Sarah Black at the 2015 Worlds Masters

Sarah Black’s resume already includes World Championship titles at purple and brown belt. Now, as a brand new Gustavo Dantas black belt she has already made her presence known at the highest level of BJJ competition.

Sarah started her competitive black belt career this year at the IBJJF American Nationals where she earned the National title in her division for both Gi and No-Gi. She won a third National title for the No-Gi absolute division.

The rookie black belt participated this past weekend in 2015 IBJJF World Masters Championship where she won the Master 1 World Championship in the light weight division. She earned a silver medal in the Master 1 absolute division.

Her resume so far is inspiring. Already a second degree Black Belt in Judo Sarah is no stranger to high level competition. Currently, at 36 years old Sarah qualifies as a Master 2 competitor, but competes in the Adult division. She is a full-time software developer and the Women’s and Kid’s coach and program director at GD Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters in Tempe Arizona.

With the Adult and Master World Championships combined she has accumulated seven gold medals in the last 4 years:

• 2012 – World Masters – Double Gold (Light & Open) Blue Belt
• 2013 – World Adults – Purple Belt World Champion (Light)
• 2013 – World Masters – Double Gold (Light & Open) Purple Belt
• 2014 – Out due to injury
• 2015 – World Adults – Brown Belt World Champion (Light)
• 2015 – World Masters – Black Belt World Champion (Light)

We spoke to Sarah about her success and advice for other girls competing in Jiu-Jitsu.

“If you want to compete do it. If nerves are keeping competitions from being fun then keep signing up for tournaments until the nerves are manageable (it gets better). Don’t worry about winning so much as performing like you train. Then train. Just train. Show up. Show up injured and do what you can. Study. Fail. Focus on a topic and get good at it. Take care of your body so that you can train. There is not much of an off-season to thrash your body because it will affect your training and thus effect your competitions. Take off only a few days when needed and train lighter when you need rest.

Technique and conditioning, although critical, are not the only areas to focus on. Make sure you don’t neglect the mental aspect of your training. I constantly utilize the BJJ Mental Coach to make sure my mindset for training and competition is as strong as possible.”

Rafael Formiga had a great showing at the 2015 Worlds Master, this weekend, in Las Vegas.

He won the master 1 lightweight division and finished second at the open class.

The main weapon he used in all of his matches was a sweep from the x-guard.

We found this video where he explains how he does it.

Here’s the translation to his instructions in Portuguese:

“Playing the sit up guard, I control his belt and his arm. As I try to sweep using my hooks, he steps forward. So I change my grip from his arm to his heel. At the same time, I push him back and make him get up as I place one hook behind his knee and the other on his groin area. I put his other leg close to my shoulder. As he tries to take my hook out, I’ll push his hip back and slide the other hook down as I trip his leg and make him fall backwards. I follow his movement and come on top for the two points.”

The Worlds Master is a different kind of tournament. Of course every athlete go in looking for the win in each match and for that they give all they got on the mat, but winning is really not the only thing that matters.

In each match, you find a great story.

It could be a blue belt that joined Jiu-Jitsu after his 50th birthday looking for a new lifestyle or a black belt competing while going through treatment for cancer.

It’s truly a family-oriented event, with wives, husbands, sons and daughters, grandsons and even great-grandsons rooting from the sidelines for their family members on the mats.

It’s a celebration of what Jiu-Jitsu is all about – being active, healthy and being part of an amazing community of people.

Here are 10 images that prove our point.

1. One second after the match is over, that guy is no longer my opponent, but my friend.

2. In two days and thousands of matches, you hardly saw any berimbolo, worm guard and other modern techniques.

3. It’s the one time of the year where you can see how good a competitor Saulo Ribeiro is.

4. It’s so awesome to be able to witness the final moments of great fighters as they retire, like Bernardo Pitel did this year.

5. Despite their preference for the classics, athletes at the Worlds Master also like to try some fancy moves.

6. The number of women competing in 2015 was by far the largest of all four editions. And they put a great show.

7. Russell Redenbaugh said thanks to Jiu-Jitsu in an exhibition match with Xande Ribeiro and inspired the crowd with his example of determination.

8. You got to meet people like Chris Haueter (right), one of the first American black belts ever. He started training in 1988, at Rorion Gracie’s garage.

9. Win or lose, people will always be thankful for being healthy and part of such a great community.

10. In the end, we leave you with Megaton, the only athlete that competed in all World Championships (Adult and Masters) as a black belt. Do like him and love the art above all.

Tarcisio Jardim vs. Rafael Barbosa

Competitors gave all they got on the mats in search of the gold medal.

Tarcisio Jardim and Leanna Dittrich lead the pack of black belt open class champions at the master 1 division.

Jardim scored two points early in the match with a sweep against Rafael Formiga and then defended well the opponent’s attempts to sweep him back.

In the female’s division, Leanna also scored 2-0 early in the match against Sarah Black and worked her way to the gold medal.

In the master 3, Saulo Ribeiro completed a perfect campaign with a 9-0 win over Carlos Farias for the open class gold medal.

Saulo Ribeiro vs. Carlos Farias

Wellington Megaton was the master 4 open class champion by referees decision against Roberto Traven after a 0-0 tie in points.

In the master 5 open class, Brian Beauchamp took home the gold medal after a 2-0 win over Chris Haueter.

Stephen Kamphuis was the master 6 open class champion when he outscored Michael Atkin 2-0 in the final.

For the complete list of champions and how they got to their gold medals, go to GRACIEMAG’s Instagram page.

In the team’s competition, Ribeiro JJ ruled over both the men’s and women’s division.

The podiums were:

Male

1 – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – 260

2 – Gracie Barra – 249

3 – Gracie Elite Team – 136

Female

1 – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – 69

2 – Gracie Barra – 44

3 – Gracie Elite Team – 40

Click here for the complete results.

Here’s a photo gallery with some of the best images of the day.

Rafael Formiga celebrates the spot in the master 1 open class final

Day 1 of the 2015 World Master Jiu-Jitsu championship was a feast for Jiu-Jitsu lovers.

Since early in the morning until late in the evening, athletes poured their hearts out on the mats and displayed top notch technique.

The day started with the blue belts followed by purple belts and then black belts.

The highlight of the day was the presence of big talents such as Saulo Ribeiro, Rodrigo Comprido, Roberto Godoi, Alexandre Soca, Wellington Megaton, Roberto Alencar and many others.

In each division of each age group (Master 1-6), the brackets advanced until the semifinals were set.

The thrills go on this Saturday, when all the black belt champions will be crowned.

Tarcisio and Big Mac battle for a spot in the master 1 open class final

In the open class division, Tarcisio Jardim will face Rafael Formiga for the master 1 black belt open class title.

In the female division, the master 1 black belt open class title will be decided in a 6-minute match between Sarah Black and Leanna Dittrich.

The other black belt open class finals are as follows:

Master 2

Ranieri Paiva vs. Tiago Almeida

Master 3

Male: Saulo Ribeiro vs. Carlos Farias

Female: Maria do Carmo Paixão vs. Misty Shearer

Master 4

Wellington Dias vs. Roberto Traven

Master 5

Brian Beauchamp vs. Chris Haueter

Master 6

Michael Atkin vs. Stephen Kamphuis

For the results of day 1, click here.

For the detailed coverage of day 1, click here.

Here is a photo gallery of the first day at the Cashman Center.

Worlds Masters

The 2015 World Masters Jiu-Jitsu championship is all ready to go.

The IBJJF released this Wednesday the brackets and the schedule for the two days of event in las Vegas, on Sept. 25-26.

Click here to check the schedule, order of fights and brackets.

The 2015 Worlds Masters will be part of the Evexia Fitfest, at the Cashman center.

The event will also feature BJJ seminars and more.

Click here for the schedule of activities at the Evexia Fitfest.

Click here to buy your tickets now (athletes competing have free entry).

The black belt semi-finals and finals will be live streamed for free.

Click here to watch it.

For more info, go to ibjjf.org.

IBJJF

As you probable already know, the 2015 World Masters IBJJF championship will take place during the Evexia Fitfest, in Las Vegas, this Sept. 25-26.

The Evexia Fitfest will feature also free seminars with BJJ superstars Xande Ribeiro, Leo Vieira and Vinicius Draculino.

It will also feature a judo seminar with two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro, two crossfit seminar with Paul Tijerina and Summerlin Crossfit and a pre-workout routine seminar with PJ Nestler.

All seminars will have limited capacity and will work on a first come first serve system.

All seminars participants will have to sign a waiver when they register for it.

The registration for each seminar will begin one hour prior to its schedule time.

See the seminars schedule below:

Evexia Fitfest Seminars

The Evexia Fitfest will also feature a fight wear market place with the hottest brands.

If you are registered to compete at the 2015 Worlds Masters, you will have free entry at Evexia.

If not, you need to buy spectator tickets for each day of event.

Click here to buy your tickets and print them at home.

If you can’t be in Las Vegas, but still want to root for your teammate or family member, you’ll be able to watch the black belt semifinals and finals at the Worlds Masters in a free live stream at ibjjftv.com.

IBJJF

The IBJJF announced today that a free live stream of the 2015 Worlds Masters will be available.

You can catch the matches live from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, on Sept. 25-26, if you go to ibjjtv.com.

The free internet broadcast will feature only the black belt semifinals and finals of all master divisions.

Know more at ibjjf.org.

Xande Ribeiro at the 2015 Worlds

The 2015 World Masters Jiu-Jitsu championship will take place during the Evexia Fitfest, at the Cashman Center, in Las Vegas, NV.

On Sept. 25-26, over 2,300 athletes over 30 years old will battle for the most prestigious medals in their age classes.

The registration is long closed due to the full capacity being reached more than a month before the deadline, but you can still have a weekend filled with great Jiu-Jitsu.

The Evexia Fitfest will feature a series of free seminars for the BJJ crowd.

So far, they have confirmed Xande Ribeiro, Leo Vieira, Vinicius Draculino and judo Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro (also a GRACIEMAG Columnist).

The seminars will have limited capacity, so you should be there early for each class.

More names will be announced soon.

Click here to know when each of the seminars will take place during the two days of event.

The price of the ticket to enter the Evexia Fitfest will be announced in the next days.

Athletes competing in the Worlds Masters have free entry.

Click here to know more about the Worlds Masters.

Click here to know more about Evexia Fitfest.

Saulo Ribeiro at the 2013 Worlds Masters

The IBJJF announced earlier today that the full registration capacity for the 2015 World Masters Jiu-Jitsu championship has been reached.

With that, the registration process was closed more than a month prior to the original deadline of September 16th.

Actually, the IBJJF closed the registrations for the first time today around noon (PST), when the number of athletes reached 2,000.

Then, they were able to re-open the registration process once they recalculated the event’s capacity.

The new period lasted less than three hours until the new full capacity was reached.

The 2015 edition of the Worlds Masters will be the largest since event’s creation in 2012, with 2,301 athletes.

The event is scheduled September 25-26, at the Cashman Center, in Las Vegas.

For more info, go to ibjjf.com.

The 2015 Worlds was one of the most thrilling moments of the season.

Watch the highlight video here and relive the great things that took place in the Long Beach Pyramid.

If you are over 30 years old, don’t forget to register for the 2015 Worlds Master.

The price will change after this Wednesday, July 29.

Click here to register now.

Scheduled May 27-31, the most important gentle art competition of the calendar should be the stage for some dramatic action in the black belt division and beyond.

We have listed a few questions regarding some important people that will be main characters in Long Beach.

Rodolfo Vieira, GFTeam black-belt. Photo:Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

1. Will Rodolfo Vieira be healthy enough to compete in Long Beach?

The superstar scared the world of grappling when he decided to pull out of the 2015 WPJJC this past weekend after the weigh-ins. Apparently, the lower back injury he has is more serious than it appears. He wrote on his Instagram page that “he spent the whole night before the first day of competition in Abu Dhabi thinking whether he would compete or not”. Rodolfo said he lacked confidence and that he was far away from the 100% and that those who know him know he will not get into a competition in such a state. He ended the message saying that all he wants now is to heal fast to be ready again. The question is: will Rodolfo have time to heal his back and be at 100% in Long Beach?

Marcus Buchecha

2. If Rodolfo can’t compete, can anyone else threat Buchecha’s run at the unprecedented 4th black belt open class gold medal?

Marcus Buchecha already reached an unprecedented feat this year with the third open class title in Abu Dhabi, but the big one is still to come. If he wins again in Long Beach, he will have done something no one has achieved in history, the fourth black belt open class world title. If Rodolfo can’t compete, who else could possibly have the tools to stop Buchecha? Alex Trans put up two great efforts in Abu Dhabi and Buchecha himself said that “the Dane gets better every time they fight”. Still, the Buchecha-Trans score is 7-0 in favor of the Brazilian. Bernardo Faria, Leo Nogueira, André Galvão, Keenan Cornelius and Felipe Pena are other black belts with potential to give Buchecha a run for his dream of becoming the first four-time black belt open class champion.

Gabi vs. Mackenzie

3. Can the lightning strike twice in the same spot?

Mackenzie Dern made history in Abu Dhabi when she defeated Gabi Garcia in the open class semifinal. Can the 118lb-dynamo repeat the feat in Long Beach? A few aspects will make the task more difficult for Mackenzie. At the Worlds, the match will be 10 minutes long, which makes things much more complicated. Gabi will be specially motivated to defeat Mackenzie after the setback at the WPJJC. With three referees (if it’s a semifinal or a final), points and advantages have more chances of being scored (for both sides) than with the single referee system in Abu Dhabi. Anyway, the reencounter of Gabi and Mackenzie will be a sight to see.

4. Can the new generation of American black belts finally make a dent in the Brazilian domination?

Keenan Cornelius is the senior member of this very tough group of black belts. JT Torres, AJ Agazarm, Michael Liera, Tim Spriggs, Tammi Musumeci, Gianni Grippo, Dillon Danis, Mansher Khera and a few others have all the tools they need to write their names in history. The sheer number of high level black belts make it more probable than ever to have a non-Brazilian at the top of one of the black belt divisions.

Caio Terra vs. Bruno Malfacine at the 2015 Pan

5. Can Caio Terra overcome the impact of being submitted by Bruno Malfacine at the 2015 Pan?

Caio Terra and Bruno Malfacine have one of the longest and most fierce rivalries in Jiu-Jitsu today. At the 2015 Pan, Malfacine was able to hit a home run against his rival and won the roosterweight division with a choke from the back, imposing on Caio his first ever defeat by submission in the weight division. It’s well known that Caio has been dealing with health issued in the past year and that may or may not have influenced the outcome of the match in Irvine. Anyhow, it’s very probable that the two will be in the final in Long Beach. Let’s see what happens.

João Miyao vs. Paulo Miyao

6. Will 2015 be the year of the Miyao?

They almost made it to the top in 2014, with two silver medals in the roosterweight and lightfeather. They have been competing almost non-stop since then and seem to be better than ever. Even so, it’s going to be a hard task to win in such competitive dvisions. Bruno Malfacine, Caio Terra, Gui Mendes, Gianni Grippo, Rafael Mendes, Cobrinha (if they go up to featherweight) and others are just some of the obstacles in the way of João and Paulo.

Rafael Mendes and Guilherme Mendes

7. Will the Mendes be the first brothers to reach the mark of five black belt world titles together?

Both Rafael and Guilherme compete in the Worlds as black belts since 2009. Guilherme debuted with a gold medal, but Rafael had to wait until 2010 to win his first. In 2011, they won together for the first time and repeated the double feature in 2012. In 2013, neither one made it to the top of the podium, but last year they were back at it with another double gold. In 2015, they can reach the impressive mark of five gold medals a piece. Can they do it?

This are just seven of the infinite number of questions we can ask about the Worlds. One of then is: Have you registered yet?

Click here to register and then have a good read about the action in Long Beach.