Dominion Grappling Championships Results

Kaitlyn “Tinkerbell” Hilton exhibited a poise far greater than her 4 months of training, sticking to her gameplan, and listening to her corner. In her first match, she dominated the grips from the guard, controlling her opponent until she was able to secure a sweep and mount to win 6-0. Tinkerbell gamely attempted to take the fight to her second opponent (and eventual division winner). To avoid her guard, Tinkerbell’s opponent pulled first but was forced to scramble back to the feet when our teammate was able to clear her legs with her whirlwind pass style. Sticking to the plan, Tinkerbell pulled guard but was forced to turtle out herself, giving her opponent the opportunity for the finish. In the consolation, Tinkerbell dominated the grips from her guard again before she deftly applied the match-ending triangle choke.

Tinkerbell Debuts

Master Donnie is Impressed!

...this girl is not...

Keith “Trainspotting” Cebula validated his title of Most Improved Grappler with another robust appearance. All aspects of his top game looked sharper as he racked up big points in the prelim and quarterfinal rounds. The semifinals turned into an inch-for-inch tooth-and-nail fight with Trainspotting unfortunately coming out as the defeated (and barely-conscious) party. It was back to basics in the consolations, with the 88BJJ fighter administering his token breadcutter to chalk up another medal.

Starting to Become a Familiar Sight

 
Wayne “Emo” Johnson drove hard on the road to the Open division title. He handily shut out his first adversary and then outpointed a 240-lber from Yamasaki. The big man hit a big back take in the closing minute, a potential 6-point move, causing a nailbiting flurry, but Wayne was able to hustle and hold on to the victory. In the finals, Wayne got on the board first with a sweep and near-takedown. His opponent from Team ROC tied the score at two apiece with a deceptive Kimura setup which landed him on top of North-South. Wayne defended for a while but turned out the wrong way, allowing his opponent to gain access to his back and consequently, his neck.

Despite hitting a roadbump on his road to the championship, I was pleased to see that Wayne’s game is coming together. In the Combat Gold program, he has been drilling a particular takedown (if you have been keeping up-to-date with competition footage, you’ll be able to identify which other Lloyd Irvin competitor first popularized it) and it worked in EVERY match – an unbelievable 100% success rate at this tournament!

Solving the Riddle of the Guard

The "Glory" of the Open Division

Frank Marinello submitted his first (very spastic!) opponent with an old-fashioned Matt Hughes choke after riding out the initial onslaugh. His semifinals foe managed to outpoint him, sending him into the consolation bracket. He came up 1 point short there (3-2) and narrowly missed a medal.

Frank Chokes Out His First Opponent

Frank Defends the UmaPlata

Kwami Mensah, returning to his old form, bullied the other 30+ year-olds around to prove that he was clearly the #1 guy in each Executive division. He then jumped into Adult bracket where he won again, claiming another two victims. The win-count was at four before Kwami lost a tied match in the adult White Belt division on a controversial referee’s decision. The match was spent entirely on the feet with both fighters warring hard for takedowns. Despite Kwami’s greater aggression, the referee awarded the match to his opponent. This will be the last you see of Kwami in the Beginner division as he chases greater challenges in the Intermediate division.

Kwami Protects His Arm in the No-Gi Finals

 Julius Park bumped up to the 180 lb weight class to get more matches and ended up winning two there to split the division with teammate, Seph Smith. He then entered the Open as the lightest competitor where he won another 2 matches to capture 1st place.

Julius Enroute to Sweep

Finals of the Open

Timmy “Weezy” Spriggs showed no fear as he competed in the Adult division rather than Teens. Timmy knows only one way to roll – fast and hard. He was almost TOO aggressive in his matches but he proved that he could compete with adults. He will be a solid competitor once he tempers his youthful exuberance with a greater understanding of match mechanics.

Tyler Woods got off to a rough start – his opponent shot just as he pulled guard and earned two points. Woods went through his entire arsenal of sweeps and submissions but unable to regain those 2 points on his conservative challenger. Luckily, Tyler was given another match. Tyler fought off a near-pass, managing to roll his opponent. As his opponent went to roll him back, Tyler transitioned into a triangle. After a few minutes of readjustment, Tyler got the tapout and the Bronze medal!!

A great start to 2008 with Team Lloyd Irvin winning the three major titles. Congrats to Brandon Raedy for his 1st place in the No-Gi Open, Julius Park for his 1st in the Purple Belt Open, and Ryan Hall for his victory in the Superfight.

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