Packed gymnasium in Grajaú / Photo: Flashsports.com.br
Among the black belt standouts was Canada’s Jacob Mackenzie, who won the lightweight division, while Vinícius Marinho nabbed another gold for GFTeam at middeweight. Victor Bonfim (Gordo Evolve) did well in winning the medium heavyweight division, while Jeferson Conceição (CheckMat) won at weight and open weight. Jeferson closed out the absolute division with teammate Bruno Matias.
Also at black belt, Bruno Fonseca (Gracie Humaitá) came out on top of the featherweight division, Cássio Lisboa won at heavyweight, and Leonardo Maciel topped the super heavyweight division, overcoming Brazilian national champion Ricardo Evangelista in the final.
At brown belt, world champion João Gabriel continues on dominant romp, having won gold at heavyweight. Another world champion to shine in Grajaú was Matheus Guilherme Costa, who in Long Beach won at weight and open weight in the juvenile blue belt division. Now among the adults, the Gracie Humaitá ace won at lightweight.
“It was awesome, with the gymnasium packed for the whole competition; the crowd came out in force. We had athletes from goodwill projects. The students from Providência favela had their sign-up fees paid for by Mineirinho soft drink company and LBV. They ended up winning a bunch of medals. It’s Jiu-Jitsu for social benefit,” said event promoter Rogério Gavazza in celebration.
In the overall team contest, GFTeam came out number one, followed by Azo, Soul Fighters, Kioto, and In Fight.
