MARCH 11, 2024, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, held the second and final qualifier for the ADCC in South America. Traditionally, this has been the toughest of the South American ADCC Trials and this year was no different. The level was much improved over last weekend’s tournament in Belo Horizonte (see report & results here) and so were the performances of Brazilian stationed athletes.
In the previous ADCC BH Trials, we had witnessed a domination by Brazilian competitors who reside abroad (mostly in the USA), but this Sao Paulo tournament brought an improved homegrown squad, proving that there is some life in the country, still, with 5 out of the 8 qualified athletes being residents of BRA. Below is a rundown of the action in each weight class.
QUALIFIED ATHLETES FROM ADCC’S BRAZILIAN TRIALS 2:
66KG: Fabricio Andrey (BRA, Alliance SP)
77KG: Alexandre Jesus (BRA, Calasans BJJ)
88KG: Pedro Marinho (BRA, Gracie Barra)
99KG: Henrique Cardoso “Ceconi” (BRA, Ceconi BJJ)
+99KG: Victor Honorio (BRA, Honorio CT)
55KG: Anna Rodrigues (BRA, DreamArt)
65KG: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA, Aviv JJ)
+65KG: Maria Ruffatto (BRA, BTT)
A very fun weight class to follow with a massive influence from Manaus, a Brazilian city that saw 3 of its citizens make it to the semi-finals. From an overall perspective, all 4 of the semi-finalists (and most of the quarter-finalists as well) had fun performances. Aggressive styles, fantastic scrambles, and all submission oriented. A delight to follow. The sensation of the Belo Horizonte trials, 15-year-old Kallebe Pereira was not able to shine as brightly this time around, being stopped by his teammate of Escola Melqui Galvao, Iago Siqueira, via submission, nevertheless, coach Melqui should have plenty to be happy about, considering how many of his athletes (and former athletes) made it through to the semis here.
In the end, the always-entertaining Fabricio Andrey pulled it off with another brilliant performance, making good work of his strong stand-up and outstanding athleticism to steal the show. One of his most fun performances to date, holding 5 submissions in 6 matches, plus ending his final with a fully locked-in submission.
– Quarter-Finals:
Fabricio Andrey def. Joshua Flores via RNC
Felipe Machado def. Victor Delibero via Submission
Kaua Gabriel def. David Santos via Straight ankle lock
Iago Siqueira def. Igor Moreira via decision
– Semi-Finals:
Fabricio Andrey def. Felipe Machado via Armbar
Kaua Gabriel def. Iago Siqueira via Straight ankle lock
– Final:
Fabricio Andrey def. Kaua Gabriel via decision
(no 3rd place match, Felipe Machado wins by WO)
Lots of athletes in this division and no lack of talent. Jonnatas Gracie was one of the favorites coming in and he proved his readiness for the challenge throughout the tournament with his traditional grinding style of grappling, smothering his opponents with his power and top pressure on his way to the final where he met another veteran of the game in Alexandre “Robinho” Jesus. Robinho came in with a different style, faster and more mobility based with which he submitted 2 of his 6 wins. Gracie and Jesus (the two most revered last names in BJJ) had a very even match and a hard one to judge but, in the end, the #1 spot was awarded to Alexandre via split decision.
– Quarter-Finals:
Alexandre Jesus def. Arley Pacheco via 3×0
Jonnatas Gracie def. Matheus Ferreira via Armbar
Fabio Caloi def. Magid Hage via 6×0
Samuel Rocha def. Miguel Campos via Inside heel hook
– Semi-Finals:
Alexandre Jesus def. Samuel Rocha via 11×0
Jonnatas Gracie def. Fabio Caloi via 3×0
– Final:
Alexandre Jesus def. Jonnatas Gracie via decision
– 3rd Place:
Fabio Caloi def. Samuel Rocha via 2×0
Oustanding division, arguably the toughest in the tournament. Gabriel Almeida continued to shine with his submission-oriented style and another frustrating second place, after a similar performance in the previous weekend. In BH, Almeida took silver while submitting 5 out of his 5 wins, in Sao Paulo “Tod” repeated the silver and submitted 4 out of 5 w’s. An impressive feat but, sadly, not enough to qualify.
While Gabriel Almeida and Andre Porfirio raised cheers from the crowd for their submissions, Pedro Marinho was stealing the golden ticket to the big show. Gracie Barra’s Marinho showed improved wrestling from previous performances, winning most of the standing exchanges with great inside control and a deadly front headlock. There were many fantastic matches to point out from Pedro, but one we loved in particular was his inaugural clash with Manoel Porto, a very strong judo player who forced some fun exchanges with Pedro.
– Quarter-Finals:
Pedro Marinho def. Romualdo Andrade via Guillotine
Gabriel Almeida def. Lucas Bernardes via Guillotine
Isaque Bahiense def. Servio Tulio via decision
Andre Porfirio def. Achilles Rocha via 3×0
– Semi-Finals:
Pedro Marinho def. Isaque Bahiense via decision
Gabriel Almeida def. Andre Porfirio via Guillotine
– Final:
Pedro Marinho def. Gabriel Almeida via decision
– 3rd Place:
Isaque Bahiense def. Andre Porfirio via Armbar
A division lacking of new-blood but fun to follow nevertheless. Henrique “Ceconi” Cardoso dominated the standing exchanges in the division, a facet that placed him well ahead of his opposition, ultimately winning him his spot in the World Championship this year which will be Cardoso’s second attempt at ADCC gold.
– Quarter-Finals:
Henrique Cardoso def. Jorge Escudero via RNC
Elionai Braz def. Fellipe Trovo via 6×0
Maique Azevedo def. Vinicius Trator via 3×0
Patrick Gaudio def. Jackson Douglas via decision
– Semi-Finals:
Henrique Cardoso def. Patrick Gaudio via decision
Elionai Braz def. Maique Azevedo via decision
– Final:
Henrique Cardoso def. Elionai Braz via 6×0
– 3rd Place:
Patrick Gaudio def. Maique Azevedo via decision
Arguably the least talent-dense division in the male category, with lots of very heavy competitors but somewhat lacking in the athleticism department. One challenger, however, proved to have talent and athleticism in droves: Victor Honorio. The Rio de Janeiro veteran showed that he is as powerful as ever with some high amplitude takedowns and just an overall dominance over his opponents.
– Quarter-Finals:
Victor Honorio def. G. Silva via 2×0
Matheus Lino def. Gustavo Tavares via 2×0
Jhonatan Lopes def. Antonio Assef via decision
Luis Henrique def. Vinicius Lessa via penalty
– Semi-Finals:
Victor Honorio def. Jhonatan Lopes via Katagatame
Matheus Lino def. Luis Henrique via decision
– Final:
Victor Honorio def. Matheus Lino via 5×0
– 3rd Place:
Jhonatan Lopes def. Luis Henrique via decision
The differences between the American grappling style and the Brazilian were very evident in this division. The US Trials showed solid wrestling from a range of athletes, the Brazilian one, not so much. Lots of heart displayed on the mats this weekend and one world-class talent, Anna Rodrigues who, despite being a kimono specialist, was still able to conquer her place in the ADCC tournament thanks to her competitive mindset. She wanted it more than anyone in her weight class, and it showed. A gritty performance by the 2x IBJJF world champ.
– Quarter-Finals:
Anna Rodrigues def. Bianca Giannini via Katagatame
Franciele Santos def. Brenda Larissa via penalty
Jasmine Rocha def. Raquel Silva via Armbar
– Semi-Finals:
Anna Rodrigues def. Jasmine Rocha via decision
Franciele Santos def. Laysla Barbosa via RNC
– Final:
Anna Rodrigues def. Franciele Santos via decision
– 3rd Place:
Jasmine Rocha def. Laysla Barbosa via 2×0
Ana Carolina Vieira went through the Brazilian Trials like a hot knife through butter. Showing her traditional no-nonsense style with solid passing pressure and better in the stand-up than her opponents, Vieira was able to dominate the 65-kilo weight class with 4 subs in 4 matches. In the final Ana Carolina met Gabi McComb, another Brazilian player who lives in the US like Vieira. McComb is one of the most fun grapplers to watch compete and proved it once again this weekend, but looked physically outmatched against Ana and more suited for the 55-kg weight class. Maybe next time.
– Quarter-Finals:
Ana Vieira def. Amanda Hening via RNC
Gabrielle McComb def. Stephanie Jangelni via 3×0
Sabrina Sousa def. Julia Boscher via penalty
Leilani Bernales def. Gio Carneiro via 6×0
– Semi-Finals:
Ana Vieira def. Sabrina Sousa via Guillotine
Gabrielle McComb def. Leilani Bernales via Armbar
– Final:
Ana Vieira def. Gabrielle McComb via Guillotine
– 3rd Place:
Leilani Bernales def. Sabrina Sousa via 3×0
Outstanding work by Maria Ruffatto who conquered both of the South American Trials in 8 days, first in Belo Horizonte and this weekend in Sao Paulo. Two brilliant performances, 6 matches overall (BH & SP), and 4 submissions. Ruffatto also lives in the US and represented BTT from Happy Valley, Oregon. She has competed a bunch in the IBJJF circuit over the past few years and appears ready to make waves in the ADCC.
– Quarter-Finals:
Maria Ruffatto def. Carolina Kerr via 9×2
Kauane Silva def. Yennifer Vera via Armbar
Juliana Menezes def. Theodora Silva via RNC
Tamiris Silva def. Maria Clara via Guillotine
– Semi-Finals:
Maria Ruffatto def. Juliana Menezes via Triangle
Kauane Silva def. Tamiris Silva via 2×0
– Final:
Maria Ruffatto def. Kauane Silva via Kneebar
– 3rd Place:
Tamiris Silva def. Juliana Menezes via Armbar
