The only one Saulo Ribeiro didn't submit the whole tournament was Gabriel Willcox. Photo: Gustavo Aragão
The festive mood on the first day of black belt disputes at the International Masters and Seniors carried through to Sunday, when the veterans disputed the absolute at the traditional Jiu-Jitsu venue that is the Tijuca Tennis Club. The laid-back atmosphere didn’t spill onto the mat, though. In the competition area things were very serious.
That was the case with Saulo Ribeiro. After submitting four opponents in his weight group, Saulo went straight through to the second stage of the master absolute to face Gabriel Willcox. The match against the featherweight was the only one he had that didn’t end in a submission (guard pass and mount). Now against Eduardo Milioli (Rilion Gracie), the black belt passed guard and mounted, to finish up with an armbar. At the other end of the bracket came Rodrigo Munduruca, Ribeiro’s teammate, who tapped out three opponents and took the gold. With Gracie Humaitá dominating the division, the party was good to go. “Where’s my cold one?” asked Saulo in front of the winners’ podium.
Another who wasn’t there to fool around was Nova União’s André Marola. After shutting out the ultraheavyweight division with teammate Rafael Carino, Marola took gold in the senior 1 absolute division after beating Rodrigo Otávio (Brazilian Fight) in the decider.
Juquinha on his way to another absolute title. Photo: Gustavo Aragão
In the senior 2 class, Gracie Humaitá scored another double. Wellington Megaton defeated the much heavier Osíris Maia (Brazilian Fight) by an advantage point in the final. Now Admilson Brites Juquinha beat three opponents and he was the one to snatch the gold medal.
The relentless Helvécio Penna (De La Riva) once again was the best of the senior 3 division. Stephen Kamphuis (Fabrício) took the senior 4 and Edelmans Pereira (João Roque) won the senior 5.
In the team tally, Gracie Humaitá won again, followed by Gracie Barra and Nova União.