It is prime to see how the gentle art continues to connect people from all over the world while more gyms and BJJ events keep open their doors everywhere.

The camaraderie movement is no different in the old continent. Last Saturday, on September 27^th, GMA Icon Jiu-Jitsu team from Genève in Switzerland lead by black belt Anderson Pereira ran a in-house tournament, the Icon JJ Internal European Cup that brought together 90 competitors from various affiliated schools in Europe and its surroundings, which included Switzerland, France, England and Algeria.

The competition standouts were Bienne Paulo de Oliveira and Filipe Maia. Both athletes from Icon JJ Genève closed out the brown and black belt open weight division.

Learn more about Icon JJ team and their victories here.

Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team group picture. Photo: personal archive

The GMA Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team from Genève, Switzerland hosted a belt ceremony last week where 95 students, including adults and children, got promoted to a new belt rank by the black belt professor Anderson Pereira. In the Spotlight, there were 3 new black belts: Ilke Bulut, who is a brown belt adult Europeans champion; his brother Okan Bulut, and another student named Jean Marie. All the affiliated schools were present in this event.

Icon JJ team
Anderson Pereira
81 Av. Lois Casai
Shinbudo Geneve – 1216
www.iconjjbgeneve.ch

Ricardo ‘Pezao’ de Oliveira vs. Patrick DeCaro. Photo: StefanoPicchio

The big names of the IBJJF’s first event in Switzerland were, appropriately enough, Swiss locals themselves. Thomas Oyarzun and Karim Khalifa, training partners at Alliance Geneva, not only took gold in the middleweight and super heavyweight divisions respectively but also closed out the open weight division.

In his own division, Karim defeated Marcio Da Silva by armbar in under a minute to take his first title of the day, whilst Thomas finished Francisco Ramos by triangle choke after a controlling performance in an active match.

When it came to the absolute, Karim faced another Swiss local in the form of Patrick DeCaro. Unfortunately an accidental knee reap off the first attack of the match led to a disqualification that ended a potentially entertaining match before they could really get started.

Thomas ended up facing his training partner’s divisional opponent Marcio Da Silva in his own absolute match, and despite the size disadvantage and his opponent’s pressure he managed to secure an armbar from the guard to take his place in the final opposite his friend and training partner. Karim took the top spot on the podium and Thomas took the gold medal home as they shared the victory between them.

Alliance Geneva head instructor, Ricardo ‘Pezao’ de Oliveira was not content to allow his students to take all the glory this time out though. Adding to their already impressive performance he took home another title for his academy in the medium heavyweight division. The division was initially a four man affair, but a last minute drop out gave Switzerland’s Patrick DeCaro the first slot in the final. On the other side of the bracket, ‘Pezao’ defeated France’s Julien Cazier by points to set up the final. Ricardo then defeated Patrick by a guard pass to take the medium heavyweight title and add to the Alliance medal haul in Zurich.

In the remaining black belt division, Roger Gracie student Oliver Geddes took the top spot on the podium in the lightweight division, defeating France’s Douglas Barcelos in the semi-final by Ezekiel choke and Zurich native and crowd favorite Felipe Broa in the final by kneebar. Felipe, head instructor of Carlson Gracie Zurich, had overcome Belgium’s Wim Deputter by referee’s decision after a thrilling match that came down to the last minute to reach the final.

For full results, click here.

For a photo album, click here.

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

Tiko won via first-round rear naked choke

Our GMA Anderson Pereira sent in news from Switzerland, where last weekend a landmark installment of the MMA Strength and Honor event took place.

“My student Claudemir “Tiko” de Souza, a Brazilian brown belt, fought well here in Geneva this Saturday, beating France’s Mourad Benseguir with a rear naked choke in the first round,” says the teacher.

In the evening’s main event, Jeff Monson overcame tough Croatian judoka Maro Perak via judges’ decision. Another standout was Tunisia’s Karim Ait Khalifa, a submission specialist from team Alliance. He won by kimura in the first round. Check out the results:

Following his kimura win, The Tunisian celebrated by displaying his academy's gi. Photos: Roland Peter Shaer.

Strength and Honor 4
Geneva, Switzerland
April 30, 2011

Karla Benitez Sanja Sucevic won by doctor’s intervention in R1
Sasa Mitrovic defeated Cesar Augusto by doctor’s intervention in R1
Claudemir Souza subbed Murad Benseghir via rear naked choke at 3:41 min of R1
Karim Ait Khalifa subbed Alen Dolicanin via kimura at 1:19 min of R1
Nelson Carvalho finalizou Paddy Doherty na guilhotina aos 37s do 1R
Ivan Mussardo and Hristomir Hristov fought to a draw
Olavo Belo defeated Greg Loughran via kimura at 2:25 min of R2
Olivier Pastor defeated Leandro Gontijo via unanimous decision
Mats Nilsson subbed Nikos Sokol via triangle at 1:41s of R1
Michelle Verginelli and Norman Paraisy fought to a drawFrancis Kelly subbed Anundson Carmont via
armbar at 2:06 min of R1
Jeff Monson defeated Maro Perak via unanimous decision after R3

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.

“It was ten days of pure training, with Pez￣o and another student of mine, Thomas Oyarzun, a purple belt who has been standing out in competitions around here,” says Tererê.

Tererê (in blue and black gi) in Switzerland. The Gigi Paiva will now spend at least twenty days in Italy. Photo: Publicity.

“We trained a lot and I made the most of the opportunity to teach some private lessons to a group of friends. Pezão is doing great and now he wants to try for a career in the USA,” he remarks.

This Monday Tererê heads for Italy to teach a series of seminars with his friend Luca Anacoreta, a purple belt.

“I’m going to teach private classes to him and some friends to get my beasts even sharper for the big European Open in January,” he states.

Tererê will be in Rome at a four star hotel for twenty days. For the now, his dream of competing at the Euro Open still exists.

“For someone who has been away from Jiu-Jitsu for six years like me, I feel it’s all been great. I’m getting my body moving slowly and improving my base. I still haven’t had time to just train and dedicate myself more, but soon I believe I’ll be invited by friends who want me around to just train and prepare. Then I’ll be stronger and happy to compete,” he explains.

At an event with just one victory awarded by judges’ decision, black belt Igor Araújo was one of the highlights, finishing off Dejan Milosevic with his famed armbar at 2:50 minutes of the first round.

Check out the complete results below and some of Igor’s career highlights.

Strength & Honor Championships 3
Theatre du Leman, Geneva, Switzerland
September 18, 2010

Karelle Pradat submitted Maite Bachy via triangle in R2
Florent Betorangal submitted João Wilson via triangle in R3
Fabiano Araujo defeated Djordje Beric via rear-naked choke at 3:41 min of R1
Olivier Pastor knocked out Claudemir “Tiko” Souza in R2
Igor Araújo submitted Dejan Milosevic via armbar in R1
Alexandre “Batatinha” fought Sebastian Grabavek to a draw after 3R’s
Nelson Carvalho submitted Samuel Piron via kimura in R1
Mathias Schuck defeated Srdjan Sekulic via technical knockout in R1
Nives Radic defeated Edvokkya Marinova via technical knockout in R1
Michele Verginelli submitted Karim Mammar via rear-naked choke in R1
Moise Rimbon defeated Miodrag Petkovic vi44 min of R2
Francis Carmont submitted Emil Zahariev via kimura at 1:31 min of R2
Gustavo Picone defeated Jedrzej Kubski via unanimous judges’ decision

Gui (in white) and Rafael Mendes: seminars in Europe in September. Photo: Publicity.

Guilherme and Rafael Mendes will spend two weeks at some of the most popular tourist sites in Europe.

But they’re going there to work. “We want to let everyone know we’re heading to Europe; we have seminars scheduled in Switzerland, Turkey and Birmingham, England,” wrote Guilherme Mendes to GRACIEMAG.com.

“We invite one and all who can make it to our seminars, to get to know us, our way of training, our game a bit better,” says 2009’s light featherweight world champion.

“Thank God we’re seeing wonderful recognition from people; we receive emails asking for seminars in different places every day. We want to take the opportunity to say thanks for the affection, it just motivates us to train even more. The joy of being an athlete and achieving victories goes beyond winning on the mat, there’s also the gratifying victory outside of tournaments: that of fulfilling dreams and conquering people’s admirations, and being happy with one’s own self,” he says.

“We’re going to compete this year; we’re training a lot and are in top shape, feeling really good!”

If you’re nowhere near Europe or Rio Claro, Brazil, you still have the opportunity to learn from the Mendes brother in GRACIEMAG. In this month’s training program. Subscribe here and secure your copy of GRACIEMAG every month at home.

Zurich, Switzerland – 10 September
Team Nogueira
EMAIL: info@frota-team.ch

Geneva , Switzerland – 11 September

Team Anderson Pereira
Academy Shinbudo 81,Av louis Casai 1216
+41787448972

Istanbul, Turkey – 12 September
Corvos MMA Academy
05335604424
Sehit Tegmen Ali Yilmaz sok. no:16
Besler Plaza Kavacik

Birmingham , UK – 19 September
GB Birmingham
01217068465
steve.fan@btinternet.com
Station Road, Acocks Green

The newly-promoted group. Photos sent in by Anderson Pereira.

“On the 6^th, we held at BTT Bienne a big black belt exam in the morning. In the afternoon, we held a training session with all the affiliate academies. The Swiss academies from the cities of Geneva, Bienne, Cologny were there. From France, academies from Margencel, St. Genis, Annecy marked their presence. Even Morocco had representation, in our branch in Casablanca,” said Anderson.

The latest Jiu-Jitsu black belts in Europe, with Anderson in the middle.

“The event was held at the branch of instructors Marcelo and Paulão, who received with open arms the 50 athletes. 14 practitioners were given new belts: seven blues, three purples, two browns and two new black belts, Elie and Francisco,” he remarked.

Kudos to Morocco’s Adil Makroum, who traveled from Casablanca for a week of intensive training and in the end got a blue belt from Anderson’s hands to boot.

For greater information, visit www.bttandersonpereira.blogspot.com .

Moroccan blue belt Adil Makroum. Is your academy involved in interesting projects around the world? Be a part of the GMA and tell your story!

“The school is run by my student Adil Makroum under my direct supervision,” says Anderson.

Anderson Pereira

The hard work is already showing results, as Pereira tells us:

“Last November a 11 year old girl from Morocco, Sofia Essakhi, competed at the Swiss Cup and won. Four other kids competed as well,” celebrated Anderson.

The school in Casablanca has over 30 students and a defined plan to grow. To know more, go to bttandersonpereira.blogspot.com