Tanquinho in photo by Gustavo Aragão
This Tuesday marks the last day of sign-ups for the South American Jiu-Jitsu Open, to take place November 20 and 21 at the São José’s Multiuso Arena, in the South Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and two tickets to the 2011 European Open are up for grabs.
Not one to dilly-dally, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes arrived from his trip to California where he took second at the No-Gi Worlds and is already confirmed in the lightweight mix at the South American Open.
“I’m signed up and have my ticket. I’m going in as a lightweight and, depending on how I feel, I might take a stab at the trip to the Euro by entering the absolute as well,” Tanquinho tells GRACIEMAG.com, also addressing his loss to Lucas Lepri in the No-Gi Worlds final.
“I was having a good run in the tourney and was winning the match by a takedown up until the final minutes. I messed up in defending a sweep and Lepri’s not the kind of guy you can make a mistake against. My jaw was injured from the semifinal and I couldn’t bear it when he started to choke me. He deserves credit and it serves as a lesson to me to train more so as to not mess up the next time around,” he reflects.
After a good year, with titles like the Rio Open and Brazilian Team Nationals, Tanquinho hopes to wrap things up in style in Santa Catarina.
“I’m going to the South American Open and then I should rest up some for next season. Next year I intend to be in the main events, including some I didn’t make it to in 2010,” he says.
To sign up for the South American Open, click here .