It got dusty there in the final of the Masters 1 black belt absolute division. 

It's always nice to see two teammates close out a division by fighting their way to the finals. And in this case the two men who shared this victorious moment had an even stronger bond. 

Rafael Lovato Jr. and Xande Ribeiro are friends, teammates and – to a degree – even teacher and student. As Lovato Jr. explains in 'The American', much of his black belt career has been spent learning from the Ribeiro brothers Saulo and Xande. 



Lovato Jr. submitted Jefferson Santos with a wrist lock on his side of the bracket, while Xande Ribeiro out-pointed Rafael 'Formiga' Barbosa 7-0 for his spot in the final. 

The special moment was witnessed by a very happy Saulo Ribeiro, who was at matside as Xande passed over the gold to Lovato Jr.