FEBRUARY 12, 2022. SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, is widely regarded as the Mecca of jiu-jitsu in the South American country, this weekend, however, it was promoted to World capital of submission-grappling altogether. The home for the most talked-about tournament of the year, thus far, which was the second and final edition of the ADCC Brazil Trials, a tournament designed to bring out the best South American challenger to the promotion’s world title in September.
The ADCC World Championships is seen by many of our sport’s top thinkers as the Olympics of no-gi jiu-jitsu, as such, it was only natural to foresee some of the finest talents South America has to offer on the mats this weekend. This turned out to be an understatement. Near 300 matches were observed by BJJ Heroes, almost double the numbers of the past South American Trials (earlier this month), whose results you can check by clicking here. To read our full report on the São Paulo ADCC Trials, keep scrolling down.
-66KG: Fabricio Andrey (Melqui Galvão)
-77KG: Roberto Jimenez (Studio 76)
-88KG: Alexandre Jesus (Calasans JJ)
-99KG: Henrique Cardoso (KMKZ Ceconi)
+99KG: Gutemberg Pereira (GFT)
-60KG: Mayssa Bastos (Unity)
+60KG: Giovanna Jara (Dream Art)
As mentioned above, we recorded nearly 300 matches at the São Paulo, South American ADCC Trials, which was an increase of 113 matches over those recorded at the Balneário Camboriú last weekend and 38 more than the USA’s East Coast Trials in Atlantic City last year.
The São Paulo event had a very respectable 49% submission rate, just under the numbers of the Balneário Trials and over the Atlantic City showdown, which was also at an impressive 44%. These are very exciting numbers when considering that the average high-level tournament seldomly exceeds the 40% ratio barrier.
Another interesting piece of information was the sheer numbers of heel hooks, which surpassed those seen in the US, a trend we had observed also during the Camboriú Trials. The heel-hook frenzy is alive and kicking in Brazil.
The dynamics of these lower-limb submissions and how they took place are food for thought for a different, deeper dive into these types of finishes and their dynamics. Particularly how so many of them appeared to occur from a “penalty shoot-out2 type scenario. Stay tuned for that.
If the tournament results are what you seek, feel free to click on the links of the individual athletes here displayed to check their individual tournament runs. The results from the quarter-finals onwards are also shown below.
66-KILO DIVISION
Without a doubt, Fabricio Andrey blew everyone out of the water this weekend with a performance reminiscent of his teammate Mica Galvão, during the first Brazil ADCC Trials earlier this month. Swimming against the current, Andrey won without a leg-lock-centric game. Instead, solid basics, great takedowns, and a lightning-quick pace did the trick for the young Manauara.
The surprises of the tournament were MMA fighter Rafael Montouro, who conquered a third-place position, and Andrey’s teammate Kaua Gabriel. Kaua is a purple belt under Melqui Galvão who overcame seasoned competitors such as Cleber Sousa and Felipe Nacib.
Quarter-Finals:
– Fabricio Andrey DEF. Iago Siqueira via Armbar
– Rafael Montouro DEF. Rodrigo Francioni via penalty (0x0)
– Kaua Gabriel DEF. Felipe Machado via decision (0x0)
– Cleber Sousa DEF. Oziel Santos via RNC
Semi-Finals:
– Fabricio Andrey DEF. Rafael Montouro via RNC
– Kaua Gabriel DEF. Cleber Sousa via Inside heel hook
Final:
– Fabricio Andrey DEF. Kaua Gabriel via RNC
3rd Place:
– Rafael Montouro conquered third place via WO
77-KILO DIVISION
Mr. Natural himself, Robert Jimenez made the weight-cut worthwhile with an epic performance at the São Paulo ADCC Trials. Jimenez has been a regular appearance in the medium-heavyweight division but showed up ready to challenge for a 77-kilogram spot and did so in style. Back-take after back-take, Jimenez paved his path to a gold medal after 6 tough matches and 4 submissions.
Quarter-Finals:
– Roberto Jimenez DEF. Lucas Barros via RNC
– Luiz Paulo DEF. Marlus Salgado via decision (0x0)
– Fabio Caloi DEF. Luis Ribas via 6×0
– Carlos Campos DEF. Matheus Siqueira via 4×0
Semi-Finals:
– Fabio Caloi DEF. Carlos Campos via decision (0x0)
– Roberto Jimenez DEF. Luiz Paulo via injury
Final:
– Roberto Jimenez DEF. Fabio Caloi via RNC
3rd Place:
– Luiz Paulo DEF. Carlos Campos via decision (0x0)
88-KILO DIVISION
Claudio Calasans’ protege, Alexandre “Robinho” Jesus started dedicating himself to no-gi a few months ago with the intent of making a run for the ADCC World Championships, and that run just materialized into reality this weekend.
6 very hard matches and two submissions led Jesus to the #1 step on the podium. Alexandre played a well-rounded game, with solid takedowns, an aggressive traditional guard, and good top control.
Equally impressive was runner-up Rafael Paganini of Dream Art. The former Alliance São Paulo representative went through an array of tough challengers on his way to the final, which included a submission win over Diego Ramalho and decision victories over Vinicius Reis and Valdir BB Monster.
Quarter-Finals:
– Rafael Paganini DEF. Diego Ramalho via Guillotine
– Valdir Araujo DEF. Luan Carvalho via decision (0x0)
– Alexandre Jesus DEF. Calon Sabino via 3×0
– André Porfirio DEF. Delson Heleno via Inside heel hook
Semi-Finals:
– Rafael Paganini DEF. Valdir Araujo decision (0x0)
– Alexandre Jesus DEF. André Porfirio decision (0x0)
Final:
– Alexandre Jesus DEF. Rafael Paganini decision (0x0)
3rd Place:
– André Porfirio conquered third place via WO
99-KILO DIVISION
Earlier this month Henrique Cardoso “hit the post” at the 1st Brazilian ADCC Trials, losing in the final to João Costa, this weekend the Ceconi KMKZ team member took no prisoners or chances. Flawless performance for the young Brazilian with a balanced mix of aggression and tactics.
Brown belt Luccas Lira was equally impressive on his run to the final. Lira showed an excellent understanding of footlocks while also maintaining a clear head towards the end goal, the win.
Quarter-Finals:
– Luccas Lira DEF. Caio Borralho via 4×0
– Henrique Cardoso DEF. Advilson Pereira via Triangle
– Jorge Escudero DEF. Anderson Silva via Outside heel hook
– Max Weslei DEF. Gabriel Jesus via 2×0
Semi-Finals:
– Luccas Lira DEF. Jorge Escudero via penalty (0x0)
– Henrique Cardoso DEF. Max Weslei via 2×0
Final:
– Henrique Cardoso DEF. Luccas Lira via Short choke
3rd Place:
– Max Weslei DEF. Jorge Escudero via 3×0
+99-KILO DIVISION
Not a bad no-gi debut for the GF Team talent, Gutemberg Pereira who took gold with 4 wins and 4 submissions. “Berg” showed up with a well-rounded game, pulling guard and working his way to the top position with his skilled guard, while also attacking submissions from his back.
Quarter-Finals:
– Gutemberg Pereira DEF. Antonio Assef via Outside heel hook
– Vinicius Castro DEF. Cleyton Flores via injury
– Leonardo Andrade DEF. Armando Sixel via Straight ankle lock
– Daniel Costa DEF. Kitner Moura via decision (0x0)
Semi-Finals:
– Gutemberg Pereira DEF. Vinicius Castro via Inside heel hook
– Leonardo Andrade DEF. Daniel Costa via decision (0x0)
Final:
– Gutemberg Pereira DEF. Leonardo Andrade via Katagatame
3rd Place:
– Daniel Costa conquered third place via WO
60-KILO DIVISION
We alluded to Mayssa Bastos being the best P4P female athlete in the game today, but we also referenced how being the smallest athlete in the division could be a tall order (no pun intended) for the Unity Team representative. We are happy to say Bastos put all our doubts to rest (and then some).
A beautiful performance for Mayssa who submitted 2 athletes in her 4 match run for gold. Great tactically and technically, Bastos used her unpassable guard and her outstanding back-taking game to steal the show.
Quarter-Finals:
– Gabriela Fechter DEF. Vitoria Vieira via penalty (0x0)
– Julia Alves DEF. Ericka Almeida via Toe hold DEF.
– Jasmine Rocha DEF. Franciele Nascimento via decision (0x0)
– Mayssa Bastos DEF. Isabel Seki via 3×0
Semi-Finals:
– Julia Alves DEF. Gabriela Fechter via 4×0
– Mayssa Bastos DEF. Jasmine Rocha via RNC DEF.
Final:
– Mayssa Bastos DEF. Julia Alves via Violin armlock DEF.
3rd Place:
– Jasmine Rocha conquered third place via WO
+60-KILO DIVISION
Not a bad day for a 19-YO purple belt! Giovanna Jara stole the show by being the youngest and lowest belt ranked trials winner of the day.
Jara earned her purple belt in December last year, after her double gold performance at the IBJJF World Championships as a blue belt, and appears to have transitioned flawlessly to the no-gi ruleset of the ADCC submitting 3 out of her 4 matches. Solid top pressure, a relentless back-taking game from that passing stance were the perfect strategy for the Dream Art prospect.
Quarter-Finals:
– Graciele Del Fava DEF. Vedha Toscano via penalty (0x0)
– Ingridd Alves DEF. Maryanna Cardoso via Inside heel hook DEF.
– Natalia Zumba DEF. Arielle Silva via Kneebar DEF.
– Giovanna Jara DEF. Julia Boscher via RNC DEF.
Semi-Finals:
– Giovanna Jara DEF. Natalia Zumba via RNC DEF.
– Ingridd Alves DEF. Graciele Del Fava via 6×0
Final:
– Giovanna Jara DEF. Ingridd Alves via penalty (0x0)
Cover photo by Flograppling. Follow Flo on IG @flograppling
