Analysis: Herculean Effort Secures ADCC Gold For JT Torres
Analysis: Herculean Effort Secures ADCC Gold For JT Torres
JT Torres' route to the 77kg gold medal was surely one of the most physically taxing we've seen in recent history.
Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!
Already a subscriber? Log In
Winning ADCC in any bracket is among one of the most challenging accomplishments in all of sports, but JT Torres' route to the 77kg gold medal was surely one of the most physically taxing we've seen in recent history.
The Atos representative racked up a total 75 minutes of match time across four rounds of competition - meaning every single bout went into overtime, including a 30-minute final with the legendary Lucas Lepri.
Watch the supercut below to see all the best moments from his showing at ADCC 2017 and make the jump to see our statistical analysis of the win.
Supercut: JT Torres' MONSTER ADCC 2017 Performance
Watch ADCC 2019 ONLY on FloGrappling
September 28-29 | Click for more
Surprise: Wrestling Is Key
Obviously joking here – wrestling's link to ADCC is well-known, and Torres' journey was no exception. His powerful cross-body, inside trip was a staple – he used the takedown to effect in every single match except his final with Lepri, there he set up his match-winning back take with a beautiful outside single leg takedown attempt.
JT is comfortable hitting the cross body trip on both sides.
Key Stats
| Opponent | How | Match Time ACML | Pts for | Pts Agst | TDns | Tdn Att. | TDns Def | Tdns Conc |
| Celso Vinicius | Decision | 15:00 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Lachlin Giles | Points | 15:00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Garry Tonon | Decision | 15:00 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Lucas Lepri | Points | 30:00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
Two things should immediately jump out about the stats.
First, JT was technically outscored in his first match, but due to two penalty points being given to Celso Vinicius, the match went to overtime, where Torres won by decision due to a powerful takedown and back attack attempt.
Secondly, in 75 minutes of competition time, Torres earned a total of five points. One must remember that the first half of every round (5 minutes in the opening rounds; 10 minutes for the final) receive no positive scoring. It's also exceptionally difficult to score points via takedown – one essentially has to pin their opponent on their back; taking someone down into turtle or any position where one shoulder is off the mat will not do.
Does that mean 15 of his 17 takedown attempts were all for nothing?
Of course not.
Our GIF above shows how Torres' crossbody trip greatly dictated the pace of the match and helped propel him to attacking positions. Indeed, it was an outside single leg that saw him get the body lock from the back on Lucas Lepri and ultimately set up his final winning backtake. Though it didn't always get him points on the board, JT's wrestling earned him that gold medal.
Guard Work To get Back to The Feet
It should also be obvious from the supercut that Torres wanted to be on top all costs, but that doesn't mean his guard was completely out of play. He was taken down in two of his matches, but was able to neutralize all passing attempts and get back to his feet ASAP.
Be sure to watch the analysis below to see just how quick JT's reaction can be.
Technique Breakdown: JT's Sweep Attempt on Celso Vinicius
In a Word, JT is now the second champion we've seen who are elicited to get on top and stay there. While Cobrinha opted to pull guard in his opening rounds, JT wrestled his way through the entire pack. Torres also shares the 66kg's preference to skip the guard pass and control his opponent in half guard and work his way to the back.
Stay tuned, next week we'll dive into the Analysis of 2017 60kg Champ Beatriz Mesquita's 2017 ADCC run!
Watch all of JT Torres Matches from ADCC 2017
- JT Torres vs Celso Vinicius
- JT Torres vs Lachlin Giles
- JT Torres vs Garry Tonon
- JT Torres vs Lucas Lepri