JULY 31, 2022, PHOENIX, AZ, USA, set the scenery for another edition of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (IBJJF) Open, a tournament that – despite calling upon athletes such as Marcio André, Keven Carrasco, Osvaldo Moizinho, etc – failed to gather many of the bigger names of our sport due to the tournament’s proximity in schedule to the Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam, an event that took place in Brazil, this Sunday, which is one of the main events on the AJP Tour.
Even though it was missing a few key players, the tournament still brought forth a wide variety of familiar faces including the 2022 European Championship double gold medalist, Fellipe Andrew, who was on fire this weekend. Andrew who submitted all his matches as he paved his way to double gold medals while playing a varied game, dominating his opponents, particularly from his passing stance. Equally successful was Andrew’s teammate at Alliance San Diego, Lucia Mota in the female division. Mota only had two matches but dominated both, taking 14×0 in the semi-final and submitting her opponent quickly in the final of the open weight class,
Although Andrew took home the double gold prize, Sergio Rios was, arguably, the most fun athlete to watch this weekend. The veteran medium-heavyweight athlete traditionally competes in the Masters’ division but opted to test his skills against the younger adults and passed his exam with flying colors. A truly masterful class of top-shelf Esquijitsu, the style of grappling famed by the 99 (Nine-Nine) squad.
Also of relevance were the excellent performances of the Ares Jiu-Jitsu Team, a squad that closed the featherweight and lightweight classes of the adult black belt divisions, despite competing in those categories with lighter athletes. Below are the results of the semi-finals and finals of the tournament.
ROOSTER WEIGHT
Final:
– Osamah Almarwai def. Antonio Villiatora via 6×0
LIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT
Final:
– Roiter Lima def. Darryl Lebus
FEATHERWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Keven Carrasco def. Emilio Hernandez via 6×4
– Livio Ribeiro def. Aidan Collins via armbar
Final:
– Team Ares closed out the division.
LIGHTWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Osvaldo Moizinho def. Cesar Predes via Loop choke
– Danilo Moreira def. Johnny Tama via WO
Final:
– Team Ares closed out the division.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Marcio Andre def. M. Khatchikian via triangle armbar
– Daniel Diniz def. Thiago Amorim via choke from the back
Final:
– Marcio Andre def. Daniel Diniz choke from the back
MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Mateus Rodrigues def. Thiago Aso via toe hold
– Sergio Rios def. M. Al-Asbahi via armbar
Final:
– Sergio Rios def. Mateus Rodrigues via clock choke
HEAVYWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Lucas Norat def. Thiago Andrade via decision (2×2 pts)
– Thiago Saldanha def. Italo Lima via 6×4
Final:
– Thiago Saldanha def. Lucas Norat via 2×0
SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Jose Munoz via Botinha
– Joshua Guerra def. Daniel Hampton via points
Final:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Joshua Guerra via katagatame
ULTRA HEAVYWEIGHT
Round-Robin:
– Gabriel Oliveira def. Jackson Douglas via 7×4
– Austin Baker def. Jackson Douglas via WO
Final:
– Austin Baker def. Gabriel Oliveira via kimura
OPEN WEIGHT
Semi-Finals:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Sergio Rios via WO
– Lucas Norat def. Austin BakerAustin Baker via decision (2×2 pts)
Final:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Lucas Norat via violin armlock
OPEN-WEIGHT FEMALE DIV
Round-Robin:
– Sara Apodoca def. Thamires Monteiro via 5×4
– Luciana Mota def. Thamires Monteiro via 14×0
Final:
– Luciana Mota def. Sara Apodoca via kneebar
