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

Lloyd Irvin . Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com

Pouco a pouco, o professor e dublê de promotor de eventos Lloyd Irvin está liberando parte do rolou no seu “The BJJ Kumite”, um torneio eliminatório em formato de reality show, bolado por ele nos EUA.

Entre os aperitivos que ele divulgou, está uma batalha entre as faixas-pretas Nyjah Easton e Sofia Amarante, com mais de uma hora de muito Jiu-Jitsu.

Se você ainda não viu, veja agora.

Lloyd Irvin’s BJJ Kumite

Little by little, Lloyd Irvin is allowing the world to see what took place at his BJJ Kumite last week.

One of the few things he has released is this video of the one-hour battle between black belts Nyjah Easton and Sofia Amarante.

If you haven’t seen it yet, do so now!

It’s worth the wait.

Letícia em foto de Regis Chen (2009).

Letícia Ribeiro, a líder do vitorioso time feminino da Gracie Humaitá, foi campeã pela quinta vez ao vencer a faixa-marrom Sofia Amarante na final.

O placar foi 6 a 0 para Letícia. “Não tem segredo, eu treino duro todo dia”, disse ela.

Faz a festa, Gracie Humaitá!