JUNE 14, 2020, After being spoiled to the wonders of Texan jiu-jitsu over the past couple of weeks through the events promoted by F2W and 3rd Coast Grappling, last night it was the time for Florida to shine and provide the community with high-level matches and a stacked no-gi jiu-jitsu format, the credit of which goes to the Jitz King organizers.
The event was set-up with some of the highest-ranked black belts in the middleweight class as well as, arguably, the top 3 brown belts of today – Pedro Marinho, Oliver Taza, and William Tacket. Given the quality of the line-up, many had Serra JJ black belt Jason Rau and Studio 76 super-star, Roberto Jimenez, as the favorites to win the show, but it was Pedro Marinho and Oliver Taza who made it through to the final.
The incredibly talented Taza, who traditionally competes at 170lbs, made the best of his size disadvantage by submitting Gabriel Castro and Benji Silva on his way to the semi-final, where he struggled to pin down the former heavyweight BB Monster of Fight Sports. In the end, Oliver’s offensive pace throughout the match gave him the judges nod as he advanced for the final.
The powerful Gracie Barra soldier Pedro Marinho, on the other side of the bracket, submitted veteran David Garmo and squeezed past Jason Rau near the end of the match with a beautiful guard-pass, going on to submit Robert Jimenez with a very opportunistic heel hook, this way taking out both of the tournament’s front runners.
The final between Taza and Marinho was not without controversy, given the quickness with which the referees awarded Marinho’s match-winning takedown points. Nevertheless, the Brazilian came out the victor after a flawless tournament performance.
Worthy of mention was Roberto Jimenez’ jiu-jitsu, he who threw caution to the wind in his quest for quality entertainment and the finish. Acrobatic moves, flying submission attempts, and zero stalling have made the young prodigy one of the most interesting athletes to follow in our sport.
SUPER-FIGHTS
– Caleb Tackett vs Tristan Sainz 5×0 pts
– Sofia Delgado def. Alanda Delva via golden score
– Corban Sainz def. Tony Torres via kneebar
– Andrew Tackett def. Caio Matias via triangle
– Orlando Castillo def. Rafael Cadena via golden score
– Kody Steele def. Mauricio Gomez via golden score
185 LBS JITZ KING TOURNAMENT
Round 1 – Bracket A
– Jason Rau def. JB Betchloff via outside heel-hok
– Pedro Marinho def. David Garmo via guillotine
– William Tacket def. Jay Jay Wilson via golden score
– Roberto Jimenez def. Yuri Villefort via triangle-armbar
Round 1 – Bracket A
– Valdir “BB Monster” def. Johnny Tama via golden score
– John Combs def. Jake Watson via mounted guillotine
– Benji Silva def Alan Sanchez via ref. decision
– Oliver Taza def. Gabriel Castro via kneebar
1/4 Finals – Bracket A
– Pedro Marinho def. Jason Rau via 3×0 pts
– Roberto Jimenez def. William Tackett via 3×0 pts
1/4 Finals – Bracket B
– Valdir “BB Monster” def. John Combs via 4×2 pts
– Oliver Taza def. Benji Silva via inside heel-hook
Semi-Finals
– Pedro Marinho def. Roberto Jimenez via outside heel-hook
– Oliver Taza def. Valdir “BB Monster” via decision
Final
– Pedro Marinho def. Oliver Taza via 2×0 pts
