Marina in action in Gramado / Photo: Carlos Ozório

Marina Ribeiro storms ahead this 2011 season. At the European Open, the black belt shrugged off the likes of Letícia Ribeiro and Kyra Gracie. At the Gramado, Brazil World Pro tryouts, the CheckMat athlete got her way to Abu Dhabi paid so she can compete at the World Pro.

Another athlete standing out lately is Talita Nogueira, better known as Treta, who also did well at the Gramado tryoutss and will be heading for Abu Dhabi. There she’s in for a tall order, as she’ll likely come up against the decorated Gabi Garcia.

Check out the interview with the girls (in Portuguese) below:

Nivaldo's match against Léo Nogueira / Photo: Carlos Ozório

Nivaldo de Oliveira had to sweat to get his way at the World Pro tryouts in Gramado, Brazil. Along his way he had to face down Rodrigo Inglis, João Zeferino, André Bastos, Léo Nogueira and Giovane Guedes.

“The championship was solid and the division, really tough. I already expected that, because it was the last chance for the Brazilians to qualify and I imagined it would be really full. The cream of the Jiu-Jitsu crop was here. I feel I couldn’t really get in my groove early on, but I got better with every match,” the black belt told GRACIEMAG.com.

In one of his toughest bouts, Nivaldo got the better of Léo Nogueira.

“He’s one tough adversary, he always does well in all the competitions. He had already beaten me before and now was a good chance for me to get revenge. I used strategy and carried out the game plan I’d been working on with Rodrigo Cavaca in Santos. I knew he’d be the toughest guy in the division.”

Now the focus is on Abu Dhabi, at the World Pro.

“I’m stoked. I tell all my friends that the most important thing is to be happy to fight. Aside from that I have to be well trained, because I’m aware there will be a lot of good guys there. I’m going to put up a fight!” he says.

“CheckMat will take a solid team over there. Besides me there’ll be Cavaca, Bochecha, Michelle Nicollini, Helder Bob Esponja, Marina Ribeiro, Bruno Pucci and Alan Finfou, among others,” he says in closing.

Leandro Pereira against Moacir Mendes / Photo: Carlos Ozório

GRACIEMAG.com has already addressed the Pan lightweight division (read again here), a weight group shaping up to be truly solid, with some of the style’s main athletes. Now one of these beasts, Leandro Pereira, has already taken front and center, at the World Pro tryouts in Gramado.

“I had five fights and all of them were tough. I can point out the one with the brown belt, José Carlos, in particular: it was plenty lively, but he happened to cross his leg over and get disqualified. The final against Moacir Mendes was rough too. I’d already faced him before and I managed to win by four advantage points,” says the black belt.

Now here comes the Pan, and the big names from the division had better watch out.

“I’m going to have to use some strength and we’ll see what happens. But, for sure, I’ll give folks in the division a hard time. I’m training really well with Cícero Costha and I’m going out there to put up a fight,” he warns.

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com to find out all there is to know about the event and, of course, check out the GRACIEMAG at the Jiu-Jitsu Pan Blog for exclusive news.

Tanquinho rewards two points for sweeping Big. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

Igor Silva was one of the competitors to come up big at the World Pro tryouts in Gramado, Brazil. The fighter tapped out aces like Márcio Pé de Pano and Luiz Big Mac in securing a spot for himself in the main event, in Abu Dhabi.

“I had five matches in all and couldn’t have had a better showing. I feel that if I made any mistakes, I made little ones. The first day I started out poorly against Pé de Pano; he caught me in an omoplata and made things rough. On the second day I did better and managed to get my game going just right. It was great!”

The opponent in the final was Big Mac, known for his excellent base. Few are those who have managed to sweep the big fellow, and Igor joined this select group.

“A lot of people told me pulling Big Mac into guard would be insane, but there was no way I could change the game I’d been doing nor could I deal with him standing; Big Mac’s a black belt in judo. I had faith, my sweeps were sharp and, thank God, I managed to sweep at the right moment, besides defending myself when he was attacking. It was the way to go to pull off the win,” said the Muzio De Angelis student in analysis.

With his latest results, Igor now figures among the favorites at black belt. The fighter commented on what he’s doing differently in training:

“I always fought much stronger athletes, so I’m working on my strength a lot more. From heavyweight up the gang is really strong and I improved my strength work. And now, besides training with the gang at Brasa, I’m training at GFTeam. I have a lot of different training partners and that’s helping me a lot. I’m also entering more championships and that’s getting me into rhythm. I won the Asian Open, Rio Open , Euro Open, I’m on a solid series of wins and I want to continue like this,” he says in closing.

Check out images of the action from the event, below:

[flickr set=72157626194743225]

Galvão in photo by Gustavo Aragão

This Monday the 28th is the final day to sign up for the World Pro Trials in San Diego. Among the many mat wizards confirmed in the black belt division are new names like André Galvão, Bruno Bastos, Antonio Braga Neto, Ryan Hall and Penny Thomas, as well as numerous athletes in the intermediate belt groups.

Don’t miss the chance to travel to the World Pro in Abu Dhabi with all expenses paid.

Click here to sign up.

Furthermore, Monday also marks the last day to pay the lowest rate for the Gramado, Brazil, tryouts; another event organized by Fernando Paradeda. Sign up here.

Joel shines both on the waves and on the mats: GM archives.

“We’re still waiting on confirmation from beasts like Lucas Leite, Marcus Bochecha, Ricardo Demente and João Assis,” reports event promoter Fernando Paradeda.

To find out more, click here.

Haven’t seen Joel Tudor in action yet? Check out how the champion of the waves did against UFC fighter and ADCC champion Rani Yahya:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57oFeO-r2ak

Furthermore, starting this Friday sign-ups are open for the Gramado tryouts, the last chance for South American competitors to secure an all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi. The organizers stress that places are limited. Secure yours early – with a discount –, click here.

Gymnasium where San Diego trials will be held / Photo: publicity.

On the wake of the success of the World Pro tryouts in Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi Pro, a company headed by black belt Fernando Paradeda, is heading full steam into the San Diego and Gramado tryouts – these being the last chance for residents from the Americas to qualify.

Sign-ups for the March 5 and 6 San Diego tryouts are already underway. The deadline to register is February 28, but there is a discount for anyone who signs up by the 17th of this month. The competition will at place at the modern gymnasium at Point Loma High School (2335 Chatsworth Boulevard San Diego, CA 92106). The brown and black belt finals will be broadcast live and the event timetable has already been set out (see more below).

As with January’s Las Vegas tryouts and the March 19 and 20 Gramado tryouts, the San Diego event will feature No-Gi and master and senior divisions. Besides the prize money and paid-way to the World Pro for the 13 winners, the winner of the No-Gi absolute will win a ticket to Abu Dhabi as well.

For the inside scoop on the Paradeda-held tryouts and their differences, click here.

Now to sign up for the San Diego qualifiers, click here.

Check out the San Diego timetable

Saturday 03/05

09:30 Open Doors

10:00 Opening Ceremony

10:20 Start

Gi White Belt All Weights Categories Male

Gi Blue Belt All Weights Categories Male

Gi White and Blue Belts All Weights Categories Female

Gi Purple Belt All Weights Categories Male

Gi Purple, Brown and Black Belts All Weights Categories Female

Gi Brown and Black Belts All Weights Categories Male

Gi Master and Sênior All Belts and Weights Categories Male

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Male

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Female

Gi Open Weight Purple Belt Male

Gi Open Weight Purple, Brown and Black Belts Female

Gi Open Weight Brown and Black Belts Male

Sunday

09:00 Open Doors

09:30 Start

Gi Kids and Teens All Weights Categories

NoGi Beginner All Weights Categories Male

NoGi Beginner All Weights Categories Female

NoGi Intermediary All Weights Categories Male

NoGi Intermediary All Weights Categories Female

NoGi Kids and Teens All Weights Categories

NoGi Advanced All Weights Categories Male

NoGi Advanced All Weights Categories Female

NoGi Open Weight Beginner Male

NoGi Open Weight Beginner Female

NoGi Open Weight Intermediary Male

NoGi Open Weight Intermediary Female

NoGi Open Weight Advanced Male

NoGi Open Weight Advanced Female

15:30 ( Finals Tv Live Broadcast )

No-Gi Advanced Male Final

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Male-163lbs.

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Male +163 lbs.

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Female -139 lbs.

Gi Open Weight White and Blue Belts Female +139 lbs

Gi Open Weight Purple Belt Male -163 lbs

Gi Open Weight Purple Belt Male +163 lbs

Gi Open Weight Purple, Brown and Black Belts Female -139 lbs

Gi Open Weight Purple, Brown and Black Belts Female +139 lbs

Gi Open Weight Brown and Black Belt Male Final

Gi Brown and Black Belt Male Final -143 lbs

Gi Brown and Black Belt Male Final -163 lbs

Gi Brown and Black Belt Male Final -183 lbs

Gi Brown and Black Belt Male Final -202 lbs

Gi Brown and Black Belt Male Final +202 lbs

San Diego / Photo: Publicity

Sign-ups for the World Pro tryouts in San Diego. The Fernando Paradeda-organized event will take place March 5 and 6.

As with the Las Vegas trials, which took place in January, and the Gramado ones, which will take place March 19 and 20, the San Diego event will feature No-Gi and master- and senior-division matches. Besides cash prizes and all-expenses-paid trips to the World Pro main event in Abu Dhabi rewarded to the thirteen adult-division champions, the winner of the No-Gi absolute will get a trip to Abu Dhabi.

To get the inside scoop on the Paradeda-promoted tryouts, click here.

Now to sign up for the San Diego tryouts, click here. Registration is open till the 28th of February, but there is a discount for signing up by the 17th of this month.Now to sign up for the San Diego tryouts, click here. Registration is open till the 28th of February, but there is a discount for signing up by the 17th of this month.

Luiza in action at Worlds / Photos: Personal archives

Luiza Monteiro has been standing out in competition Jiu-Jitsu and has a slight preference for No-Gi tournaments. Having won the No-Gi Worlds as a purple belt in 2009, she repeated the feat last year against a black belt opponent. Get to know a bit about this Rio de Janeiro native living in Santos, São Paulo, promising to give the other tough girls a hard time this season, in this GRACIEMAG.com interview:

How did you end up in Santos, being from Rio and all?

I’ve been in São Paulo since 2009, training with Leo Vieira. I spent some time in the USA with Lucas Leite and Rodrigo Cavaca made me an offer to train with him. Now I live in Santos with athletes like Michelle Nicolini.

What are your objectives for this season?

I’m going to do the World Pro qualifiers in Gramado and for sure I’ll go to the Pan and Worlds. I also want to do the ADCC tryouts. But I’m going to focus most on the No-Gi Brazilian Nationals and No-Gi Worlds because I like that kind of competition. Those two are among my biggest objectives. I was a world champion while still a brown belt, competing against blackbelts. Now I want to get the title a second time, wearing a black belt!

Who is the main opposition in your way?

I competed against Penny Thomas twice. I lost to her in the gi and I beat her without it. Hannette Staack is returning this year and she’s a headache for anyone in the middleweight division, she’s a great champion.

Luiza and faithful companion Michelle

Are you planning to do anything differently to stand out at black belt?

I’m not going to do anything any differently. I’m evolving with each training session and, thank God, I have Michelle (Nicolini) to train with; she’s a great fighter. Besides that, I always have the help of Lucas Leite and Cavaca, who correct my mistakes. I feel I’m in constant evolution. I used to make it onto the podium in second, third place, and now I’m winning. I’m going to try and impose my game and see what happens. I’m focused on physical conditioning and we’ll keep ironing out the technique.

What is your view of the current female Jiu-Jitsu scene?

Female Jiu-Jitsu has evolved a lot and the hardships we encountered a few years ago have diminished a great deal. We have fighters like Nicolini, Gabi Garcia, and Luanna Alzuguir, who are doing great. Female Jiu-Jitsu is pure technique, it’s beautiful to watch. We still need a bit more attention and better prizes, but I don’t see our division as having stagnated. I feel it’s growing by leaps and bounds.

Barral in absolute semifinal at Worlds against Xande / Foto: Ivan Trindade

Following confirmation Kron Gracie is in, another top-tier black belt has guaranteed his presence at the Fernando Paradeda-promoted Abu Dhabi World Pro tryouts to take place January 29 at Las Vegas’s Sports Center arena.

“I’m impressed by how well sign-ups have been going, the event’s going to go off! Now Rômulo Barral is in. His knee has recovered and he’ll make his return to the mat at the Vegas tryouts. A guarantee of good Jiu-Jitsu!” says Paradeda in celebration.

Sign-ups end January 27. However, anyone who signs up by the 18th will receive a discouunt.

Paradeda is also organizing the tryouts in Gramado, Brazil, which begin March 19, and in San Diego (March 6), for which sign-ups are open until February 1st. The three events produced by the black belt boast a number of differences setting them apart from other World Pro tryouts: they will also feature a No-Gi contest (worth a trip to Abu Dhabi) and parallel events for kids and master- and senior-category athletes. In all, from each tryout, thirteen champions will earn all-expenses-paid trips to the main event, in Abu Dhabi, not to mention the money prizes. In all, the rewards from each tryout come to a total of 80 thousand dollars. The events will also be broadcast live.

To find out more about the Las Vegas, San Diego, and Gramado tryouts, click here.

Kron in mount at European Open 2009 / Photo: GRACIEMAG archives

Sign-ups for the Abu Dhabi World Pro tryouts in Las Vegas end January 27, however, anyone to sign up by the 18th will get a discount. A number of top fighters have already secured places for themselves at the Las Vegas Sports Center, like black belt Antonio Braga Neto. And event organizer Fernando Paradeda confirmed that there’s another stalwart submission artist to enter the mix:

“We’re going full blast over here and folks are signing up, so many that some of the divisions are almost out of berths. Among those signed up is Kron Gracie. Kron is one of the standouts to see action here,” he says.

Paradeda is also organizing the tryouts in Gramado, Brazil, to kick off March 19, and in San Diego, on March 6, with registration beginning on February 1. The three events produced by the black belt have a number of differences setting them apart from the other tryouts: they will include No-Gi disputes, a kids tournament, and a tournament for the master and senior competitors. In all, thirteen champions from each qualifying event will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the main event in Abu Dhabi, not to mention the prize money. In all, each qualifier will pay a total of $80,000 in prizes to participants. The events will also be broadcast live. Sign up now!

To find out all there is to know about the Las Vegas, San Diego, and Gramado qualifiers, click here.