After a few months of an enforced break from competitive jiu-jitsu, our sport’s professional platforms are slowly testing the waters on how to safely re-start the season, Third Coast Grappling (3CG) is the latest promotion to launch with a high-quality line-up in an event set for June 06.
This new and exciting project will come in a Grand Prix format – labeled as a Kumite and it will feature a mix of 8 black and brown belts, all well established as among the sports leading athletes. Below is a short introduction to these bright young competitors who will be participating in the event.
When?
SAT, June 6, 2020
Where?
Houston, Texas
Where to watch?
FloGrappling.com
Cash Prize?
10,000 USD
3RD COAST GRAPPLING KUMITE LINE-UP
(Press Names For More Details On Athletes)
GABRIEL ARGES (Gracie Barra)
One the brightest stars ever produced by Gracie Barra is Arges, a 3x World Champion and 1x Pan Champion who has made a career in the gi, making him an excellent candidate for the top of the podium. Arges is mostly known for his open guard and for playing excellent strategy, two weapons he will most certainly use to his advantage, considering he will be one of the smallest athletes on the roster.
ROBERTO JIMENEZ (Studio 76)
Arguably the biggest black belt prospect of the year is Jimenez, who is known for testing his skills against everyone in every ruleset. Roberto turned 20YO only a few days ago but is already widely regarded as one of the most dangerous medium-heavy/heavyweights in the world, particularly due to his ability to find the back control against the toughest athletes on the planet.
PEDRO MARINHO (Gracie Barra)
Don’t be thrown back by Marinho’s brown belt rank as his list of accolades is extensive and impressive. More than worthy of his placement on the Kumite. During the aforementioned Jimenez’s brown belt term, Marinho was one of his toughest rivals, having also gone up against seasoned black belts in the past with great success. Although nogi is where Pedro traditionally shines brightest, Marinho’s top pressure style and aggressive will be no easy match to the more seasoned challengers.
GUSTAVO BATISTA (Atos HQ)
Batista is one of the most dominant medium-heavyweights of his generation with the gi. A natural pressure passer, “Braguinha” made a career out of dominating his weight class, with only 1 loss in this division as a black belt. In most tournament formats you should count Gustavo as a front runner for gold, and although these 3CG rules may differ from what he is used to, you better believe he is a front runner come game day.
WILLIAM TACKETT (Brazilian Fight Factory / Checkmat)
Another super exciting prospect is brown belt Tackett, the oldest of the Tackett brothers – 3 rising stars in our sport. William is mostly known as a nogi competitor who enjoys a good scramble, but he has proven to push the pace regardless of the ruleset.
Offense driven and with an unmatched work rate, Tackett will certainly add entertainment to the show, and possibly cause a big upset.
MANUEL RIBAMAR (N/A)
A World NoGi champion, Manuel is excellent from the top and bottom, having one of the best strategical minds in the game. Excellent scrambles, hard to score on, years of experience at the highest level, Ribamar is also happy to play on the counter-attack if need be. These factors make the Manaus native a force in this tournament.
JAIME CANUTO (GF Team)
Canuto has completely transformed his game over the past 3 years. From a primarily closed guard player, Canuto became one of the toughest guard passers in the world, and now is in the perfect spot to play from anywhere the match goes.
JAKE WATSON (Maracaba)
Another big name from the new generation is Jake Watson, who is coming off a 5 win streak where he beat big names such as Rudson Mateus and Ronaldo Junior. Two highly regarded competitors.
Much like the aforementioned Tackett, Watson likes to push the pace and likes to look for the submission, particularly from the bottom, where his tall and lanky frame suits him best. Definitely a fun competitor to watch with a lot to gain from a win at the Third Coast Grappling Kumite.
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