It was the super heavyweight black belt final of the 2017 European Championships, and the score was tied at 0-0. Mahamed Aly was down six advantages to Lucio "Largarto" Rodrigues.

Aly was going to lose. He wasn't able to nail any of his sweeps, and the multiple takedown attempts fired off by both athletes were futile.

In the last 25 seconds Largato made his move and Aly seized the moment. Looking to score the first points of the match, Largarto went for Aly's leg but left an opening that Aly exploited to nail him with a counter takedown that won him European gold on January 22 in Lisbon, Portugal.




Mahamed Aly in action at the IBJJF 2017 Europeans. Photos: Chase Smith / FloGrappling

I was thinking that I couldn't lose a single opportunity. Honestly, I thought it would be hard for Lagarto to make a mistake at that point, but he did. I was waiting for the right moment to attack, but then he went for my leg making it easier.

The 22-year-old carioca (Rio de Janeiro native) couldn't have been happier when he walked off the mats and into the arms of his friends.

Aly had traveled to Lisbon on his own, but despite not having any other team members to support him, he found himself surrounded by friends and fans from the BJJ community. After falling short the previous day in the absolute semifinal against Leandro Lo (a tough match that had the crowd on its feet), Aly was determined to come back and win gold. His victory over Largato the next day earned him his first European title as a black belt.

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In 2014 -- still a brown belt -- Aly moved to the United States and began training with Team Loyd Irvin in Maryland. Training in the U.S. has helped Aly compete more, even if that means traveling and competing alone.

"On my team, I'm the only one focused on jiu-jiu," he said. "Unfortunately, everyone else has switched to MMA."

Back in 2011, Aly also trained MMA in Rio with the Nogueira brothers, "Minotauro" and "Minotoro," but after competing in jiu-jitsu for the first time in 2013 Aly decided to dedicate his full attention to the arte suave.

In a little under four years as a jiu-jitsu athlete, Aly has faced off against some of the toughest opponents in the sport. He made a name for himself by winning most of the major competitions he entered as a brown belt until he was awarded his black belt in September 2015. Now he's determined to do the same as a black belt.

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Throughout 2016, Aly traveled to compete in most of the major tournaments but fell short in winning gold. In November, he was in New York for the IBJJF BJJ Pro and took silver after a tough final with Joao Gabriel Rocha, and, in December, Aly faced off against Cyborg Abreu in the finals of the Grappling Pro Championship. Two close calls left Aly even more hungry for victory. He arrived in Lisbon ready to claim a well-deserved place at the top of the podium.

I always think about evolving and winning tournaments, regardless of who may be fighting. I need to improve everything -- I'm going to get better, and I'm going to win it all.

And he meant it -- winning Europeans wasn't enough.

From Lisbon, Aly flew straight to Brazil and won the ADCC Trials in Sao Paulo, guaranteeing himself a spot for the World Championships in September.

Soon he'll return to the U.S. and start preparing for IBJJF Pans, and you can definitely expect to see him at the 2017 Worlds.

Mahamed Aly -- profile link 

See also: 
• The Daily Training Routine Of A World-Class Black Belt Competitor 
• Mahamed Aly vs Lucio Rodrigues IBJJF 2017 Euros
• Mahamed Aly vs Leandro Lo IBJJF 2017 Euros 
• Cyborg Abreu vs Mahamed Aly Grappling Pro Championship