, Ronis Gracie, and the rest of the GBSC/GBDP staff went to the base to present a Jiu-Jitsu class to the Marines. It was the first time these GB professors and coaches had been on a military base and they were excited about the opportunity. The Marines were blown away by the level of skill and precision these Jiu-Jitsu greats brought to their community.

Kayron and Otavio Sousa demonstrating a Jiu-Jitsu move.

Kayron Gracie led the class and had a great time doing it. “We got there in the morning at around 10:00,” he says, “Coach Felipe (Guedes) and Coach Charles (Gomes) put them through an hour of physical drills and conditioning,” he says, “Then Professor Otavio, Professor Marcelo, and I taught them some Jiu-Jitsu techniques that were geared more towards the type of self-defense situations they would normally be presented with during combat.”

At the end of the class, the professors and coaches sparred with the Marines. Then as a special surprise, the Marines taught the GB participants a little bit about their combat training. Ronis Gracie was awed by the Marines’ dedication and commitment to training. “I think the most impressive thing I saw was their focus and seriousness during training,” he says, “I can see why these guys are so important to the country and why the U.S. is the strongest country in the world.”

Kayron and Otavio teaching a technique

Black belt Fabiana Borges said it was amazing to see how hard the Marines trained and how disciplined they were in class, realizing that they do it to get ready for war. “The experience changed my life,” she says, “It made me want to go back to the mats and demand more of myself as a professor and an athlete. They inspired me to train harder and teach better. We were teaching them Jiu-Jitsu techniques so they can protect themselves while they’re protecting our country. That gave more value to my art and made me expect more from myself.”

At the end of the training session, the Marines gave the professors and coaches certificates as a gesture of respect and gratitude. Fabiana said she felt a lot of pride at that moment. “I was proud to see how they respected and admired our martial art. It was a good feeling knowing that they might be able to use a little bit of the Jiu-Jitsu we taught them to protect themselves while they are so fearlessly defending the country.”