The World of BJJ: April 2021 Recap

What’s going on in the world of BJJ? 

We’ve got you covered for all your BJJ-related news and happenings in this version of our monthly recap (April 2021).  

EUG Promotions Event #1 (Gi) (3 April 2021)

EUG (Evolve Ur Game) Promotions put on a stellar event to kick off April, with 8 black belts competing in the gi at 160lbs for a chance at the winner-takes-all prize of $10,000. Andy Murasaki stole the show in his black belt debut, taking out three of the toughest grapplers at 160lbs to secure the grand prize. 

In addition to the men’s bracket, there was also a women’s title match that took place between Mayssa Bastos and Jessa Khan. Bastos put up an impressive 21 points in 7 minutes, ultimately defeating Khan for the title with a final score of 21-2. 

Here are the results from the 8-man bracket:

Quarterfinals

• Matheus Gabriel def. Jonatha Alves (4-2)
• Andy Murasaki def. Kennedy Maciel (decision)
• Marcio Andre def. Isaac Doederlein (decision)
• Gianni Grippo def. Johnny Tama (4-2)

Semifinals

• Matheus Gabriel def. Marcio Andre (decision)
• Andy Murasaki def. Gianni Grippo (triangle)

Finals

• Andy Murasaki def. Matheus Gabriel (decision)

The organizers have hinted at another EUG event to take place this summer – this time with a 170lb 8-man gi tournament. Based on how exciting this event was, we’re excited to see what they have in store! 

 

Third Coast Grappling 6: The Absolute (3 April 2021)

Third Coast Grappling 6 did not disappoint, with an 8-man, no-gi, absolute tournament headlining the event. These 8 grapplers competed for a grand prize of $15,000, with the runner-up earning $5,000. 

Ultimately, Kaynan Duarte emerged victorious, taking out Victor Hugo in the finals. 

Here are the results from the 8-man bracket:

Quarterfinals

• Victor Hugo def. William Tackett (OT – golden score)
• Mason Fowler def. Manuel Ribamar (OT – RNC)
• Kaynan Duarte def. Aaron Tex Johnson (OT – golden score)
• Nick Rodriguez def. Pedro Marinho (decision)

Semifinals

• Victor Hugo def. Nick Rodriguez (decision)
• Kaynan Duarte def. Mason Fowler (OT – golden score)

Finals

• Kaynan Duarte def. Victor Hugo (decision)

Also part of the event were four no-gi superfights. Here are the results:

• John Combs def. Andy Cordova (RNC)
• Lucas Valente def. Justin Renick (straight ankle lock)
• Jessica Crane def. Priscilla Eckhardt (12-0)
• Savion Maranon def. Youssef Gebril (12-2)

Third Coast Grappling continues to put on high-level events with some of the biggest names in no-gi grappling. What’s next for this promotion heading into the summer?

 

Emerald City Invitational Event #1 (No-Gi) (10 April 2021)

Emerald City Invitational put on a killer inaugural event, with a 16-man, 170lb, no-gi, sub-only (EBI rules) tournament. Athletes were competing for a grand prize of $5,000 (plus $250 per submission in regulation), with $500 awarded for the fastest submission of the night. 

10th Planet’s PJ Barch had everyone talking about his performance, submitting all four of his opponents on his path to the championship. 

Here are the results from the 170lb tournament:

Round of 16

• John Combs def. Daniel-Shea Garcia-Stolfi
• JM Holland def. Bobby Emmons (RNC)
• Werther Marciales def. Aaron Harris
• PJ Barch def. Andrew Solano (RNC)
• Aaron Wilson def. Nick Ronan (kneebar)
• Gesias JZ Cavalcante def. Ricardo Pena
• Andrew Tackett def. Andrew Kochel
• Alan Sanchez def. Khalil Fadlallah

Quarterfinals

• Gesias JZ Cavalcante def. Aaron Wilson
• Alan Sanchez def. Andrew Tackett
• John Combs def. JM Holland (guillotine)
• PJ Barch def. Werther Marciales (armbar)

Semifinals

• Alan Sanchez def. Gesias JZ Cavalcante
• PJ Barch def. John Combs (inside heel hook)

Finals

• PJ Barch def. Alan Sanchez (kimura)

Also part of the event were a number of superfights, from kids all the way through the coloured belts. Here are some of the highlighted results: 

• Bri Robertson def. Sophia Casella (toehold)
• Ben Dixon def. Jordan Peitzman (armbar)
• Luis Quinones def. Frank Rosenthal (shoulder lock)

Emerald City Invitational put on a great first event (besides the hiccups with timing and logistics caused by a miscommunication with the event’s medical staff, which forced a few of the superfights to be postponed and saw a rushed final match between Barch and Sanchez).  

That said, we’re looking forward to more events like this one in the near future. When can we expect Emerald City Invitational #2?

 

F2W 169, 170, 171 Results

The Fight 2 Win promotion was back at it in April, putting on another 3 awesome events. Here are some of the main results from their trio of shows this past month. 

F2W 169 (10 April 2021) saw Joshua Cisneros dominate Kennedy Maciel for nearly the entire match before Maciel secured a last-minute RNC for the wild victory – claiming the 155lb no-gi title in the process (Fight of the Night). While this victory confirmed Maciel’s status as one of the absolute best grapplers in his weight class, the match also showed just how good Joshua Cisneros really is. Keep an eye out for both of these grapplers moving forward. 

Elsewhere on the card, Gabriel Almeida defeated Oliver Taza via decision; Rodrigo Lopes took out Solomon Choran via ankle lock (Submission of the Night); Marcus Antelante decisioned Alex Martins; Pedro Rocha beat Tony Tipton via guillotine (Submission of the Night); and Laurah Hallock bested Sheliah Lindsey via decision. 

F2W 170 (16 April 2021) saw Josh Hinger edge out Rafael Formiga Barbosa via decision to win the 170lb master’s gi title. In the co-main event, Max Gimenis defeated Guilherme Augusto via decision.

The entire card was stacked with great matchups, with 9 black belt matches, 5 brown belt matches, 11 purple belt matches, and a slew of blue belt and kids/teens matches. Here are some highlights from the rest of the card. 

Black Belt: Jonnatas Gracie def. Matheus Luna via decision (Fight of the Night); Jorge Escudero Barba def. Colton Roelofs via flying triangle (Submission of the Night); and Westin Vance def. Angel Lopez via paper cutter choke. 

Brown Belt: Anthony Robinson def. Tony Oviedo via decision (Fight of the Night); Mark Francescutti def. Jeffrey Robinson via paper cutter choke (Submission of the Night); Emil Fischer def. Kevin McCormick via heel hook.

Purple Belt: Bri Robertson def. Monia Salazar via heel hook; Tarean Byars def. Amador Barraza via decision (Fight of the Night); and Joao Pedro Silva de Souza def. Caleb Phillips via armbar (Submission of the Night).

F2W 171 (24 April 2021) saw Vagner Rocha get past William Tackett by split decision in a fast-paced, back and forth match, filled with intense action from 50/50 guard, to earn him the 170lb no-gi title. Rocha proved that he can hang with the young guns and cemented himself as the top grappler in the division. 

In the co-main event, Amanda ‘Tubby’ Alequin got the decision win over Gabi McComb in a match full of submission attempts to claim the 125lb no-gi title. Already holding the 135lb no-gi title, this win made Amanda Alequin the first female two-division champion in the Fight 2 Win organization. Who’s next for Alequin? 

Elsewhere on the card, Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio def. Taniel de Jesus via decision to retain his 135lb no-gi championship belt (marking his third consecutive title defense); Chris Harasziti def. Shawn Ambrosino via decision; and Hugo Marques def. Oliver Taza via split decision. 

At brown belt, Roberto Callejas def. Steven Nichols via kneebar; Joshua Hightower defeated Vinny Furio via kneebar; Colon Santana def. Ryan Conforti via choke; Tiago Alves def. Andy Perez via split decision; and Brianne Robertson def. Jasmine Rocha via heel hook.

 

WNO: Rafael Lovato Jr. vs Gilbert Burns (30 April 2021)

In the battle of MMA fighters (one active, one retired), Gilbert Burns came out on top with a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Lovato Jr. in the WNO main event. 

The match was close until the final few minutes, when Burns managed to pass Lovato Jr. ‘s guard and secure back mount, only to have Lovato Jr. escape moments later. Lovato Jr. attacked Burns’ legs with time running out, but it wasn’t enough to get him the nod from the judges. This was a tremendous display of jiu jitsu from two of the best grapplers in the world, capping off a night of exciting matches. 

In the co-main event, Tye Ruotolo took out William Tackett via unanimous decision. Tye impressed with a dominant performance over the incredibly tough Tackett. Initially, Ruotolo was slated to face Craig Jones before Jones was forced to withdraw due to adverse reactions from the COVID-19 vaccine. Will this Ruotolo vs Jones match be rescheduled for the next WNO event?

Here are the results from the rest of the card: 

• Nicky Ryan def. PJ Barch via split decision in a back and forth match, which could have easily been ruled a draw.
• Grace Gundrum def. Alex My Nguyen with a nasty armlock from the back.
• Kade Ruotolo def. Ethan Crelinsten in shocking fashion by locking up a slick d’arce choke.
• Andrew Wiltse def. David Garmo via one-armed RNC (what’s even more impressive is that Wiltse predicted this finish before the match).
• Jessica Crane def. Lauren Sears with a super tight RNC. 
• Haisam Rida def. Sloan Clymer via unanimous decision in a wrestling-heavy match highlighted by several takedowns from Rida. 

FloGrappling put on another brilliant WNO event that definitely left fans more than satisfied. Thankfully, grappling fans have something to look forward to in the month of May, as Flo announced the next installment of the WNO series to take place on 28 May 2021: Gordon Ryan vs Luiz Panza. 

Get ready for more high-level matchups!

There you have it. Now, you’re all caught up on key events in the BJJ world from April. 

Check in next month for a recap of everything that happened in May. 

Until next time… stay rolling, and protect your neck! (And your legs, and arms, and wrists… you get it).