Laércio with his master, Giva Santana / Photo: Deb Blyth
Little guys winning the absolute division has become something of a fashion, proving how, often, technique can overcome strength. That was the case last Saturday at the Phoenix Open.
The big name of the IBJJF event was Laércio Fernandes, who fights under the Lotus Club coat of arms. The fighter usually competes as a light featherweight, but took gold in the featherweight division this time around. The icing on the cake, though, was that the diminutive black belt hopped atop the winners’ stand for the open weight division too.
In the absolute divisional final Laércio faced the same opponent from his final at weight, Gustavo Carpio.