Yuri holds Keenan down to score 4-0 and secure the gold medal
Yuri Simões had the weekend of his dreams.
With an almost flawless performance on both days, the Brasa CTA athlete reached double gold at the ultra-heavyweight and the open class division.
In his weight category, Yuri, who usualy fights at heavyweight showed no hesitation when facing much heavier opponents.
His first match of the day was against Felipe Bueno, which he won 7-0 and almost finished with an armbar.
Then, the opponent was Abraham Marte, defeated by a 6-0 score.
The ultra-heavy final put Yuri face to face with Gabriel Lucas and a single takedown was enough to secure the first gold medal.
In the open class final, against Keenan Cornelius, it was hard to say that Yuri was a clear underdog, but he was also not the favorite.
Caio Terra explains Yuri’s strategy: “His gameplan was not based on takedowns, but to play on top. That’s why Keenan couldn’t sweep or even score advantages while Yuri scored four advantages for back attacks and side control.”
During the match, Caio yelled many times: “No one takes you down!”
And no one took Yuri down, not even Keenan.
Instead, Simões was accurate in one sweep early in the match and a takedown afterwards to score the 4-0 that earned him the second gold medal of the day.
“It was the best performance of my career so far, but I don’t want it to be the last one! It pays to persevere and train like crazy! Was I possessed? I think so!” said Yuri afterwards.
Here’s an amazing photo gallery with the best of today’s action in the adult male black belt.
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In the other black belt divisions, a lot of close-outs but also some thrilling matches.
Rooster
Caio Terra needed 45s to win his seventh gold medal at the Worlds No-Gi in the final against David Zennario. He quickly got to the back and choked the opponent from there.
Light-feather
João Miyao can celebrate his first world title as a black belt. The 10-4 win over Thomas Lisboa was the icing on the cake of the Brazilian fighter.
Feather
Samir Chantre had a tough semifinal against Carlos Holanda, decided by one penalty against Holanda while Osvaldo Moizinho beat Gianni Grippo by refs decision after another close match. After the tear-filled hug of the two friends, they decided that Chantre would take gold.
Light
Gracie Barra teammates, AJ Agazarm and Rodrigo Freitas had no agreement and decided to fight for the gold medal. One takedown by AJ earned him his first gold medal in a world championship as a black belt.
Middle
Marcelo Mafra choked Nic Ruben from the back and then beat Ben Henderson 4-2 to get to the final while his teammate Thiago Abreu beat Enrico Cocco 2-0 to join him. After the celebration, Mafra’s arm was raised.
Medium-heavy
Keenan Cornelius got to his first world title as a black belt with a leg lock on Tanner Rice in the quarterfinals, then a 2-0 win over Murilo Santana with a takedown and a choke finish on Arnaldo Maidana in the final.
Heavy
In another Checkmat close out Jackson Sousa and Lucas Leite got to the final. Lucas Leite got there with a 8-0 win over Tim Spriggs while Sousa made it with a 4-1 win over Mauro Santiago. Veteran Leite received the honor of first place.
Super-heavy
Teammates João Assis and Luiz Panza were the protagonists of another close out. Panza found a quick footlock to finish James Puopolo in the semis while Assis beat Roger Ambrosi 8-0 on his side of the bracket. João Assis made to the top of the podium after the agreement.
Ultraheavy
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In the teams competition, the results were:
Adult Male
1 – Atos Jiu-Jitsu – 60
2 – Brasa CTA – 59
3 – Alliance – 57
4 – CheckMat – 56
5 – Gracie Barra – 52
6 – GF Team – 18
7 – Team Lloyd Irvin – 14
8 – Carvalho BJJ Academy – 12
9 – Brazilian Top Team – 10
10 – Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu – 10
Adult Female
1 – Alliance – 63
2 – CheckMat – 42
3 – PSLPB Cicero Costha – 20
4 – Gracie Barra – 19
5 – JCBJJ – 19
6 – Fight Sports – 15
7 – GF Team – 14
8 – Gracie Humaita – 12
9 – Maui Jiu-Jitsu – 12
10 – Zenith BJJ – Las Vegas – 9
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The post Worlds No-Gi: a “possessed” Yuri Simões earns double gold at black belt; other results first appeared on Graciemag.