Diego Gamonal / IBJJF publicity photo
Last Saturday, Diego Gamonal put in a splendid performance for the crowd at the New York City College gymnasium for the 2012 No-Gi Pan. The Jiu-Jitsu professor at Brazilian Top Team took top spot in the super heavyweight division in winning the tournament for the second time.
“I’m heavier than usual. I’ve been focused on teaching class, so I fought at super heavyweight. I ended up doing the final with Daniel Simmler, an athlete from Renzo Gracie academy. He’s really tough and strong. Early on I was trailing by two points but managed to turn the tables with a guard pass. From side-control I went for the arm,” said Gamonal in a chat with GRACIEMAG.com via Facebook.
“I was in a safe position in side-control, where I could work calmly or even just stay put. But my goal was to get a quick finish, and I really like pulling omoplatas from the top as a surprise. So he tried defending against the omoplata, and from there I went for the reverse armbar,” he recollected.
“My trick to getting from side-control to north/south is to work my arm over the opponent’s shoulder. From there I push his head sideways and make room for my leg to get across while I sit on it. It’s vital that you keep the pressure on with your knees. That’s what makes the difference in the transition to armbar,” said the black belt in revealing his moves.
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