Wizard of the mats Theodoro Canal confirmed he'll be in San Jose come October 15. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.
Set to go down mid October in San Jose, California, the 16th installment of the traditional US Open potentially has two big stars in the lineup already.
Champion of the featherweight division at last Sunday’s Rio Open, Theodoro Canal confirmed that he’ll be at the tournament promoted by our GMA Claudio França. Another ace looking to put in an appearance at the tourney is Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes, who will be competing at either lightweight or featherweight.
Besides those two, the promoters are also hoping for a showing from an athlete a bit heavier than the two, to add further shine to the event: Rodolfo Vieira, this year’s absolute world champion.
“I haven’t spoken with Rodolfo yet, but we’re going to try to get him in there. California deserves a seminar of his and it would be great if he were to show up in October,” said Claudio França in a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com, remembering how Rodolfo has a prior engagement ahead of him, at the ADCC in England.
The US Open has been a springboard for big names of the gentle art, like Kron Gracie, BJ Penn, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Jeff Glover, Rafael Lovato, Jonathan Torres, Mike Fowler and Bill Cooper. Add yourself to the list; register here.
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