Watch the entire match but at 6:25 it slows down for the pass. Check it out:

Ryan Beauregard now has a successful academy in Mesa, AZ. Check it out at: www.teambeauregard.com

Southwest Training Facility and Team Beauregard celebrate Ian Beauregard’s promotion to brown belt Saturday Aug. 3. Photo: Ryan Beauregard

TEAM BEAUREGARD BJJ

PROFESSOR:

Black belt Ryan Beauregard

ADDRESS: 145 W. Broadway Rd. Mesa, AZ, ZIP: 85210

ADDRESS 2: 3044 N. 24th St. Hope, Phoenix, AZ, ZIP: 85016

PHONE: (520) 780-4504

WEBSITE: www.teambeauregard.com

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ryan.beauregard

ABOUT:

VIDEO:

Friends Marcel Fortuna and Diego Herzog / Photos: Deb Blyth

The black belts were divided into two divisions, the light absolute and the heavy absolute. Gustavo did this to allow more black belts the opportunity to win. This year the theme was “Take me to Portugal.” So what the black belts were competing for was a chance to win a paid trip to Portugal for the Europeans. In the light absolute, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes of Soul Fighter was the big winner. And in the heavy, Marcel Fortuna of Ralph Gracie snapped up the other ticket.

Marcel, who received his black belt in 2007, won the Gi Worlds as a super heavyweight brown belt. These days he’s not competing too much but he has been present at the last three of Gustavo’s tournaments. Samir Chantre, Director of Refereeing for GDJJ events, contacted Marcel and asked him if he would come and ref at Gustavo’s tournaments. Marcel agreed. At the February tournament, Marcel didn’tt compete, but at the summer tournament he did and won $1,500. At the 3rd Southwest Classic Jiu-Jitsu tournament, Marcel won again, picking up a plane ticket to Portugal.

Marcel says he was surprised more black belts didn’t show up for the tournament. “I expected to have at least three matches to get the ticket,” he says, “but I ended up fighting Ryan Beauregard (BJJ Rev) twice.”

In their first match Marcel says he fought loose because he expected to get into the finals with his friend Diego Herzog. He beat Ryan 6-2. Then Diego took on Ryan. Marcel says that Diego didn’t realize he was behind by 2 points, and he ended up losing the match, so Marcel faced Ryan a second time.

Fortuna plays guard against Ryan Beauregard.

The second match brought about some excitement for the crowd. The first four minutes of the match the two were standing up trying to get takedowns on each other. “He was tough,” Marcel says, “He kept blocking my takedowns, so I eventually pulled guard. I tried to sweep, and ended up in a straight foot lock, but I couldn’t close. I tried to sweep again and we ended up in a 50/50. We kind of got stuck there. I decided to push him out of the position. I got him set up in an omoplata sweep, but I didn’t have time to finish it.” Marcel walked away with the win.

Marcel hasn’t been seen on the Jiu-Jitsu tournament circuit lately, but there’s a good reason for that. Like many Jiu-Jitsu athletes, Marcel is trying his hand at MMA. He’s been training Thai boxing and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. “I just had my second pro fight two weeks ago,” he says, “My first fight I submitted the guy in two and a half minutes in the first round. My second fight was in Sacramento, at Uriah Faber’s academy. I beat that guy in two minutes with a rear-naked choke.”

Marcel says he’s been training his stand up and Thai boxing at World USA Team and keeping up with his Jiu-Jitsu at Ralph Gracie in San Ramon, California. He says MMA is his first priority now. “I still love Jiu-Jitsu and I still teach and train in it but now I do muay Thai and wrestling to become more well-balanced in MMA.”

Heavy absolute winners podium

Marcel says on the one hand he feels it’s his duty to represent Jiu-Jitsu, his main background, in the cage. “It’s my first martial art,” he says, “I started training when I was 16. I feel I need to represent Jiu-Jitsu in MMA.”

But on the other hand, he says there’s not enough money in Jiu-Jitsu to sustain him, so he’s going down the MMA path in hopes of getting into the UFC and making some real money. “I definitely want to test the art, but at the same time, I want to make money, and there’s a lot more in MMA,” he says.

As for the 3rd Southwest Classic Jiu-Jitsu tournament, Marcel says he had a great time. And he had reason to celebrate more than just the ticket to Portugal. “I just turned 26 on Saturday,” he says, “This ticket is my birthday gift to myself.”

Brent's arm raised in victory / Photo: Jerry Roberts

Brent has been a brown belt for almost three years and competes in as many tournaments as he can. In the absolute, Brent had two matches. The first was against Nova Uniao’s Ryan Heilman. “I pulled guard, swept, got on top, passed his guard and got a collar-type choke that I made up a couple years ago. I call it the Primus choke,” Brent laughs.

The final was against Jesus Artesi of Lotus Club JJ. “He pulled guard, I passed his guard and took his back,” Brent says, “I submitted him with a bow choke.” The bow choke is Brent’s favorite Jiu-Jitsu move, so he’s looking for it every time he rolls. “I like to take the back,” Brent says, “It’s such a controlled position. I do the bow choke well. I have so much leverage on it.”

Interestingly enough, Brent says that no one has scored a point on him for the past three years, since turning brown belt. “I’ve lost by advantages before but not very often, and no one’s scored a point on me since I’ve been a brown belt.” That’s quite an accomplishment.

It’s common for Brent to compete in the open class at events. “I’ve won them all so far,” he says, “I’ve done a couple in Vegas, the U.S. Open, and a few in Oregon. I like to do opens. They’re more of a challenge for me.”

Brent also had two  matches in his middleweight division. The first was against Brandon Magana of BJJ Revolution. “It was a really tough match,” he says, “I only won by a few points and some advantages. I threw him for a takedown. He was really strong and had a really good base. I controlled him from the top. I had him in a crucifix for over half the match. It was really frustrating that I couldn’t close it.”

His second match was against Gracie Barra’s  Diogo Silva de Souza. It was another tough match, and a very technical one, but Brent won it by points. “It was a really fun match,” he says, “Diogo’s very technical. I was able to take him down, pass his guard, and then take his back.”

Brent says the Las Vegas International Open was a great experience and he’s glad he made the 15-hour drive from Oregon to get there. “It was definitely worth the drive,” he says, “I went against some tough competitors I wouldn’t be able to find in Oregon. I also loved watching guys like Caio Terra compete as well.”

Two years before the 2011 Worlds he tore his knee, so he only competed at the smaller tournaments. The last time he competed in a Worlds was 2009, when he came in second to Ryan Beauregard of BJJ Revolution in the brown belt division. Brent is in good health now and plans on competing at all the big tournaments this year and next. Brent would like to thank his instructor, Ryan Clark, and his academy. “Thank you for making me the competitor and person I am today.”

Caio Terra, in photo by John Lamonica

While the final article and finest images await arrival in readers hands, GRACIEMAG.com takes a look back on the biggest Jiu-Jitsu event of the Americas, the IBJJF Pan.

To make sure you receive your copy of GRACIEMAG swiftly in the comfort of your own home every month, subscribe here. Take a look back at the eleven highlights of the last Pan, below:

11) The best of what went on at the Pan took place on Saturday, March 26, in the absolute division. If we must unfairly judge the event by the Sunday finals, it was about average. The absolute, though, was on par with the greatest championships I’ve ever seen.

10) In closing out the featherweight category, Ana Carolina, the wife of GMA Regis Lebre, became Pan champion without having to fight. Still she had an amazing achievement: she gave birth and then returned to competition not six months later, earning her way to the World Pro in Abu Dhabi.

9) One of the greatest matches of the tournament took place early on in the absolute, between Ryan Beauregard and Luiz Felipe Big Mac. The diminutive Arizonan took a six-point lead on Big Mac, but (literally) couldn’t take the pressure. Big rallied back passing guard and then deliberately returning just to pass again. After the match, Big dropped out of the absolute, clearing the way for the hard-nosed Bernardo Faria, who eventually took runner-up.

8) André Galvão was the grand medium heavyweight champion. But as he put it himself, he’ll need to pick up the pace to win the division at the 2011 Worlds.

7) In the master contest, our GMA Fábio Leopoldo had a hard-fought battle with Fernando Soluço that few in the adult division would have it in them to do.

6) The most out-of-this-world move of the 2011 Pan was Malfacine’s armbar on Megaton, in the featherweight division.

5) Caio Terra is one of the most technical athletes in present day Jiu-Jitsu. What’s up with that guard? Hooks all over the place, grips every which way. He’s got great defense and attack, and he’s a specialist in leg assaults.

4) The best black belt finals were at heavyweight, light featherweight and middleweight.

3) Honorable mention goes to Gabriel Vella. He lost to Bochecha in the very last instant, while having a great come-from-behind bout. He started out getting nailed with a double-leg takedown, flipped things around with a half-guard sweep, and brought the pressure down on the superheavyweight champion. He made a mistake at the tail end, and Bochecha was unforgiving. Gabriel is probably the black belt dating back the farthest still competing in the top flight, to the point of making waves in the absolutes of major tournaments. He didn’t do so well on Sunday, but his performance on Saturday made up for it.

2) Rodolfo is indeed the man. His game can give Roger some woes from a tactical standpoint, and there’s no doubt Xande will surely have his hands full. Wait and see what happens at the Worlds.

1) Braga Neto had particularly splendid performances in two matches: against Demente on Saturday and Big Mac on Sunday. Rodolfo sent him packing, but Big Neto was the tournament’s number two, better even than Faria. A hard nut to crack.

Caio Terra, em foto de John Lamonica.

Enquanto a reportagem final e as melhores imagens não chegam às mãos dos leitores, o GRACIEMAG.com relembra os melhores lances do maior evento de Jiu-Jitsu das Américas, o Pan da IBJJF.

Para garantir sua GRACIEMAG com todo conforto e rapidez, assine aqui. Abaixo, relembre os 11 grandes lances do último Pan:

11) O melhor do Pan aconteceu no sábado, 26 de março, durante a chave do absoluto. Se injustamente julgarmos o evento pelas finais de domingo, foi mediano. Porém o absoluto foi digno dos melhores campeonatos que já assisti.

10) Ao fechar o peso, Ana Carolina, mulher do GMA Regis Lebre, foi campeã no Pan sem lutar. Mas conquistou antes um feito incrível: teve filho e voltou a competir menos de seis meses depois, conquistando a vaga para o World Pro em Abu Dhabi.

9) Uma das melhores lutas do campeonato aconteceu nos primórdios do absoluto, entre Ryan Beauregard e Luiz Felipe Big Mac. O levinho do Arizona abriu seis pontos em Big Mac, mas não aguentou (literalmente) a pressão. Big descontou passando a guarda e voltando voluntariamente para passar de novo. Depois desta luta, Big vazou do absoluto, deixando o caminho menos pedregoso para Bernardo Faria, eventual vice absoluto.

8) André Galvão foi o grande campeão meio-pesado. Mas, como o próprio admitiu, vai precisar melhorar o ritmo para conquistar a categoria no Mundial 2011.

7) No master, nosso GMA Fábio Leopoldo fez com o duríssimo Fernando Soluço o que poucos no adulto são capazes.

6) O lance mais incrível do Pan 2011 foi o armlock voador do Malfacine no Megaton, no peso pluma.

5) Caio Terra é um dos atletas mais técnicos do Jiu-Jitsu atual. Que guarda é aquela? Muito gancho, muita pegada. Bom de defesa e ataque, e um especialista em ataques de perna.

4) As melhores finais da faixa-preta foram as do peso pesado, pluma e médio.

3) Menção honrosa para Gabriel Vella. Ele perdeu na virada do ponteiro para o Bochecha, quando fazia um lutão de recuperação. Começou sendo estatelado com uma baiana, revertou com uma raspagem de meia-guarda e vinha amassando o campeão superpesado. Cometeu um erro no finzinho, e Bochecha foi certeiro. Gabriel é provavelmente o faixa-preta mais antigo em atividade no alto nível, a ponto de incomodar em absoluto de campeonato grande. Não foi bem no domingo, mas a atuação de sábado valeu.

2) Rodolfo é mesmo o cara. O jogo dele pode sim complicar o Roger taticamente, e não tenho dúvidas de que é muito complicado para o Xande. A conferir no Mundial.

1) Braga Neto fez bonito especialmente em duas lutas: contra Demente no sábado, e contra Big Mac no domingo. Rodolfo o despachou, mas talvez Netão tenha sido o segundo nome do campeonato, melhor até do que o Faria. Páreo duro.

Ryan Beauregard / Photo: publicity

Sponsorship package includes:

Airplane ticket to California
Registration Fee to compete at the 2011 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Two-night hotel room reservation

The brothers sporting gold at the Arizona International Open / Deb Blyth

Best known for winning the Worlds as a brown belt in 2008, Ryan Beauregard leads the charge for Team Beauregard BJJ / BJJ Revolution in Arizona and is proud and happy to have his two younger brothers, Colin and Ian, standing by his side as he does so.

Ryan and his brother Colin started training Jiu-Jitsu about six years ago. “We’ve always been into competitive sports,” Ryan says, “But after high school we started getting into trouble . . fighting . . . we needed to find some way to channel our aggression. We found Jiu-Jitsu.” What they found was Professor Demetrius Ramos and BJJ Revolution right down the street from their house. “How lucky is that?” he asks.

Now a black belt and in a whole different league of competition, Ryan says he trains really hard and, as an American, feels like he has something to prove in a sport dominated by Brazilians. “When we first started training, I felt like we were behind, compared to those who grew up doing Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, but we have put so much time into the gym. We’re not behind anymore.”

Ryan received his black belt after the 2010 Pan, so he’s relatively new to the “black belt club,” but he is holding his own just the same. He competed in Portugal and came in third and is planning on competing at the 2011 Pan and the Worlds in June. “We haven’t missed a Pan or Worlds since we started training Jiu-Jitsu,” Ryan says.

Ryan competing at Arizona International Open / Photo: John Cooper

At the 6th Arizona International Open, Ryan won gold in his weight class. “I had one match against Michael Martin,” he says, “He’s a local instructor. It was good for us to challenge each other. It was a good fight. He’s a tough guy. I won with a choke from the back.” In the open, Ryan had one match against Gracie Barra’s Don Ortega, which he lost. “Don won at the Worlds as a brown belt the same year I did,” Ryan says, “He was a light heavy and I won at light.”

For Ryan, the day was a big success and he was very happy about the results and the performance of his team. “We had five people from our personal academy in Phoenix here today and they brought home five gold medals. We also did two blue belt promotions on the podium today.”

Ryan says his experience at the 6th Arizona International Open was great. “I think Gustavo’s (Dantas) tournaments are awesome. He puts together a great tournament. Arizona has great competitors now and I think this is the reason.”

Colin Beauregard is the middle brother in the Beauregard family. He is currently a brown belt in the feather weight division. Colin had a great experience at the Arizona International Open. He took home gold in his division. “I had one match and won with a kneebar in a little over a minute,” he says.

Like Ryan, Colin competes and trains a lot. “I’ve had hundreds of fights,” he says, “I won the last three state championships I’ve entered; the last 2 state championships at brown belt, by submissions.”

Colin received his brown belt after the 2010 Worlds. He’s excited by the progress he’s made in the sport and the fact that most of his wins have been by submission. “I’m excited to tap the legs finally,” he says, “It’s how I’ve gotten most of my submissions since I’ve got the brown belt.”

The most seriously competitive-minded of the three brothers, Colin loves Jiu-Jitsu and the fact that it allows him to stay in a competitive sport after so many years of wrestling. “It’s a good release for me,” he says, “I’ve competed my whole life. Jiu-Jitsu has taken over my life since high school. It allows me to keep my competitiveness.”

Jiu-Jitsu has also brought the Beauregard family closer together. “All three brothers spend every day together,” he says, “We improve because of each other. We push each other. If Ryan goes to the gym, I have to go. If I ask Ian to go to the gym, he’s going to come no matter what. We never say no to each other.”

Ian, the youngest brother, moved to Phoenix about six months ago to join his two older brothers on the mats. Colin says that Ian is training with him and Ryan and “blowing through everyone” during his competitions.

“We always tell him at his tournaments that rolling here can’t be any harder than rolling with us,” Ryan adds, “We go hard on him. We never take it easy on anyone. We push all of our students and each other as far as we can. BJJ Revolution is the #1 team in the nation – we have no room to slack.”

“We love Jiu-Jitsu,” Colin says, “We do it because we love it.”

All three of the brothers competitively wrestled in school, but it was youngest brother Ian who found martial arts first, albeit an unorthodox form of it. “He found ‘Hawaiian Jiu-Jitsu’ in Arizona,” Ryan says. But then the guys found BJJ Revolution, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Older brothers with baby brother Ian after his big win / Photo: Deb Blyth

Ian Beauregard is a blue belt who now fights in the adult light division. At the 6th Arizona International Open, he won four matches, three of them ending in submission. In his final, he fought Jonathan Hill and won on points.

Ian’s been training for about four years. His signature move is a judo throw. “I like takedowns,” he says. Ian just turned 19 and only recently started competing in the adult division. Already, he’s done well, placingthird3rd in blue/purple gi and secondin the blue/purple no gi at the Abu Dhabi Trials in Las Vegas.

Ryan says he coaches Ian every day. “He’s blessed because he’s a mix of me and Colin. He sucks info from his two older brothers. He’s just now starting to shine and it’s showing the depth of our family. He’s still young. We’re going to see lots more of him. I’m very proud of him.”

Ian agrees with his brothers that Jiu-Jitsu has made his family closer. “We love Jiu-Jitsu”, Ian says, “My parents come to every tournament. I train with my brothers every day. We share everything, and we hang out every day. We’re all really close.”

Big brother Ryan concurs, “Jiu-Jitsu is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. Not only has it brought me and my brothers closer together – we are together every single day smashing each other…my two brothers are everything to me, but it’s also brought my parents together, too. They never miss a match, no matter where it is. We have our own academy. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

He will be welcoming also GMA member Rodrigo Medeiros, leader of BJJ Revolution Team, in San Diego, California.

The cost for the event is $60 dollars per person.

Don’t miss out this great opportunity and enroll now.

For more info, go to teambeauregard.com

He will be welcoming also GMA member Rodrigo Medeiros, leader of BJJ Revolution Team, in San Diego, California.

The cost for the event is $60 dollars per person.

Don’t miss out this great opportunity and enroll now.

For more info, go to teambeauregard.com

The Open Class has drawn top names such as Gracie Barra’s Roberto “Tussa” Alencar and Nova União’s Bruno Bastos, as well as rising contenders like Guybson Sa, Marco Machado, Ryan Beauregard and ex-NFL wide-receiver, Michael Westbrook. Smaller fighters, such as Samir Chantre and Rafael “Barata” Freitas, have also stepped up to the challenge.

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for updates over the weekend.

The brackets will be available on Friday at http://www.strongvon.com/azopen6/

Check out the highlights of the 5th AZ International Open: