AUGUST 22, 2021, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, held its second event of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) this year. This time the federation opted for the Charleston Area Convention Center as the home for their tournament, which the organization aptly named the Charleston Summer International Open. The sporting event marked the second appearance of the IBJJF on American soil this month and, as expected, gathered some of the top black belts and colored belts in the nation. Below is a short description of the events that took place at the gi portion of the tournament, this weekend.
GOLDEN DEBUT FOR TEAM GB’S NEW GOLDEN BOY, JORDAN VAISMAN
The light-featherweight division of the Charleston Summer Open did not call for many of the division’s top figures but it did serve the purpose of marking Jordan Vaisman‘s debut. The Draculino team member and student of Villem Coelho has been labeled by many as one of Gracie Barra’s most promising black belts and he sure made it look as though the buzz is merited. Vaisman had one single match, against the tough veteran that is Ram Ananda, which he dominated from the start, ending the bout with a beautiful triangle choke.
GF TEAM’S DAVI CABRAL STANDS OUT WITH DOUBLE GOLD
Slowly but surely GFT’s Davi Cabral has been climbing the ranks of the division. Only a recent black belt, Cabral has amassed solid wins over top-tier talent such as Pedro Agrizzi and Otavio Serafim in the past few months but none as important as the ones he conquered this weekend.
Currently in the US and competing in the 100-kilogram division (previously at ultra-heavy), Davi put on a show against Fight Sports’ Jose Torres, ending the match with a beautiful kneebar from half-guard/Miragaia position. He went on to beat other solid names of this sport such as Fabricio Barbarotti and Helton José in the open-weight class on his way to a double gold winning performance. The good form displayed recently has certainly shown us, the fans, that Cabral is not just happy to participate in these big leagues, he is ready to move towards the top of the division.
LIGHT-WEIGHT MARGOT CICCARELLI TAKES GOLD IN ABSOLUTE
One of the most exciting new black belts in the sport, Margot Ciccarelli, continues to impress in this new stage of her career. Yesterday, in the open weight class, Ciccarelli took out three larger opponents as she went on to conquer another important gold medal for her curriculum.
The first on Margot’s hit list was the super-heavyweight champion, Sarah Rice – a flawless win via points (6×2), where the Unity Jiu-Jitsu representative made the best use of her modern style of guard-play to dominate the larger opponent. For the semi-finals, Ciccarelli met one of her toughest challenges to date in Laurah Hallock, an IBJJF World, and Pan American middleweight medalist. The London-born athlete won the match over the GFT standout by a tight margin (advantage) and looked visibly more tired for the final against another super-heavyweight athlete, Michelle Welti. Nevertheless, once again, Margot’s impenetrable guard was more than enough, taking out Welti via sweep (2×0).
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER
1. Jordan Vaisman (Gracie Barra)
2. Ram Ananda (Alliance)
3. Larry Ruiz (Combat Base)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT
1. Johnny Tama (Alliance)
2. Nick Salles (Studio76)
3. Fabricio Barbarotti (Cicero Costha)
3. Luan Andrei (R1NG BJJ)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY
1. Yago Souza (316 BJJ)
2. Lucas Laet (GF Team)
3. Diego Gamonal (BTT)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY
1. André Porfirio (Fight Sports)
2. Dominique Bell (Atos)
3. Charles Mcguire (ATT)
3. Christopher Passerrello (Tony Passos)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY
1. Davi Cabral (GF Team)
2. Joaquin Torres (Fight Sports)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / ULTRA-HEAVY
1. Helton José Junior (Roberto Traven BJJ)
2. Jackson Douglas (CheckMat)
MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS
1. Davi Cabral (GF Team)
2. Helton José Junior (Roberto Traven BJJ)
3. Fabricio Barbarotti (Cicero Costha)
3. Lucas Laet (GF Team)
FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER
1. Alexa Yanes (Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ)
2. Taylor Sausser (R1NG BJJ)
FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY
1. Sarah Rice (Cary BJJ)
2. Michelle Welti (Dominion BJJ)
FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS
1. Margot Ciccarelli (Unity Jiu-Jitsu)
2. Michelle Welti (Dominion BJJ)
3. Laurah Hallock (GF Team)
3. Taylor Sausser (R1NG BJJ)
