Erberth poses with his double gold. Carlos Arthur Jr.
Helmet, Lycra, racing goggles and a bicycle made of carbon fiber going fast around an oval wooden track. No, you’re not on the wrong website. The scene was seen by BJJ fans gathered at this Saturday’s Rio Open, held at the velodrome of the Barra Olympic Park. Bikers and fighters shared the space, and the matches that took place on the ten mats set up got the crowd’s blood boiling.
With valuable points on the line for the IBJJF rankings, world champion Erberth Santos (Esquadrão de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro) found his winning ways again — he bagged gold in the absolute and ultra-heavy divisions.
In his weight class, Erberth had a simpler path to glory. After he attacked Marcelo Victor (J. Extreme) with a choke, Marcelo got up and left the fighting area, which meant his disqualification. Then Erberth met Luan Carvalho for the final, and the two friends closed it out.
Things were quite different in the open division, though. First, against João Paulo Soares (Gracie Humaitá), Erberth took the back and got a choke. Then, against Ruan Oliveira (Soulfighters), Erberth employed a triangle. In the final, Erberth faced Rodrigo Silva (G13BJJ), who had claimed the super-heavy title earlier and beat Isaque Paiva in the semifinals. The match, a close standup battle, had just a few moments of ground combat, but the judges decided unanimously that Erberth deserved the win.
With no opponents, world champion Tayane Porfírio won double gold, extending her lead in the women’s rankings. “I was a little upset,” she told us at the velodrome. “The sport is growing, and not having other girls competing in Rio de Janeiro is complicated. We need to stimulate the sport instead of complaining online.”
She added: “I came to fight and see how I stack up competitively. I’m coming back from a lesion, so for me it would be important to fight, to see how I’m doing after my recovery.”
Black belt champions listed below.
Black / Adult / Male / Rooster
1 – Jose Carlos Souza Lima Sobrinho – GF Team
2 – David Herrera Junior – Soul Fighters BJJ
3 – Paulo Humberto Rafael Pizziali – Nova União
Black / Adult / Male / Light-Feather
1 – Magno Mota Vieira – Brigadeiro Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Hiago Gama Sousa – Alliance
3 – Eduardo de Souza Campos – Nova União
3 – Jorge Luiz Nakamura – GF Team
Black / Adult / Male / Feather
1 – Isaque Alberto de Oliveira Paiva – Saikoo Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Sebastian Michelle Goin – JFC Almeida JJ
3 – Keny de Araújo Pinheiro – Osvaldo Alves
3 – Raphael da Costa Cadena – A2 Jiu-Jitsu
Black / Adult / Male / Light
1 – Hugo Doerzapff Marques – Soul Fighters BJJ
2 – Victor de Matos – Zenith BJJ
3 – Matheus Guilherme da Costa – GF Team
3 – Ricardo Rocha Lima – Ns Brotherhood
Black / Adult / Male / Middle
1 – Servio Tulio Cardoso Guimarães Junqueira – Gracie Barra
2 – Alexandre Cavalieri Gomes da Silva – Alliance
3 – Stéfano Fernando Corrêa – Otávio de Almeida
3 – Ygor Machado Dantas – CheckMat
Black / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 – Marcos Aurélio Goulart Alves Junior – GF Team
2 – Ruan Marques de Oliveira – Soul Fighters BJJ
3 – Celson Augusto Caetano – Cesar Maillet Team
3 – Romulo de Souza Azevedo – Vitor Shaolin BJJ International
Black / Adult / Male / Heavy
1 – Vitor Fabio Martins Toledo – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Andre Felipe Brasil Cassio – Gracie Elite Team
3 – Luiz Felipe Teixeira dos Santos – GF Team
3 – Victor Del Corso Bomfim – GF Team
Black / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy
1 – Rodrigo Martins Ribeiro da Silva – G13 BJJ
2 – João Paulo de Sousa Soares – Gracie Humaita
3 – Juliano Silva Rocha – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Moises Fernandes Cavalcante – JFC Almeida JJ
Black / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy
1 – Erberth Santos de Mesquita – Esquadrão de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro
2 – Luan de Carvalho Alves – Nova União
3 – Marcelo Victor Palma de Castro – J. Extremo
3 – Otavio Tome Serafim – Alliance
Black / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 – Erberth Santos de Mesquita – Esquadrão de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro
2 – Rodrigo Martins Ribeiro da Silva – G13 BJJ
3 – Isaque Alberto de Oliveira Paiva – Saikoo Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Ruan Marques de Oliveira – Soul Fighters BJJ
Black / Adult / Female / Feather
1 – Ana Carolina Schmitt – Team Marcos Cunha
2 – Mayra Gabrielle Negreiros Abrahão – GF Team
Black / Adult / Female / Light
1 – Eloisa Alexandre Souto – GF Team
Black / Adult / Female / Super-Heavy
1 – Tayane Porfírio de Araújo – Alliance
Black / Adult / Female / Open Class
1 – Tayane Porfírio de Araújo – Alliance