Copa Nova Results

** = split division with teammate; no losses.

Crazy 88 is still waiting for the Official Results to Come out but here is what we remember…

Jon “Devastator” Delbrugge was the first match of the day and he started quickly with a quick arm-drag takedown to score on a Maguilla Brown Belt.  The rest of the match was uneventful with neither competitor scoring.  This one match gave Devastator a berth into the finals where he split the division with teammate, Roberto Torralbas.

In the No-Gi Advanced Open, Devastator faced off in his first match against 2007 Mundial Purple Belt Champion, Brendan Raedy (Yamasaki).  Raedy showed his experience and takedown skills as he scored 2 takedowns to our teammate’s 1 and took the match 4-2.  Still it was a great performance for Devastator who is 8 months into Jiu-Jitsu after his 1 season of high school wrestling.

In Blue belt Gi, Devastator upped his undefeated record to 10-0.  Submitting 2 of 3 opponents, he looked impressive and is on track for a strong PanAms showing.

Michael Florey split the Blue Belt division with teammate Evan Gideon and then entered the Blue Belt Open where he submitted his first 2 opponents before bowing out to teammate Phil Thorn..

Evan “Oz” Gideon was back on form with a No-Gi Intermediate division Open title..

CJ “Never Back Down” Melton had seven matches with 4 victories.

Lawyer Dave now Blue Belt Dave

“Lawyer” Dave Zwanetz was bruised, bloodied, and beaten but proudly donned the Blue Belt after a half-hour of knee-on-belly, face-grinding chokes, and even a WWE power slam.  Great start to the New Year!

Crazy 88 Hosts Felipe Costa Seminar

Felipe Costa, our good friend from Rio, gave another great seminar at Crazy 88. The Black Belt World Champion showed techniques and explained concepts from the top position. Like always, it was very informative! Make sure to keep your eyes on YouTube for the latest technique videos from this seminar and others that we have hosted.

Roberto Wins @ Florida State Championships

Roberto Torralbas kicked off the whole tournament in the purple belt division on the third mat. He dominated and controlled his first match, finishing with a bread cutter choke. In close semi-final battle, he came out on top 4-2. Proving again the importance of advantages, Roberto won the gold medal by defeating his opponent with 2 advantages to 0.

Mission Submission Results

Wayne “Emo” Johnson overcame a late rally by his Finals opponent to win another weight class Gold. Wayne was taken down but swept and passed his rival to win it all.

Kwami Mensah defeated two to triumph in the No-Gi although he competed in a higher weight class than his usual one. Unfortunately, Kwami fell victim to some shaky reffing in the White Belt division. Kwami secured a tight under-over pass position and was trying to rotate around his opponent’s legs. The other contestant kept pushing his head, attempting to free his trapped leg and lock on a triangle. It was a dead-even position but the referee felt differently, penalizing Kwami 2 pts and 1 advantage for “stalling”. As soon as the stalemate broke, Kwami immediately scored 2 pts but it was not enough since his foe had been given an additional advantage.

Jovie Soriano finally transitioned to the Adult age bracket after a string of successes among the Executives. Despite a quick scare from an armbar, he proved he belonged with the young guns, double-legging and then bullfighting his initial foe for the “W”. He also grappled in the Gi division where he fought a scrappy wrestler. It’s great that Jovie decided to go for the hard medal rather than the guaranteed one; they say experience is the best teacher, so look for an even better Jovie in the next competition.

A few wars were all it took to initiate Tim Stauner into the tournament scene. The officer of the law was completely unpredictable – changing up his gameplan on the fly and perfectly executing moves that he had been taught a few days before. Our teammate was pulling Greco-roman throws, slick armbar transitions, and half-guard sweeps out of his hat. We had no idea where these techniques were coming from, but they were working! Unfortunately, there was not an extra gas tank in there, and he began to slow down in the Open division after he won a Silver in the weight class. Stauner is just under 3 months of training, and he looks to mature into a serious threat as he gains more experience.

Phil Thorn crushed all his enemies who were before him. 4 matches, 4 submissions, 0 points scored against him. He used a Breadcutter to submit his first two opponents, and then changed it up with a Gi choke from the back, and then an Americana from side. Flawless performance by the Big man.

Lots of divisions were joined together so it is hard to decipher who won what.

Local Area Men Brutalized, Beaten, and Promoted to Blue Belt!

Congratulations to Wayne “Emo” Johnson and Bottom Game on their promotions! They earned their belts the old way – on the competition mat! Of course, they still had to undergo the belt test which was great fun (especially for those not being promoted).

The journey now begins again!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Recuperating

The New Crazy 88 Blue Belt Team!

Bottom Game Submits All to Win Open @ ECGC 4

160% Medal Rate per Competitor (5.2 matches average)

Jason Hanfman made an impressive competition debut winning the Intermediate No-Gi division. He utilized strong takedowns and a varied sweep game (weird combination) to defeat his opponents. Jason’s rapid improvement since joining 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been remarkable and it showed as he defeated a blue belt and triumphed 6-0 in the finals over a competitor who had actually defeated him in March.

He then jumped into the Gi division where he promptly armlocked his first opponent using the Ryan Hall setup from the Upside-down guard. Jason then faced Victor Blanchard, a talented competitor representing BJJ Revolution. This was a back-and-forth match that had Jason losing by only two points. Afterwards, the organizers discovered that they had mixed up competitors from two different divisions and that Jason had fought someone from the weight class above!! His real opponent had been waiting for him the whole time so Jason ran over to the other mat immediately and began grappling. Fatigued from the earlier match, he would lose. However, there was some consolation in the fact that Jason’s heavier opponent would go on to dominate everyone in his weight class and Jason had given him the hardest match despite being outweighed.

Jason Works the Triangle

Bottom Game aka “Mike Florey” continued his submission streak, submitting six out of eight opponents (footlock, choke, armbar, americana, florey-choke, triangle). He maintains a 100% tapout rate in his victories and adds a White Belt Open division Gold to his trophy case. In the No-Gi division, Bottom Game suffered some controversy when the referee stopped the match prematurely. However, he used that to motivate himself for the Gi division. He dedicated the Open division victory to his MIA comrade, Wayne Johnson.

Bottom Game - Open Finals

Joe Killo wins his first Intermediate division defeating three opponents, including two very game wrestlers. Killo hit two powerful doubles to take out his first opponent 4-0. It was a competitive bout for the first few minutes but the conditioning difference became obvious as time passed. In the 2nd match, Killo faced Mike Reilly, a very tough wrestler (later we would discover he was a 4X Maryland Freestyle champion). Killo was down on points when he locked on an airtight triangle, getting the tap, and a berth in the finals. In the championship, Joe trounced the other grappler, winning 7-0 with two takedowns and a guard pass.

Joe Killo Defends the Shot

In the White Belt division, Joe took his first opponent down twice to win 4-0 and then won via armbar in the semi-finals. The finals was a rematch with the Reilly. This time, the other guy would come out on top with a points win. A good series between the two and the possibility of a rubber match will definately have Killo working hard.

Ben Lipov had two grueling bouts in his second-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event. He hit a nice trip right to the mount in the first match. Despite being up on points, Ben worked hard to get the submission, catching his opponent in two triangles and a deep gi-choke. His opponent was determined not to tap and the match would go the distance. In his 2nd contest, Ben once again won the standup battle, this time with a thunderous hip throw. He controlled the match, earning two more points, this time for knee-on-belly. Unfortunately, his opponent was able to rally for a comeback victory.

Julius Park had three matches, winning 21-0, 24-0, and 17-0.

2006 Competition Season is OVER with this tournament. Not surprisingly, Team Lloyd Irvin won the Team Trophy. I was pleased that despite missing a lot of our regulars and with two relative newbies, we were able to match our previous strong accomplishments. 2007 should be ridiculous with the opening of the new facility and the return of many of our recuperating and AWOL members.

Look for a 2006 Recap in the coming weeks. Also, a big Thanks to Medora for the photographs!

Thanks to Dan Rothman & Ryan Hall

A sincere Thank You to Ryan Hall and Dan Rothman who taught class today. Ryan went over the flying triangle and added a lot of little details that make this “flashy” move a lot more accessible. Dan then showed some variations of the tight 1/2-guard pass which focused on maintaining heavy pressure. It was a great class for all involved.

Amie is WORLD Silver Medalist!

Amie Turton defeated Davina Maciel (Carioca Team), last weeks World Cup winner, in the 1st round 4-0. This was a big mental jump for Amie as Maciel had defeated her in last week’s final. Amie then faced a tough girl from Sao Paulo in the semi-finals. Amie handily defeated her 6-0 by taking her back and sweeping her. In the finals, Amie’s opponent scored an early advantage and held Amie down from the top of 1/2-guard to win a 0-0 victory.

A frustrating final match but Amie still brought back a World Championship Medal!

Nyjah Easton, Lloyd Irvin, Julius Park, and Amie Turton

NAGA Battle at the Beach Results

Another successful weekend for the team! Amie Turton won two divisions (no surprise there!), only having 1 point scored on her in four matches. Roberto Torralbas, an old friend from the Cornell University BJJ club, brought home two medals himself in his second-ever jiu-jitsu tournament! We appreciate him repping our team while he’s in the area. Much respect to Montanha (Gracie Miami) and Trevor Rivers (Cornell BJJ), his primary trainers for doing such an excellent job. Congratulations to Amie, Roberto, and Don and Brennan Walter for putting it on the line this weekend. Win or lose, you make us proud!