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 (November 2021).
BJJ Stars 7 (6 November 2021)
BJJ Stars put on a stellar show in Sao Paulo to kick off the month with a card stacked full of Brazilian talent.
In the main event, Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa defeated UFC fighter and BJJ black belt Gilbert “Durinho” Burns via rear naked choke in a no-gi matchup.
In the co-main event, Josh Hinger defeated Luis Marques in a gi match to claim the BJJ Stars Masters Light Heavyweight title. After the event, Marques announced his retirement from competition.
Also announcing his retirement from competition was Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes, who earned a decision victory over Bruno Frazatto.
Below are the full results from the main card:
- Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa def. Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (RNC)
- Josh Hinger def. Luis Marques (4-2)
- Celsinho Venicius def. AJ Agazarm (2-0)
- Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes def. Bruno Frazatto (decision)
- Leo Vieira def. Cleber Luciano
- Gutemberg Pereira def. Marcus Scooby (2-2, 4-1 advantages)
- Tainan Dalpra def. Lucas Gualberto (toehold)
- Fabio Romao def. Diogo Almeida (2-0)
- Meyram Magquine def. Tiago Barros (armbar)
- Anna Rodrigues def. Dyna Sena (DQ)
- Matheus Spirandeli def. Rafael Dutra (armbar)
- Sabatha Lais def. Rebecca De Albuquerque (2-0)
Check out the BJJ Stars Official Instagram page to stay updated on upcoming BJJ Stars events.
1st ADCC North American Trial (6-7 November 2021)
The ADCC World Championships in 2022 in Los Angeles, California is shaping up to be the biggest ADCC event in history! That said, all eyes were on the 1st North American trials to see who would clinch their spot in next year’s “Olympics of grappling.”
There were 5 men’s divisions and 2 women’s divisions at these trials, so 7 grapplers in total secured their spots for ADCC 2022.
Here are the winners of each division:
- Men’s 66kg: Cole Abate
- Men’s 77kg: Kade Ruotolo
- Men’s 88kg: Giancarlo Bodoni
- Men’s 99kg: Mason Fowler
- Men’s +99kg: John Hansen
- Women’s 60kg: Brianna Ste-Marie
- Women’s +60kg: Kendall Reusing
As you can see above, ADCC 2022 will have many new faces vying for a chance at gold.
Here are the results from each of the divisions at the 1st North American trials.
Men’s 66kg
Quarterfinals
- Keith Krikorian def. Ben Eddy
- Gianni Grippo def. Elijah Tagalog
- Cole Abate def. Estevan Martinez
- Deandre Corbe def. Junny Ocasio
Semi-finals
- Keith Krikorian def. Gianni Grippo
- Cole Abate def. Deandre Corbe
Finals
- Cole Abate def. Keith Krikorian
Men’s 77kg
Quarterfinals
- Kade Ruotolo def. Magid Hage
- PJ Barch def. Alan Sanchez
- Kody Steele def. Jonathan Satava
- William Tackett def. Pierre-Olivier Leclerc
Semi-finals
- Kade Ruotolo def. PJ Barch
- William Tackett def. Kody Steele
Finals
- Kade Ruotolo def. William Tackett
Men’s 88kg
Quarterfinals
- Elder Cruz def. Sean Yadimarco
- John Salter def. Adrian Nez
- Giancarlo Bodoni def. Ryan Aitken
- Jacob Couch def. Joseph Watson
Semi-finals
- Elder Cruz def. John Salter
- Giancarlo Bodoni def. Jacob Couch
Finals
- Giancarlo Bodoni def. Elder Cruz
Men’s 99kg
Quarterfinals
- Mason Fowler def. Brian Giorgio
- Paul Ardila def. Michael Schweiger
- Mario Gonzalez def. Hudson Taylor
- Devhonte Johnson def. Joe Dierkhising
Semi-finals
- Devhonte Johnson def. Paul Ardila
- Mason Fowler def. Mario Gonzalez
Finals
- Mason Fowler def. Devhonte Johnson
Men’s +99kg
Quarterfinals
- Alex Grandy def. J More
- Damon Ramos def. Pat Downey
- Danny Chaid def. L Albrecht
- John Hansen def. K Satterfield
Semi-finals
- John Hansen def. Danny Chaid
- Damon Ramos def. Alex Grandy
Finals
- John Hansen def. Damon Ramos
Women’s 60kg
Quarterfinals
- Jasmine Rocha def. Nicole Matthew
- Alex Enriquez def. Heather Raftery
- Brianna Ste-Marie def. Kathryn Egan
- Fatima Kline def. Trinity Pun
Semi-finals
- Alex Enriquez def. Fatima Kline
- Brianna Ste-Marie def. Jasmine Rocha
Finals
- Brianna Ste-Marie def. Alex Enriquez
Women’s +60kg
Quarterfinals
- Kendall Reusing def. Nicole Johnson
- Lauren Jones def. Jordan Novak
- Khadijah Peek def. Erin Quillen
- Amy Campo def. Hanna Harjo
Semi-finals
- Amy Campo def Khadijah Peek
- Kendall Reusing def. Lauren Jones
Finals
- Kendall Reusing def. Amy Campo
Also a special shoutout to two of our JJXF sponsored-athletes: Frank Rosenthal and Francis St. Amour!
Both Frank and Francis had great runs at the ADCC trials, even though they weren’t able to make their way onto the podium this time. We’re proud to see these two warriors fly the JJXF flag, and we can’t wait to see them get back to competition! Keep an eye out for these two!
Check out the official website for the ADCC trials for information about upcoming qualifying events before the ADCC World Championships in 2022.
IBJJF Grand Prix (13 November 2021)
Fans were treated to not one, but two IBJJF Grand Prix tournaments, hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the same action-packed week that is home to the IBJJF Masters World Championships and Jiu-Jitsu CON.
In the Middleweight Grand Prix (82kg), Tainan Dalpra emerged victorious. He defeated Renato Canuto and Jonnatas Gracie to continue an amazing first year as a black belt.
Here are the full results from the Middleweight Grand Prix:
Semi-finals
- Jonnatas Gracie def. Otavio Sousa (decision)
- Tainan Dalpra def. Renato Canuto (9-2)
Finals
- Tainan Dalpra def. Jonnatas Gracie (choke)
In the Heavyweight Grand Prix (+94kg), Victor Hugo continued his winning ways and defeated Gustavo Batista and Mahamed Aly to claim the title and the cash.
Here are the full results from the Heavyweight Grand Prix:
Semi-finals
- Mahamed Aly def. Fellipe Andre (7-4)
- Victor Hugo def. Gustavo Batista (advantages)
Finals
- Victor Hugo def. Mahamed Aly (ankle lock)
Which other weight classes would you like to see the IBJJF put together for a Grand Prix tournament?
In the past, the IBJJF has hosted one Grand Prix at a time, typically with 8 competitors. This time, they hosted two Grand Prix tournaments, but with only 4 competitors in each tournament instead of 8.
What do you want to see: more weight divisions, or divisions with more competitors?
Also, what would a No-Gi Grand Prix look like now that heel hooks are legal under the IBJJF ruleset?
Check out the complete IBBJF calendar for 2021 for more information on upcoming events.
Raw Grappling Championship #1 (14 November 2021)
RAW Grappling Championship had its inaugural show in London, England, and it did not disappoint!
The event featured both an 8-man black belt Grand Prix tournament and two big-name superfights.
In the superfights, Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa defeated Gerard Labinski via armbar, while Rafael Lovato Jr. narrowly defeated Adam Wardzinski via 1 penalty.
Here is the full results from the 8-man black belt Grand Prix tournament:
Quarterfinals
- Josh Hinger def. Bradley Hill (decision)
- Patrick Gaudio def. Thomas Bracher (split decision)
- Taylor Pearman def. Stevil hill (calf slicer)
- Yuri Simões def. Jed Hue (OT – points)
Semi-Finals
- Patrick Gaudio def. Josh Hinger (decision)
- Yuri Simões def. Taylor Pearman (OT – points)
Finals
- Yuri Simões def. Patrick Gaudio (decision)
It’s amazing to see Yuri Simões continuing to dominate deep into his competitive career, and it’s also great to see another high-level professional grappling show come out of the UK!
Who would you like to see compete on the next Raw Grappling Championship card?
Check out the Raw Grappling Championship Instagram page for updates on upcoming events.
GrappleFest 10 (20 November 2021)
GrappleFest, yet another high-level UK grappling promotion, hosted another quality event, headlined by a no-gi 80kg title match between Dante Leon and Oliver Taza. In the battle of Canadians, Leon played a very strategic game to earn a decision victory over Taza.
Also on the card were matchups between Kade Ruotolo vs Keith Krikorian, as well as Tye Ruotolo vs Nick Ronan.
Here are the full results from the main card:
- Dante Leon def. Oliver Taza (decision)
- Kade Ruotolo def. Keith Krikorian (decision)
- Tye Ruotolo def. Nick Ronan (decision)
- Pierre-Olivier Leclerc def. Dinu Bucalet (decision)
- Matty Holmes def. Kieran Davern (decision)
- Nadine Tavares def. Rosa Walsh (decision – match of the night)
- Shane Fishman def. Ben Hills (RNC)
- Ellis Younger def. Jan Stach (decision)
- Lee Chadwick def. Ash Fletcher (armlock)
- Paul Likowski def. Chris Welsh (RNC)
- Jorge Valladares def. Josh Cherrington (heel hook)
- Kevin Corkhill def. Tommy Yip (split decision)
While many of the matches did end in decision, this card was filled with back-and-forth action and many exciting submission attempts.
What’s next for GrappleFest?
Check out the GrappleFest Instagram page to stay updated on upcoming events.
Polaris 18 (27 November 2021)
Polaris returned to the ICC Arena in Wales with another exciting card full of local (UK) and international talent.
Headlining the event was a gi matchup between Ash Williams and Paulo Miyao. Williams earned a split decision win over Miyao in a fairly slow-paced match, which saw Williams attempt several lower-body submissions.
In the co-main event, Jed Hue took on late replacement AJ Agazarm, who stepped in for an injured Edwin Najmi. Hue was declared the winner via decision after a back-and-forth match that included a handful of submission attempts from both sides.
Here are the full results from the event:
- Ash Williams def. Paulo Miyao (split decision)
- Jed Hue def. AJ Agazarm (decision)
- Igor Tanabe def. Tommy Langaker (choke from the back)
- Stevie Ray def. Craig Ewers (twister/neck crank)
- Leon Larman def. Bryn Jenkins (decision)
- Lloyd Cooper def. Tom Barry (split decision)
Who do you want to see on the Polaris stage in the near future?
Check out the Polaris Instagram page for more information on upcoming events.
* * *
There you have it. Now, you’re all caught up on key events in the BJJ world from November.
Check in next month for a recap of everything that happened in December.
Until then… stay rolling, and protect your neck! (And your legs, and arms, and wrists… you get it).
