DECEMBER 20, 2020. Held in Silver Spurs Arena, Florida, USA, was the 9th edition of the World Master Jiu-Jitsu Championship, an event promoted by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), for the over 30YO divisions of the sport.
Unlike many other combat sports, where athletes tend to slowly lose their competitive edge after their 20s and disappear from the tournament scene, Jiu-Jitsu has done a terrific job, through its governing bodies, at promoting and incentivizing these veteran divisions – adequately labeled Masters – and with this support, the World Masters event has quickly become one of the most relevant tournaments on the international calendar.
The Master 2 division, which we are reporting on in this article, encompasses athletes from the 35 up to 40 years of age, range. Traditionally, this has been one of the most stacked age groups of the tournament, particularly at the black belt level, where many of the sport’s old(ish) glories and even a few athletes who compete regularly at adult, still come to test their skills.
DOUBLE GOLD FOR JOSH HINGER
In his fourth attempt at gold in the Masters Worlds Championship, Josh Hinger finally gets it done! Hard not to root for the Atos standout, he who – despite being eligible for the M2 division – consistently competes as an adult and wins while being also one of the most entertaining grapplers on the planet.
After three years of reaching the podium but narrowly missing the title, Hinger got the title(s) he aspired. But make no mistake, his campaign was no walk in the park. 7 matches against strong opposition, including butterfly guard wizard Rafael Formiga, judo and pressure passing expert Alexandro Ceconi, technician Alberto Vilanova to name a few.
One of the most interesting aspects of Hinger’s run for gold was how he got it done. He played pressure passing against the dangerous guard of Formiga and played the takedown game against the dangerous stand-up powerhouse Ceconi, beating these high-level grapplers at their own game. Josh’s well-known sweep single-leg takedowns and pressure passing were on full display throughout the day to which he added 3 submissions.
ANTELANTE & FORMIGA CLOSE OUT LIGHTWEIGHT
The 82-kilogram weight class was, arguably, the toughest in the Masters 2 black belt divisions, but that was no problem for the former Soul Fighters teammates Marcus Antelante and Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa. Although now defending different flags, Barbosa was Marcus’ instructor for many years and the two still share a strong bond, as such, the unusual close-out between representatives of different teams was inevitable.
BRUNO BASTOS GETS IT DONE
In the ultra-heavyweight division, veteran Bruno Bastos had quite a day, suffering no points throughout the tournament and taking home another gold medal, after 4 grueling matches. In the final, Bastos met his long time nemesis Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu.
Although the two share a visible mutual respect off the mats, they were able to leave their friendship outside the blue squared mat for the final. Much like all of Bruno’s matches at the Masters World Championship, the clash was spent almost entirely standing, with the decision falling on Bastos.
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER
1. Luis Felipe Ninja de Moraes Pinto
Kronos BJJ HQ
2. Jeysen Santiago dos Santos
Gracie Humaita Hemet
3. Carlos Eduardo de Almeida Goncalves
A-Force Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
3. Paulo Eduardo Vieira Nunes Freire
Gracie Barra
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / FEATHER
1. Denilson de Carvalho Pimenta
GF Team
2. Diego de Araujo Saraiva
Nova União
3. Diego Asenjo de Paula
Fabin Rosa Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
3. Jinho Kim
Ares BJJ
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / LIGHT
1. Denis Mitchel Batista Pinto
Fight Sports
2. Daniel Fundora
Carlson Gracie Team
3. Gabriel Rodrigues A. Goulart
Alliance
3. Matheus Barreto Saramago
Kronos BJJ
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / MIDDLE
1. Rafael Monteiro Barbosa
Double Five Highland Village
2. Marcus Antelante
Ares BJJ
3. Edenilson Roberto Siqueira de Lima
LEAD BJJ
3. Jorge Luiz Santiago Rodrigues
Xcell Jiu-Jitsu Academy
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY
1. Joshua Roy Hinger
Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2. Fabio Alencar Trindade
Gracie Barra
3. Alberto Silva Vilanova
Vilanova Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
3. Jose Reginaldo P. Souza Jr
Alliance
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / HEAVY
1. Wancler Oliveira Costa Santos
GF Team
2. Gustavo Henrique Saraiva Adolfo
GF Team
3. Jonathan Andrew Thomas
TAC Team BJJ
3. Josh Souder
CheckMat
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY
1. Alexandro Ceconi de Souza
BJJ Revolution Team
2. Nicholas Raymond Sanders
TAC Team BJJ
3. Diego Gamonal Nogueira
Brazilian Top Team
3. João Francisco de Moraes Assis
CheckMat
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / ULTRA-HEAVY
1. Bruno Bastos Cruz
LEAD BJJ
2. Roberto de Abreu Filho
Fight Sports
3. Luiz Fernando Fernandes
Nova União
3. Victor Barreto Rodrigues
Alliance
MASTER 2 / MALE / BLACK / OPEN CLASS
1. Joshua Roy Hinger
Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2. Rafael Monteiro Barbosa
Double Five Highland Village
3. Alexandro Ceconi de Souza
BJJ Revolution Team
3. Diego Asenjo de Paula
Fabin Rosa Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
MASTER 2 / FEMALE / BLACK / LIGHT
1. Georgina Staley
Pablo Silva BJJ
2. Melissa Bentley
Renato Tavares Association
3. Vanessa Sue Waltz
Gracie Barra
MASTER 2 / FEMALE / BLACK / MIDDLE
1. Ana Paula Cardoso do Nascimento
Fight Sports
2. Catherine C. Jones
Carlson Gracie Team
MASTER 2 / FEMALE / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY
1. Laura Ann Heiman Martins
Paragon BJJ Academy
2. Jennifer L. Russell
TDBJJ
MASTER 2 / FEMALE / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY
1. Jennifer A. Case
Renato Tavares Association
2. Tammy M Griego
Gracie Barra
MASTER 2 / FEMALE / BLACK / OPEN CLASS
1. Jennifer A. Case
Renato Tavares Association
2. Laura Ann Heiman Martins
Paragon BJJ Academy
3. Melissa Bentley
Renato Tavares Association
3. Tammy M Griego
Gracie Barra
