APRIL 29, 2024, This weekend grappling fans witnessed the twelveth edition of BJJ Stars, one of the biggest professional jiu-jitsu events in the sport and the biggest in Brazil. The organization prides itself on being one of the beacons of gi-BJJ in the pro-circuit and has consistently delivered at bringing some top athletes and some of the most talent-dense tournaments in the sport. The format of the show has also allowed for athletes with more colorful personalities to shine through and gain a broader following, particularly through their promotional content which has been interesting and creative.
The BJJ Stars 12 card delivered an interesting line-up of super-fights featuring many Sao Paulo-based athletes and international names as well as a stacked Medium-Heavyweight tournament. Among the superfights, the big match was that of Meyram Maquine (Fratres) and Samuel Nagai (Checkmat), which many expected to light the venue ablaze. Sadly, that ended up not happening. Both athletes looked sharp, with every grip and every inch being fought for tenaciously. There weren’t many spaces for either to shine, although Meyram had the best chance of the evening with a lightning-quick scramble in which the Manaus-born athlete nearly caught the arm of Nagai. In the end, after two sweeps to each side, Maquine was able to take the win via an advantage.
The 88-kilo tournament delivered some very fun matches thanks to a solid selection of entertaining athletes. Names like Fellipe Andrew, Francisco Lo, and Uanderson Ferreira are almost always guaranteed to put on entertaining shows while Gustavo Batista and Isaque Bahiense brought the accolades and the weight of their international titles to the table. In the end, the dynamic nature of both Uanderson and Fellipe was too much for the other contestants as they cruised through their way to the final, Ferreira with a dominant win over Mauricio Oliveira and a takedown win over Batista, while Andrew truly dominated Leo Lara and Bahiense from start to finish.
In the Final, Fellipe Andrew made better use of his lasso guard to sweep Uanderson and dominate the UAE-based athlete from the top position, ending with his trademarked arm triangle from the mount.
SUPER-FIGHTS
– Sabrina Gondim def. Larissa Martins via adv (2×2 pts)
– Pedro Veras def. Ygor Rodrigues via armbar
– Julia Alves def. Luiza Monteiro via 4×2
– Adriano Silva def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro via adv (2×2 pts)
– Anna Rodrigues def. Ana Schmitt via 2×0
– Piter Frank def. Celso Venicius via 2×0
– Meyram Maquine def. Samuel Nagai via adv (4×4 pts)
88 KILO GRAND PRIX
Quarter-Finals:
– Gustavo Batista def. Gabriel Brod via Katagatame
– Fellipe Andrew def. Leonardo Lara via Trangle
– Uanderson Ferreira def. Mauricio Oliveira via Armbar
– Isaque Bahiense def. Francisco Lo via Guillotine
Semi-Finals:
– Uanderson Ferreira def. Gustavo Batista via 2×0
– Fellipe Andrew def. Isaque Bahiense via 11×0
Final:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Uanderson Ferreira via Katagatame
