Photo IBJJF

The IBJJF held the first ever Spanish National Jiu-Jitsu championship on May 14, in Madrid.

Gracie Barra’s Manuel Pontes was the standout with gold medals both in the gi and no-gi black belt open class divisions.

He beat Mathias Ribeiro in the gi and closed out with GB teammate Marcus Filho at the no-gi absolute.

In the team’s division, results were:

GI

1 – Mathias Ribeiro Team – 180

2 – Gracie Barra – 155

3 – WING BJJ – 78

No-Gi

1 – WING BJJ – 56

2 – Gracie Barra – 46

3 – Carlson Gracie International – 35

Click here for the full results.

The IBJJF will be hosting its first ever Spanish National Jiu-Jitsu championship on May 14.

The event will take place in Guadalajara, 60km (37mi) northeast of the capital Madrid.

You have until May 6 to register and have the chance to be part of the first class of champions in this brand new event.

If you are a black belt in the adult division, this is a great opportunity to add points and be able to register for the 2016 Worlds (you need at least 50pts to register).

Click here and sign up now.

Bruno Fernandes open class champion Photo: Andrei Tanasescu

The IBJJF has announced the Madrid International Open has reached 95% capacity for its tournament set for Saturday, Nov. 22 in Madrid, Spain.

Alternatively, for the North Americans, the Montreal International Open is still open for registration and will be held on the same day.

In Madrid, black belts have gathered from all over Europe. Jorge Elias, who recently competed and won in Moscow will be in the light-feather division. Sergio Calderon and Simone Franceschini will face off in the feather division as the lone fighters so far. Luca Anacoreta makes his way for the middle division. Black belt females will have a match in the lightweight division between Michelle Nicolini and Maria Gonzalez.

You can register for the event but hurry as there is a chance it could close any time. Go here: https://www.ibjjfdb.com/CampeonatoInscricao/Edit?CampeonatoId=326&FederacaoId=3 

Montreal International Open still has spots to fill for the Nov. 22 event to be held at Centre Pierre Charbonneau located at 3000 rue Viau Montréal, Québec, Canada. Some of the teams that are already on board include: BTT, Alliance, Gracie Barra, Renzo Gracie, Ribeiro JJ, Toronto BJJ, Vitor Shaolin BJJ and more.

Join the ranks and register here before the Nov. 14 deadline: https://www.ibjjfdb.com/CampeonatoInscricao/Edit?CampeonatoId=327&FederacaoId=3

Learn more at www.ibjjf.com

Photo: puretravel.com

The IBJJF is expanding its reach even further into Europe this year. They have just announced an additional tournament in Spain.

The 2014 IBJJF Madrid International Open will happen on November 22 at the Pabellón Deportivo Europa.

Details will be released soon and registration will open closer to the event date.

To keep updated check www.ibjjf.org

GMA member Ezekiel Zayas of Ases BJJ will be at Academia Mutxamel in Mutxamel, Spain on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The Europeans black belt champion will teach from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the academy located at Pedro Cano Izquierdo, 77.

The cost for the seminar is 35 euros.

To reserve your spot call 606 716 482 and for more information about Ezekiel go to www.asesbjj.com.

Caio competing at the 2013 Worlds where he won his division before heading to Europe for seminars. Photo: Ivan Trindade

World Champion Caio Terra is known for his traveling escapades and seminar schedule. It seems like he’s always extending his knowledge somewhere but that’s because he’s always booked. After winning his rooster weight division at the 2013 Worlds at the start of June, he took off once again, this time to Europe.

We’ve mapped him out so check out his schedule to see where he’s been so far and where he will be.

• June 12-13 Saint Malo, France
• June 15-19 Manchester, UK
• June 20 Strasbourg, France
• June 21-27 Basel, Switzerland
• June 22 Lausanne, Switzerland
• June 23 Zurich, Switzerland
• June 29 IBJJF Rome Open
• July 1 Rome, Italy
• July 2-3 Ravena, Italy
• July 4-5 Madrid, Spain
• July 6 Gracie Lisbon Lisbon, Portugal
• July 7 IBJJF Lisboa Open
• July 8 BPT Lisbon, Portugal
• July 9-11 Luxembourg, Seminar at GMA Ricardo Cavalcanti Luxembourg
• July 13-14 County Kildare, Ireland

Japan’s “Count Koma” demonstrates a Jiu-Jitsu control position involving the arm. Photo: GRACIEMAG.com archives.

Grandmaster Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941) learned Jiu-Jitsu in Japan, was bestowed with the nickname Count Koma in Spain, won hundreds of fights in Cuba, and disseminated his knowledge to promising young students, like Carlos Gracie, in Brazil.

To bear fruit until this day, and at every corner of the planet, the master had to have firmly entrenched roots and a sound trunk.

To pay homage to Count Koma on the 70th year since his passing, GRACIEMAG.com put together a list of the main lessons the Japanese samurai left us. Reflect, learn, and—why not?—have fun.

1. START IN SUMO

Around the small town of Aomori, where he was born, the young Maeda was known as “Sumo Boy,” thanks to the fascination he had for the style of fighting taught by his father. Years later, he went to study in Tokyo, where he was introduced to Jiu-Jitsu, trained with Jigaro Kano and fell in love with the gentle art, which he would go on to teach to Carlos Gracie in Brazil.

Lesson: Expand your horizons. You’ll only fathom what techniques or styles work best for you if you open your mind and learn new things.

2. 15 OPPONENTS SEPARATING HIM FROM A BLACK BELT IN JIU-JITSU

As history has it, Mitsuyo Maeda received his black belt when he was 20 years of age, on December 25, 1898, at the revered Kodokan dojo. To receive his promotion, Maeda had to beat 15 opponents on the same day, which he did with flying colors.

Lesson: There is no glory without sacrifice. The greater the effort, the greater the reward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0fH_8kv7ac

3. MISSION IN CALIFORNIA

In 1904, at the behest of Grandmaster Jigoro Kano, Maeda traveled to San Francisco, in the USA, to spread the word on Japanese combat techniques. The art wasn’t a complete novelty in the country, though. President Theodore Roosevelt had himself trained with a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu master, named Yamashita.

Lesson: Have faith in the mission given to you by your master, whatever and wherever it may be. It will be more important than it may at first seem.

4. HEALTHY EXTRA-ACADEMY HABITS

In the Northern Brazilian city of Belém do Pará, where he ultimately decided to put down roots, Count Koma influenced Carlos Gracie in many things that did not have to do with training in the academy. Healthy dietary habits, good cheer, patience and others of the Japanese master’s traits were mimicked by the disciple Carlos.

Lesson: A master doesn’t just teach Jiu-Jitsu. He is a positive influence off the mat, as well.

5. COUNT KOMA’S DOJO IN BRAZIL

Koma never did return to Japan to stay, ending his days in Brazil. It remains unknown whether Jigoro Kano, who was more interested in spreading judo, was proud of the hundreds upon hundreds of victories his student achieved by way of submission. In any case, Koma lived by his own book and Jiu-Jitsu is alive and well thanks to his boldness.

Final lesson: If upon reflection you realize it’s time to part ways with your master, at least don’t open an academy in the same neighborhood!

Count Koma and Maeda family in Brazil / Publicity photo

What do you think, dear reader, what’s the main lesson Count Koma’s life story left as his legacy? Is there any tale from the Japanese grandmaster’s career that you find most striking? Share it with us below.

Two years later, the climax. Rafael and Leo faced off at ADCC 2009, in Barcelona, Spain; the Ramon Lemos student finally having qualified, at the Rio tryouts.

Revisit the bout between Mendes and Vieira in the following video suggested by reader Leandro Prado.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSYVYvQ3tI8

They faced each other once before, in the ultraheavyweight brown belt division of the 2008 European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Karol Bedorf took it that time.

Now, Rogent Lloret wants revenge – but in a bout of MMA, at Polish event KSW 15, this Saturday, March 19 in Warsaw.

The crowd will surely be on the side of Bedorf (6w, 1l), who is known to more attentive ADCC fans. But he won’t have it easy. MMA champion Lloret (9w, 2l, 1d), a Spaniard from Barcelona, is also good on the ground: at the 2009 European Open he won the brown belt ultraheavyweight division.

It will be a bout of fisticuffs between two gentle art black belts with over 200 pounds on either side. And it’s not even the evening’s main event, as you can see below. The value of the fight to each of them, though, is priceless: both dream of making it to the top, ie. make it to the UFC.

KSW15
Warsaw, Poland
March 19, 2011

Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Jan Blachowicz
James Irvin vs. Mamed Khalidov
Gregory Babene vs. Michal Materla
Niko Puhakka vs. Maciej Gorski
Rogen Lloret vs. Karol Bedorf
Toni Valtonen vs. Lukasz Jurkowski
James Zikic vs. Antoni Chmielewski
Marcin Rozalski vs. Marcin Bartkiewicz
Aslambek Saidv vs. Ruben Crawford

City of Geneva. Photo: publcity

Our GMA in Switzerland Anderson Pereira is getting ready for the sixth Swiss International Jiu-Jitsu Cup event. The event, to be held in Geneva, is the country’s biggest competition and already has a tradition behind it in Europe.

The tourney will take place November 20 and 21 and will include the participation of athletes from Italy, France, England, Belgium, Spain, Morocco, Germany, and of course, Switzerland.

For further information, visit www.swisscupbjj.com.

Both were born of humble origins but made their names through Jiu-Jitsu. Fernendo Tererê and friend, from the same Cantagalo favela where he’s from in Rio de Janeiro, Alan “Finfou” do Nascimento spent five days together in Europe. Tererê and the CheckMat black belt held seminars in Stockholm, where Finfou’s academy is located.

Then the two took a three-hour trip to see another friend in Sweden, Pilo, who represents team Yamazaki. Both taught two seminars together and trained a lot before Tererê pushed on to Spain, where he is right now.

“I’ve known Alan a long time. He started training with me when I was a purple belt. He was fourteen years old and a yellow belt. To me it’s great to see his stock rising among the other competitive black belts. I came here and it brings me great joy to see how he lives and to see his newborn son. I took full advantage of his advice and will imitate some of the things he does in training for sure!” says Tererê.

“I know it’s no time to compare myself to athletes in competition rhythm, but I believe I’m becoming more and more inspired and I get more excited when I get to see those warriors like this, like seeing Bráulio Estima, in England, and Finfou. I’m so happy that they remember me!” added the black belt.

Now Tererê is in Spain, where he is visiting the academies of Professor Ezekiel, in Valencia. In Barcelona, he will teach seminars and train with Yan Cabral this Saturday. On Sunday, he heads to the Canary Islands, where he will stay at the academy of Tony Malone, a Carlson Gracie black belt. And next Thursday, Tererê heads for Switzerland.