JULY 21, 2019 and another weekend of jiu-jitsu has gone by. This was one of the most jam-packed weekends of the year, with a few important professional events taking place, most importantly the Sub-Stars, Florida show, which featured quite a few big names on its card, as well as amateur events such as the three (3) Open’s laid out by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), which took high-level jiu-jitsu to Fresno, Washington DC and Austin, TX.
These shows were a fantastic opportunity for a few of the newer generation of athletes to display their talent, and indeed there were plenty of upsets to report from these past 3 days.
RONALDO JUNIOR CONTINUES HIS UNSTOPPABLE RUN WITH THE GI
The hottest prospect out of the Atos camp right now, Ronaldo Junior, continues on a tear, conquering his first IBJJF medal as a black belt. Recently promoted to the division, this was the Brazilian’s first tournament. He came out unscathed and with two gold medals.
To conquer the weight and the absolute, Junior defeated a few well-known faces of our sport, particularly Hygor Brito and Cole Franson. Junior submitted all but Hygor Brito on his path to the podium. Truly impressive.
MALACHI EDMOND GOLDEN BLACK BELT DEBUT
Another man with a bright future ahead is Malachi Edmond, who made his debut at black belt this weekend at the IBJJF Washington DC Open. A product of Lloyd Irvin’s kids’ program, Edmond is looking sharp and we hope to see him back very soon.
ITALO MOURA SHOCKS THE WORLD IN BLACK BELT DEBUT
With athletes such as Felipe Linhares and Jamil Hill on his path, in his debut, not a lot of people were betting on a positive outcome for the latest Cicero Costha black belt, however, Moura proved to be more than ready to face the best of the best.
Italo Moura came out with a gold medal and the bragging rights of a win over a black belt world champion. What a start for this incredible talent.
DOUBLE GOLD FOR AMERICAN PROSPECT JAKE WATSON
The biggest name out of Andre Maracaba‘s BJJ academy so far, Mr. Jake Watson continues to prove why he is regarded as one of the hottest prospects for American jiu-jitsu with a formidable performance at the Austin Open this weekend.
Quadruple gold (weight and absolute in gi and nogi), in a tournament that gathered a few tough names, which included veterans such as Diego Gamonal and Vinicius Garcia. A fantastic debut for the recently promoted black belt.
NICKY RODRIGUEZ PUTS ON A SHOW AT SUB-STARS
If you still doubt this young athlete’s skills at this point, you haven’t been paying attention. Rodriguez is the real deal and he proved it again in Florida this weekend. The promoters of Sub-Stars had laid out the ‘Nicky Rod Challenge’, where they allowed the internet to choose three opponents to challenge Nicky’s credentials.
The chosen men were:
– Luccas Lira (FightSports, blue belt)
– Michael Caicedo (Vortex JJ, blue belt)
– Quentin Rosenzweig (10th Planet, black belt)
Rodriguez left no doubts out there and proved to be a force, even against the highly accomplished Rosenzweig, who is one of the most well-known leglockers in the submission only circuit. Huge day for the John Danaher pupil.
still missing the results of the matches on people’s individual page.