A proud Marcio after winning in his third pre-Worlds open. Vitor Freitas.
Marcio André’s pre-season has come to an end according to plan. The Nova União representative had golden performances in each of the three open events he took part in leading up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which begins May 31st. His latest triumph came in the lightweight division of the San Diego Open on May 14th.
Without yielding any points or advantages, Marcio dominated Julio Reyes (Renzo Gracie) and Victor Matos (Zenith BJJ). First he finished Reyes via leg lock after scoring 19 points. Then he scored 20 points in the final against Matos by passing, taking the back and sweeping.
“I liked my performance,” Marcio said afterwards. “I managed to impose my pace and left with the win. Thank God the trip was uneventful, and all went as planned. It is my third championship fighting without suffering points or advantages. Today I’m going to train again — I love my job. Now it’s all about focusing, training and sharpening myself even more for the Worlds, which happens in a couple of weeks.”
The 22-year-old is qualified for the year’s biggest BJJ event and will fight for the title at featherweight, his original division, despite having fought lately as a lightweight. “I’m going to fight in my second Worlds as a black-belt, and I can barely wait,” he said. “It is a title I really want and have been working for. Every competitor dreams about this medal. I’m very happy to compete in this tournament.”
[Based on a press release.]
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