It was an exceptionally busy weekend for the grappling world these past two days: the IBJJF ran four tournaments across three continents, KASAI Pro 5 was filled with submissions and upsets, plus Fight 2 Win, Quintet and UWW all held incredible grappling competitions. 

Ana Carolina Vieira Dominates Fight 2 Win 107

The hotly anticipated matchup between Luiza Monteiro and Ana Carolina Vieira at F2W 107 did not disappoint.  The bout opened with Monteiro pulling DLR; Vieira cautiously addressed the position until finding her opening where she was able to expertly pass the guard.  Viera finished the match in mount and the judges awarded her the unanimous decision victory.

F2W 107 also saw a barnburner match between Horlando Monteiro and Gustavo Batista with the Atos repressive Batista taking split decision victory, plus five incredible Judo Matches, including the co-headline bout of the night featuring Olympian Rick Hawn and Mooney Cole.

Watch the full event reply here

KASAI Pro 5: Quick Notes

Both Kaynan Duarte and Aaron “Tex” Johnson put in powerful performances and enjoyed success against some of the best grapplers in the world. 

Duarte, equal parts technician and physical titan, smoothly moved through the opposition scoring a total of over 30 points and a crushing submission against the standout Craig Jones to claim the title of champion. 

KASAI Pro 5 Champ Kaynan Duarte

Meanwhile, Tex  Johnson, the infamous berserker known for his leg locks, defied all expectations by submitting the ADCC absolute champion Felipe Pena in a little over a minute with a brutal heel hook. 

It was Tex’s third match of the night at that point, and his second submission. Tex’s inside heel hook is a fearsome weapon, and he used it to tap out Jackson Sousa in his opening match of the tournament. 

Kaynan Met Johnson in the final and secured the win via points after masterfully evading all attacks and scoring a quick takedown.

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Adam Wardzinski Double Golds at IBJJF Rome International Open

Rome has become a touchpoint of the European jiu-jitsu scene and now boasts two major events per year, the European No-Gi Championships and the Rome Open. Notable results from last weekend’s events include Wardzinski's double gold performance, including a big win over Brazilian veteran Renato Cardoso.

See full results here

Miyao Bros, Gezary Matuda Clean Up Up in Orlando 

The IBJJF also held the Orlando Spring International Open which saw a fantastic turnout from the jiu-jitsu hotbed that is Florida USA.  The Miyao Brothers flew in from New York to take top honors in their respective divisions (light-feather fo Joao, Featherweight for Paulo).  Gezary Matuda also returned to IBJJF competition to claim gold in her division, securing a submission win in the final. 

See full results here

Eduardo "Duzao” Lopes Takes Home Double Gold at IBJJF Rio Fall Open

Team Guigo's Ultra-Heavyweight monster Eduardo Lopes was the stand out of the Rio pen this weekend, earning double gold in a stacked field of competition at the IBJJF Rio Fall International Open. As far as the team's race is concerned, GF Team took home top honors by securing nearly 100 points more than Nova Uniao who came in second place and Soul Fighters.

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Team Lloyd Irvin Captures Team Title in Washington D.C. 

Unsurprisingly, the TLI army rolled out in full force when the IBJJF came to their home turf and claimed the team title with key gold medals coming from Jamil-Hill Taylor, DJ Jackson, and  Mahamed Aly.

 Vinicius 'Trator' Ferreira bounced back from a loss on the KASAI Pro 5 undercard Saturday night to defeat Mahamed Aly in the absolute semi-final and punch his ticket to the final, talk about a comeback!

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DJ Jackson atop the black belt absolute division podium.

Team 10th Planet Edges out the Win at Quintet Fight Night 3

Quintet Fight Night 3 went down last weekend in their inaugural all women's teams event.  

For those that don't know, Quint is a team competition comp, where four teams of five athletes face off in a king of the mats style royal rumble. An athlete stays on to fight a fresh opponent if they win by points or submission, if there is a draw, both athletes are eliminated.  with an overall weight limit. 

Standout athletes form the event include Elvira Karppinen from the 10th planet athlete who secured three consecutive submissions against team DEEP Jewels in the opening round and Rikako Yuasa who secured two submission victories before drawing with Gracie Gundam.

It should be noted that Gundam, the young prodigy from 10th Planet, was promoted to purple belt just one day before the tournament, and drawing with elite level black belts like Yuasa is an achievement in itself. 

The final round of the tournament saw all five matches ended in a draw, and due to the fact both teams were dead even in penalty points, 10th Planet was declared the winner by judges decision. 

UWW Holds European Grappling Championships

For UWW Grappling fans and competitors the European Championship is one of the most looked forward to events of the year. With all major European teams having the event circled on their calendar, the athletes show up in top shape to try and claim this year's title. 

This year proved to be one of the best championships yet with many thrilling matches, big throws, and slick submissions. After 4 years under the new ruleset, teams and competitors had been able to fully prepare for the event and it showed in the matches!

16 nations sent their teams in an effort to claim the 2019 European title. France sent a young and talented team but, fell just short of traditional powerhouse Russia on Day 1 in Men’s No-Gi. Russia secured the Men’s No-Gi Grappling by claiming 6 of 7 individual gold medals. 

Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) made sure that France did not leave without any gold by winning the 62KG title. He battled through a challenging bracket before meeting Dmytro Baranov (UKR) in the final. 

After a feeling out period on the feet DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) shot in a for a single leg takedown before jumping on the back. In the following scramble DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) locked in a nasty triangle choke and forced the tap.

Men’s No-Gi Team Result:
1.) Russia- 190 points
2.) France- 98 points
3.) Ukraine- 73 points
4.) Poland- 71points
5.) Romania- 44 points

Women’s No-Gi Team Result:
1.) Russia- 90 Points
2.) Ukraine- 85 Points
3.) Italy- 60 Points
4.) Poland- 58 Points
5.) France- 53 Points