The US National Pro hit Santa Barbara on Jan. 11 and handed out fully-paid travel packages to compete at the 2015 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship to those who won their respective divisions.

The event gathered names like Magid Hage, Clark Gracie, Mackenzie Dern, Wellington Megaton Dias, Eliott Kelly and more.

You can still register for the event in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 28 to win a chance at earning the travel package. Find out more information and register at www.usprojj.com

Watch the highlights of the Santa Barbara tournament below:

Magid Hage and Clark Gracie went 1-1 at the US National Pro. Photo: Erin Herle

The US National Pro was held on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Santa Barbara City College on the coast of California. The one-day event held a tournament matches for kids, adults and masters from white to black but most importantly offered some victorious athletes a travel package to compete at the 2015 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in April.

For the black belts, there were only two weight categories that held matches. The -85kg division was the most stacked with six competitors.

Clark attacks Tanner’s arm. Photo: Erin Herle

To start off, Clark Gracie of Clark Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy faced Tanner Rice of Rice Bros BJJ. Clark pulled and Tanner was able to sweep but Clark swept closer to the end of the six-minute match, also attempting a knee bar. Clark moved on with a referee decision.

The takedown. Photo: Erin Herle

Matthew Magana of Paragon went up against Eric Harvey Johnson of Cia Paulista. Matt earned a takedown in the beginning of the match and maintained top pressure until he got a pass. Eric recovered guard but was not able to secure the points to take the lead and Matt moved on in the division with a 5-0 point win.

Kimura grip. Photo: Erin Herle

Dang Khoa Tat of Checkmat Canada had a bye and entered the division against Clark Gracie. The match was largely controlled by Clark who used a kimura grip on Dang’s arm in a crucifix position. What ended the match was what Clark called an inverted omoplata, a move he’s been developing. The win moved Clark to the final.

The triangle armbar. Photo: Erin Herle

Magid Hage IV had a bye and stepped in to face Matthew Magana. Magid pulled and while Matt attempted to pass from the knee slice position, Magid secured a triangle and submitted Matt with a straight armbar from there.

50/50. Photo: Erin Herle

The final was a sweep battle between Clark and Magid. Clark led with the first sweep when Magid secured an underhook to pass. Magid swept back making the score even once more. Both reversed the other from what seemed like disadvantageous positions from half guard or other locked down positions making it a clinic of sorts. Clark was able to secure the last sweep, his base and the lead for a 8-6 win and the travel package.

Eliot vs. Arthur. Photo: Erin Herle

In the +95kg division, the only two out of three who showed were Eliot Kelly of Yemaso BJJ and Arthur Rivas of Paragon. Both men stood for most of the match but Eliot was able to drag Arthur down to the mat and secure him for two points. He remained on top as Arthur turtled. Eliot nearly mounted at the end of the match and earned the gold and travel package by a 2-0 point, 4-0 advantage lead over Arthur.

Megaton on top. Photo: Erin Herle

Wellington Megaton Dias made a great run within the brown/black belt master division and also earned a ticket. After coming up short in the weight division against new black belt Ram Ananda losing 3-0, he was able to edge Ram out with a tomenagi in the final of the open weight division and secure the travel package.

Mackenzie on the back. Photo: Erin Herle

Daughter of Megaton, Mackenzie Dern only had one match in her brown/black belt division where she faced brown belt Nicole Inacio of Gracie Barra. Both pulled guard and Nicole came up. Not long after Mackenzie swept from sit-up guard and worked a folder pass, pushing Nicole’s knees to one side but switching to a knee slice and stabilizing side control. Nicole turtled, Mackenzie sunk her hooks and as Nicole worked to come out the back, Mackenzie snatched the arm for the submission.

The open weight for the adult male black belt offered $1000 cash for the winner. Here is how it panned out:

Clark Gracie submitted Arthur Rivas with a choke from the back after an omoplata attempt.
Magid Hage submitted Matthew Magana with his infamous baseball bat choke.
Clark outscored Eliot Kelly by 2-0 points with a sweep.
In the final, Magid caught Clark in a crucifix and finished the match with a lapel choke.
Eliot outscored Matthew by 6-0 by takedown and mount to earn the bronze medal.

Check out the full photo gallery of the black belts below:

If you missed this US National Pro you can catch the second chance in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 28. You can register until Feb. 25 at www.usprojj.com

The tournament featured established names in the gentle art and reveled new talents like Andris Brunovskis (Atos).

The black belt novice submitted the experienced Wellington “Megaton” Dias (Gracie Humaita) with a choke coming from an Omoplata attack in the lightweight final. Check it out:

James Puopolo secures a triangle. Photo: Kristen Mendes / Kristenphotos

Another first this weekend for the IBJJF was the Seattle Open held at Everett Community College. This was the first opportunity for those in the Northwest to experience an IBJJF tournament in their own backyard.

The overall team scores were as follows:

1 – Gracie Barra – 247
2 – Lovato Jiu-Jitsu – 114
3 – SBG International (SBGI) – 109

In the male black belt light-featherweight category, Milton Bastos earned the gold after defeating his opponent Thiago Goncalves.

The featherweight division title was earned by Wellington “Megaton” Dias after he won over Gustavo Carpio.

Lightweight gold went to Jason Palacios who defeated Zach Adamson.

Luis Rosa took on Cleves de Matos to earn the middleweight title.

James Puopolo defeated Larry King for the ultra-heavyweight gold.

James also earned the double gold of the day having conquered the open class as well.

To see a full photo album go here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.983499991665333.1073742073.192240324124641

For full results visit here: http://static.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/000322/en-US/Results.pdf

Other instructors who taught techniques include: local black belts Miriam Cardoso, Andrea Encarnacion and Michelle Wagner, Straight Blast Gym of Portland’s brown belt Amanda Loewen and purple belt Leah Taylor, and brown belt Jane Minondo from Vancouver, BC.

The experience was captured in this video and we can say that this is how women should train together:

Three new black belts promoted by Wellington Megaton Dias. Photo: Personal Archive

GMA Team Megaton Jiu-Jitsu in Phoenix, AZ earned three new black belts on Dec. 13 at their promotion night. Wellington Megaton Dias promoted students and celebrated the year.

The new black belts can be seen from left to right: John Viera, Megaton, Loren Senior, Dale Kersting.

Congratulations to the new belt holders!

Keep up with Team Megaton Jiu-Jitsu by following their facebook page: www.facebook.com/teammegaton

Mackenzie Dern. Photo: Erin Herle

No wonder there is all this noise around young Mackenzie Dern (Gracie Humaita). She was world champion of Jiu-Jitsu from blue to brown belt, and she is already among the top 10 black belts on the IBJJF world ranking — even without having made her debut in the World Championship yet.

Daughter of Wellington “Megaton”Dias, and advised by stepmother and champion of Jiu-Jitsu Luka Dias, the rising young athlete trains hard and controls her anxiety to compete in the featherweight division at the 2013 World Championship, which starts on May 29 and goes on until June 2.

At the Pan, Mackenzie also tried the open class, but was defeated by the current absolute queen. What has she learned from the defeat? Is she preparing something new? She told us.

GRACIEMAG: How are you preparing your body and mind for this remarkable debut at the World Championship as a black belt?

MACKENZIE DERN: I’m excited. My resume at World Championships is nice, but at the same time I know the difference of fighting in other belts and now among the elite. Winning or losing, one thing I know: I have a lot to learn from this Worlds. As a black belt, you have to get there very prepared, and that’s what I’ll do. The goal is to leave with another world title. I know that the black belt division at the Worlds is not Disneyland. I’ll keep training hard to face the challenges in Long Beach. The first part was in Arizona and now we go to San Jose to finish training at Caio Terra’s gym.

What detail do you emphasize during these last days of training?

The cardio part is vital because the fights can last ten minutes, and at high intensity. I am also very focused on maintaining positions in the last minute of the fight. It’s a mistake I already made before and am trying to fix.

What were the results of your run in the Pan and the WPJJC in Abu Dhabi, as a black belt?

Certainly, I wanted to have won there, but analyzing it, I wasn’t bad. Winning these tournaments is a goal for 2014. In Pan and WPJJC I got to the final, with less than six months of having my black belt. The girls who beat me were actually better. I can’t complain. A bit of craftiness is still missing. To achieve it, I need to test myself more and control the adrenaline and remain calm.

What stats of your career are you most proud of?

I’ve been fighting at the Worlds for six years, in my division and in the open class, and there are only a total of six fights which I didn’t finish. I also think that the fact of already being among the top ten in the world in my first year as a black belt is cool, too.

When you faced Gabi Garcia in the 2013 Pans, you didn’t resist and tapped out. Can you dream of a surprise victory in the open class at the Worlds?

I learned that there is quite a difference in seeing her fight and going there and feeling her game. Everyone talks, but until you go there and fight, you can’t judge anyone. I learn many things from all my opponents. With Gabi, I took the lesson of not to be afraid. We can’t confuse respect with fear. You need to get into the fight confident against anyone because, at worst, you learn from it. It’s not a problem to tap out, no one gets hurt and it only gives the person more desire to train harder and try to be better. Now, I’m not thinking about her. After all, to surprise Gabi, I have to surprise many fighters before her. I can only think about the absolute world champion title if I get through the other fights. I think it would be great if Gabi decided to go on a vacation between May 29 and June 2, but I’m not counting on it (laughs).

Augusto Tanquinho in a match against Isaque Paiva at Pans 2013. Photo: Ivan Trindade/ GRACIEMAG

For Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes, this Jiu-Jitsu World Championship won’t be like the others. First, because this IBJJF Championship to be held in Long Beach from May 29 to June 2, will be his first Worlds after surgery in which he needed to put four screws in his neck, due to an injury during a training session in 2011.

And also, because it may be the last Worlds for this beast. “After this Worlds, I’ll only focus on MMA, whether I win or lose in Long Beach,” he announces.

Tanquinho will need to have a perfect day to get to the top of the featherweight division, which this year already confirmed an army consisting of Rafael Mendes, Rubens Cobrinha, Mario Reis, Theodoro Canal and the eternal Wellington Megaton, Tanquinho’s father-in-law.

The Soul Fighter’s professor, however, has a secret weapon that other competitors do not have: the assistance of the explosive UFC champion Ben Henderson. Tanquinho chatted with GRACIEMAG, check it out:

GRACIEMAG: How’s your head 15 days from the start of the World Championship?

AUGUSTO TANQUINHO: As strong as it can be. I fought several competitions after the surgery and I feel I’m doing well for someone who one year and half ago placed a titanium plate and four screws in the neck. All I had been through pre and post-surgery and in training was thinking about fighting this Worlds. So I used the prior events to correct errors and improve my pace, and I’ll get to this Worlds in the best shape of my life. I am very focused and training hard to become the champion. I believe 100% that my strongest aspect in Long Beach will be my mind.

You took third at Pan Ams in April. What have you changed to win the Worlds?

I haven’t changed much. The level is very high today and during Pans I lost against (Rubens) Cobrinha by advantages–he was better that day. The same way that I was better than him in Abu Dhabi. So I followed the plans, I kept training and let the mind be strong. There is no mystery: who makes less mistakes will be the champion in Long Beach.

Are you focusing on any technical details to shine at the Pyramid?

I’m always improving technical details; I pay much attention to all opponents. I try to train to be a complete fighter. If I need to play on top, I do it, if I need to pull guard, I do it, if I need to fight standing up, I also do it. And when training to be complete in Jiu-Jitsu, there are always details to correct.

How’s your camp for the tournament?

I’m doing physical training with Jerret Aki, from MMALab, and training Jiu-Jitsu thoroughly with Megaton Dias, Mackenzie (Dern, girlfriend) and their gang. I’m also training MMA and no-gi at the gym with Ben Henderson, Efrain Escudero and several others. I’m training to get there as a highly skilled athlete. Fans can expect a much focused Tanquinho, with my guard and passing sharp. My plan is that this will be my last Worlds for now, then I’ll take a break and devote myself exclusively to MMA – whether winning it or not. So I really want the title and I’m going for it, always fighting smart and finishing the fights when I’m able to do so.

How do you plan to surprise Rafa Mendes, the triple world champion who has dominated the feather division?

Rafael is a great athlete, he is the champion. I see him as a perfectionist in Jiu-Jitsu. But surely he also has flaws and should be training to correct them. I don’t know if we will face each other at the Worlds. I have to go through a lot of people and so does he. If the time comes to face each other again, I’ll be ready for him. The category is very difficult, no fight will be easy. The World Championship in the black belt, in all categories, is very tough. It’s in God’s hands (laughs)!

Tanquinho, what lesson can you teach our readers so they can have a good Jiu-Jitsu base?

Jiu-Jitsu is training, as simple as that. Train hard and it will help. Second, train like you intend to fight, so try not to accept sweeps and takedowns easily. If you are used to accepting these positions in training, you end up accepting them in a fight. Third but not least: work out the legs, strong legs are an important aspect for a good base.

Augusto Tanquinho in the match against Isaque Paiva in Pan 2013. Photo: Ivan Trindade/ GracieMag

Augusto Tanquinho used the IBJJF Pan in March as a trial of fire for the WPJJC, a professional event scheduled for April 13 and 14, in Abu Dhabi.

In the Pan, the black belt from Soul Fighters was stopped in the featherweight semifinal by Rubens Cobrinha. It did not shake the fighter, who ensured that he will go to the UAE with a mission: regain the title in the up to 65kg category.

GracieMag: You are going to the WPJJC in Abu Dhabi with the bronze in Pan 2013. Are you ready to win?

AUGUSTO TANQUINHO: I am ready. The last time I attended was in 2011, and back then it allowed anyone to fight the trials anywhere in the world. I think the event was filled with beasts for that reason, and it was the most difficult year. And yet, I won. In 2012, I couldn’t fight because I was recovering from a cervical surgery, and now in 2013 I’m going there to regain my title. I’m very excited to travel.

How is your training for the tournament?

I am keeping the same preparation I did for the Pan and I will keep it until the Worlds. I’m working out at the gym MMA Lab, with the same guy that trains Ben Henderson, so my cardio is great. And the Jiu-Jitsu training with Megaton Dias is in full swing.

How many hours are you training daily?

An average of six to eight hours. I like to train all aspects of the fight, I want to feel comfortable in any area. Anyway, it depends on the day, some days I train more takedowns, other times I do more guard passes or moves in some specific area. The training is very complete.

What is a tip that you can offer the reader who is starting in the art?

The best tip is to relax and don’t think that you are good in some area. Train everything and I guarantee you will be a complete athlete. Nowadays, I see blue belts and purple belts just wanting to play bottom, do the berimbolo, but when they are on top, they don’t know how to pass the guard. Do the modern game, but do not forget that in order to be a champion you have to be complete.

Who are the main opponents in your division in Abu Dhabi?

I haven’t checked the list of athletes, but I’m sure I’ll just have tough opponents. I’ll be ready to face anyone and I intend to bring the title back.

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