Kids podium at the 2012 WPJJC
The day 1 of the 2012 WPJJ was totaly dedicated to children.
The future stars of Jiu-Jitsu in the Arab region took control of the six mats set at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.
Kids from 10 to 17 years old displayed a lot of heart and technique to amaze the crwod.
And among attendance there was someone very special.
UAE’s Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid a visit to the event and was pleased with what he saw.
One kid in particular attracted the attention of His Highness.
Hamad Essa, 15, won his category at the orange belt.
What made Essa’s accomplishment special is that he has a disability in his legs.
Sheik Mohamed personaly saluted Hamad after the kid’s win.
Black belt brackets are out. More Jiu-Jitsu to come
At the end of the day, WPJJ organizers made available exclusively to GRACIEMAG.com the black belt brackets.
You can find them at our GRACIEMAG page on Facebook.
The male open class has eight brackets.
Rodolfo Vieira and Bernardo Faria are on the same side of the bracket and would meet in one of the semifinals.
At the same side are Antônio “Cara de Sapato” Barbosa, Lucas Lepri, Lucas Leite, Rafael Lovato.
Andre Galvão and Xande Ribeiro would meet in the other semifinal.
Also on that side are Tarsis Humphreys, Antônio Braga Neto, Marcus Bochecha, Claudio Calasans Jr, Alexandre Souza and Roberto Tussa.
At the weight categories, some good encounters as well.
64kg: Veteran Gabriel Willcox should meet Laercio Fernandes
70kg: Isaque Paiva and Raphael dos Santos should have a tuff route to the final.
76kg: Lucas Lepri and Leandro Lo should be in one semifinal while Davi Ramos or Roberto Satoshi should face JT Torres in the other semi.
82kg: Lucas Leite and Vitor Bonfim should be in one semi while Claudio Calasans Jr is the favorite to be in the final on the other side.
88kg: Andre Galvão should meet Tarsis Humphreys or Rafael Lovato Jr in the final.
94kg: Rodolfo Vieira and Roberto Alencar should be in the final.
100kg: Bernardo Faria to face Alexandre de Souza on one semi and Xande Ribeiro should face Antônio Barbosa on the other.
+100kg: Antônio Braga Neto and Marcus Almeida are the favorites to be in the final.
Check out all the brackets at our Facebook page, as well as the complete coverage of the 2012 WPJJC.
Here is an exclusive photo gallery of day 1
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Photos: Ivan Trindade
The post 2012 WPJJC: day 1 highlights and exclusive black belt brackets first appeared on Graciemag.