Anonim
May 17th and 18th, 2003 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
PIC: HISTORY IS MADE. Eddie Bravo moves to celebrate with his corner as Royler sits in shock on the mats. All pics by Darryl Neher.
UPDATE #: (9) - Will continue to be updated with details from the best SUBMISSION WRESTLING competition in history!
AWARDS:
BEST THROW: CHRIS BROWN (Australia)
BEST MATCH: RONALD JACARE (Brazil) v. RICARDO ALMEIDA (Brazil)
MOST TECHNICAL FIGHTER: MARCELLO GARCIA (Brazil)
FASTEST SUBMISSION: MARCIO CRUZ (Brazil) :14 (on Alex Araujo)
It has been the power of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships from the very beginning - to capture and captivate the grappling world by bringing together the best grapplers for an elite competition. This years event eclipsed anything ever seen before, as 87 of the world's top grapplers left themselves on the mats in heroic displays. It was unbelieveable, especially up close... : ) There would be more submissions than ever by the weekend, and a new guard in submission grappling was to emerge.
Leading up to the event, this year was different. Brazil has always been dominant, and now with the homefield advantage, 'TEAM BRAZIL' was ready to shine again. But immediately in the opening rounds, several Brazil versus Brazil matchups would force the competition's pace and energy. It is a compliment to the athletes regarding conduct - the Brazilians have really gotten over their historic unprofessionalism, and they have done it without losing that fire - it is a compliment to the athletes that it can now be said that Brazil can host world level events in mixed martial arts. These volatile matchups were expected to develop, but two early stood out.
FINAL RESULTS:
THE COMPLETE BRACKETS AND RESULTS CAN BE FOUND HERE:
THANKS TO THE BOYS AT SHOW NO PITY
Under 65.99 kg
1º Leonardo Vieira (Brasil)
2º Barret Yoshida (EUA)
3º Royler Gracie (Brasil)
66 Up to 77.99 kg
1º Marcelo Garcia (Brasil)
2º Otton Oslon (EUA)
3º Vítor Shaolin (Brasil)
77 Up to 87.99 8k g
1º Saulo Ribeiro (Brasil)
2º Ronaldo Jacaré (Brasil)
3º David Terrel (EUA)
88 Up to 98.99 kg
1º John Olav Einemo (Norway)
2º Alexandre Cacareco (Brasil)
3º Roger Gracie (Brasil)
OVER 99 KG (217.5 KG)
1º Márcio Pé de Pano (Brasil)
2º Fabrício Werdum (Brasil)
3º Alex Negão (Brasil)
ABSOLUTE
1º Dean Lister (EUA)
2º Alexandre Cacareco (Brasil)
3º Fabrício Werdum (Brasil)
Superfight: Ricardo Arona (Brasil) defeated Mark Kerr (EUA) 4-0.
The best pics out there so far are here - 218 pics, so far the most comprehensive look I have found out there!
Anyone who says the ADCC tournament is a sham is an idiot anyway, but here is further proof. If anyone would be protected, it would be MARIO SPERRY, right? The first SUPERFIGHT Champion, he is the man that really helped build the ADCC tournament with his total dominance since 1998, the ADCC's inception. Losing the superfight last year, returning to the 98.9 KG (217 lbs) divison Sperry would meet ROGER GRACIE, a young gun ADCC Champion RENZO GRACIE has been grooming for the event. TOP TEAM v. GRACIE FAMILY. Again, a hard battle developed, as Sperry attacked relentlessly with takedown attempts. Gracie proved to be worthy of the name, as he wore Sperry down and scored points in the final minutes.
It should be said that Sperry was heard to say 'i am old'. He returned like a true warrior to the competition he loved and he fell victim to the tournament's random draw immediately. For 10 minutes, he gave his all for the competition, but on this day the younger man would win. Renzo Gracie would pump his fists in the air in Roger's corner, as the tournament's first unbelievable moment had occured - Mario Sperry was gone in the first round.
It really is not age, as Sperry is still competing in MMA at a high level, and he continues to develop MMA and BJJ stars with Brazilian TOP TEAM. It would prove to be the first time a a consistent theme came up - the fighters training for PRIDE, UFC and the like are developing different instincts, and the 'submission only' style fighters are able to adapt quicker to this game now. After two years, it has been a while since the athletes have competed under the ADCC rules, and there is a real need for more competitions under these rules.
Another Brazil v. Brazil matchup came in rd 1. RYAN GRACIE versus RONALDO Jacaré was a stunning match, receiving votes for fight of the night. Gracie is a live wire, and when he goes, he is uncontrollable. Jacaré is from the north of the country, and he already has an established rep in JJ as a guy who does not back down, he will slit your throat. They went at each other, neither willing to give bottom position. At one point, Jacare went flying over the table on a single leg from Gracie, and the situation got heated, but the judges got up from the table and controlled the situation. In the end, Jacaré would win 5x0 as Gracie tired. Remember this name - Jacaré!
A notable international bout featured FERNANDO TERERE and JUSSI TAMMELIN. Terere is a submission wiz, but he came in hurt, with a banged up rib after a training session with MARK KERR. Tammelin, from Finland, is tall and his game is really unorthodox, and he gave as good as he got for while.
FERNANDO 'MARGARIDA' PONTES entered the tournament on the day of the event, replacing JORGE PATINO, who was cut in his MECA Vale Tudo fight the night before. This is unfortunate for ROBERT SULSKI, a rugged European Trial Champion who was forced to sit thru a 3 hour delay while things were sorted out. Sulski wouldn't know his opponent until he hit the mat, and Margarida is a natural. 'Margarida' would advance, and Sulski would not get a fair break. Reports from the trial give Sulski a lot of points for potential.
The tournament would be further defined by the showing of the qualifiers from all the regions. By the end of the night, history would be written by qualifiers from Brazil and the US. Two unbelievable performances where also turned in by Jon Olav Einmo of Europe and Australia's Chris Brown, putting on display the international depth of the tournament.
UNDER 65.9 KG
ROYLER GRACIE lost. It is resounding. One of the many lasting images is this - Royler never made an excuse. When it happened, he looked at the tatame, then stood up and walked off with his head held high, mouthing only 'filho de puta', not even a whisper. American Qualifier Champion EDDIE BRAVO had served notice.
The weight class was packed with talent. In the first round, LEO VEIERA, BARET YOSHIDA, ALEXANDRE SOCA and JOACHIM HANSEN would all advance. Royler would take out CHARLIE PEARSON of AMC, getting him with a choke. Pearson came out, tried his leg lock/takedown and worked. Royler played around, had some fun, and methodically cut the air off as he dominated Pearson at the end. Bravo would work his way thru GUSTAVO DANTAS, making the 2nd round matchup that would make history.
Royler would get top position in the match, and several scrambles would result in Bravo showing real guts. Royler seemed to have trouble with his breathing at one point, but when he got to it, he pressured Bravo. It was late and Royler was up 5-0, with a knee in the stomach and guard passing points. Bravo got to guard again, and worked hard for the triangle and sunk it. Royler and the crowd relaxed, he had been there thousands of times. It would come as a shocking moment at 8:42 in the round, when Bravo would release the hold at Royler's tap, stand up and walk toward his corner arms in victory. Royler sat there for a moment. The crowd attendance was terrible anyway, but Brazilian crowds are boisterous and it was dead silent in the room. Bravo was gone too however - he would be too stoked for the next round, and understandbly so.
As for Royler Gracie, he is a gracious, unbelieveable champion and his unbelievable streak at ADCC sees him as the only 3X tournament champ in his weight class. In defeat, all he asked for was one more chance, and he would be heard from again. But this moment woke everyone up - this tourney was on, and there were to be no questions asked - the fighters came to fight, to give there all and to leave it in the ring, and they should be commended.
Baret took out 'Soca' in the seminfinals to set up a final of Baret and Leo. Leo would eat up Bravo, 15-0 as Bravo would get an injury and bow out of the 3-4 fight. Royler would be back in the 3-4 spot, facing 'Soca' an excellent, gifted stylist who has faced the nemesis of Royler his entire career. On short notice, it is hard to say how hard this was on Soca, who must want to face anyone but Royler, but for Gracie it was just what the doctor ordered. He would beat Soca, and earn 3rd place.
In the finals, Veiera would prove strong and fit. Yoshida is all heart, and his guard has been described as 'infernal', but Leo was not going to play that game. He stayed real busy, circling and darting in, playing but never getting in too deep. His game was more complete, and Baret would finish 2nd again. It is interesting to speculate how a Royler-Baret or Royler-Leo match would have gone, but we now know anything is possible. Yahra - Baret would have been something to behold as well, as the 18 year old Amazonian can play with anyone as well! the fastest weight division is wide open and filled weith talent.
66-76.9 LG
Perhaps the single biggest revelation of the tournament would be mild mannered, unassuming MARCELLO GARCIA. Trained by Fabio Gurghel, Garcia had impressed in the Brazilian Trials, but had finished 2nd to DANIEL MORAES. Garcia took a -1 for playing guard in the finals of the TRIALS, and lost as Moraes used a stifling, defensive top position style to take Garcia out.
In the world championships, Moraes would lose to Matt Hume student OTTO OLSON, as Moraes would not get top position on the wrestler. Olson would ground out local star FERNANDO TERERE as he took out a few big BJJ names before running Garcia in the finals.
PABLO POPOVICH the American Qualifier took out defending World Champion MARCIO FEITOSA, in another example of how the field was highly competitive throughout.
Meanwhile Garcia was churning through his bracket, taking out PANCRASE star Kiuma Kunioku in round 1 and serving notice in Round 2 with an unbelievable matchup with Renzo Gracie. He won the position battle all night, getting to backs and finishing. To Renzo's credit, he would not go down without a fight, but he lost on points, and another ADCC tournament champion was gone. The field was wide open. Garcia would through the entire building into a frenzy in Round 3, when he left SHAOLIN RIBEIRO asleep in :20 seconds with a choke. Shaolin had defeated JASON RAMSTETTER in round 1 and taken Popovich out in round 2, and was one of the favorites going in.
Another favorite going into the night was Australian olympic wrestler CHRIS BROWN. Brown returns to the competition known as the man who took Renzo Gracie out of the competition in 2001 in the weight class above. He dropped in weight class, as did Renzo, but the rematch never materialized.
Brown took out MITSUHIRO ISHIDA, the Japanese stylist who came through the 16 man Japan Trials in March. In round 2, he would engage in a war of attrition with TONY DESOUSA who represented Peru well - he is the first south american fighter not to be Brazilian to make an impact - in fact, to even be invited. Desousa was the alternate, who got in when DENNIS HALLMAN was a no show.
The blood would pour. Desoua is a grinder, as he proved in his days as a UFC up and comer. Now living in Peru, he has been out of touch, but he showed himself to be a legit world class fighter again. Brown is a 5x Olympian, and he is impossible to compete against in the preparation for a long grinding battle. Perhaps it was frustration, or just bad luck, but Desousa elbowed him several times in the heat of battle, splitting Brown open and getting a lengthy medical timout while Brown was bandaged. In OT, Brown came out with his head competely wrapped like a mummy, and he pulled out the win over Desousa.
To get to the finals, it was wrestler against wrestler as Brown took on Olson. Normally this match up edge would go to Brown, but he was depleted, and Olson is definitely in the neigborhood - he is absolutely huge for this weight class!
Brown would not be able to continue, as Olson opened the cut up again and the blood poured freely. Brown would fight SHAOLIN in the 3-4 match on day 2, but he was done for the competition. Olson advances, looking like Fryklund at the UCC, covered in Brown's blood.
In the 3/4 match, Shaolin would get Brown's back and win on points. Both men fought an extremely classy match, as Brown played JJ in SHOALIN's guard and showed that the level down under is getting really high. Shaolin for his part, earned 3rd and did not attack Brown's head, keeping the heavily bandaged cuts clearance while still using an abundance of technique to dominate. Shaolin is a classy superstar in the making.
Matt Hume always does his homework. An insider saw him running around the back area looking for info, any info on Garcia. Another insider warned him 'watch him, play cautious to win, this kid is magic' - someone who had seen the Brazilian Trials. Hume is always game for a challenge, and to his credit Olson came out fighting, taking it right to Garcia. Garcia was a train not to be stopped, and he certainly proved he is the real deal. He caught Olson in the choke, for a submission in the finals. The level of the event has skyrocketed again, and the fact that there were submissions in the finals again, rather than people holding on, show that the athletes are giving the all to showcase there talents in a world level competition.
Again, the beauty of ADCC, is that as good as he looked, Marcello Garcia would be heard from again in the ABSOLUTES. It would be a shame if the commitment to the World Championships waned in the 2 years to 2005.
77-87.9 LG
This weight class was extremely high in expectations. All the qualifiers, especially ROBERT SULSKI of Europe, DAVID TERRELL of the USA and JACARE of Brazil received high ratings coming in. Add returning runner up and former world Champion SAULO RIBEIRO, 'COMPRIDO' MEDEIROS and MARGARIDA PONTES led the Jiu Jitsu contingent. Wrestlers appeared as well, led by Olympic silver medalist MATT LINDLAND, Purdue's DEVIAN PETERSON and AMC's REESE ANDY. Pancrase was well represented with KING of PANCRASE NATHAN MARQUARDT, veteran DENIS KANG of Canada and YUKI SASAKI in the weight class.
But the talk was the BIG DOG, RICARDO ALMEIDA. Dropping to his natural wieght class, and one of ADCC's biggest stars, Almeida was the favorite in many eyes. He looked focused and ready early, and this tournament means so much to him. Cacharao is another example of an athlete who left it all in the ring - he literally wanted to die fighting by the end of the weekend, so spent and emotional were his wars.
In round 1, Integrated Fighting's DAVION PETERSON held off the BIG DOG' s attempts to get him to the ground, making him work. The points kicked in, and Davion got a takedown of his own, getting up 2-0. Big Dog was working, and he sunk a nice guillotine to get thru the first round, nine minutes in. The attrition had already begun. Peterson had dropped in weight class, and made weight easily. He replaced ERIK PAULSON, who came in at 206 and fought a weight class up.
Matt Lindland got by Japanese qualifier YUSHIN OKAMI using solid wrestling and his strategy of staying strong, on top and in control. Afterwards, when he had lost to submissions, Lindland talked about different strategies, such as playing the stand up game like Veiera did. The strategies and the sport are evovling and the top athletes are showing they are evolving with it. Hopefully support for the budding sport will continue!
Lindland would succumb to JACARE, while RODRIGO COMPRIDO MEDEIROS took out the KING of PANCRASE Nathan Marquardt. Comprido would tangle with Saulo Ribeiro in a HUGE match of Jiu Jitsu stylists in round 2, Brazilian versus Brazilian. Australia's LARRY PAPADAPOULOUS submitted last minute replacement KEN KRONENBERG who moved up a weight class when MARC LAIMON got injured in the last training session before the event.
In Round 2 Almeida would take out AMC wrestler REESE ANDY - the AMC guys would always come prepared, and Reese would impact the ABSOLUTE tournament significantly.
Former ADCC Champion SAULO RIBEIRO would have emotional hard battles the entire tournament. Medeiros is always dangerous, as they have competed against each other before and both come away with wins. Ribeiro is a champion who imposes his will in his bouts, and he is strong and has gas to go through long fights. He has a defensive style that is hard to beat, but his style also forces him to grind out hard fights. This would catch up to him in the ABSOLUTES, though he was defintely emerging as the strongest competitor in the weight class, even after hard fights. He got points for takedown on Comprido, earning points for best throw.
The hard road would start for Saulo with a controversial match with young DAVID TERRELL, the American Qualifier who had never been scored on in any grappling tournament, and is the pride of teacher CESAR GRACIE's American academy.
88-98.9 KG
OVER 99 KG
SUPERFIGHT
MARK KERR (USA) versus RICARDO ARONA (Brazil)
The matchup was 20 minutes, and it occured on Saturday night as ther grand finale of the first day. Kerr was in the back, and there was some concern over his condition even before the fight. To his credit, he came out and gave it his all, but his all is clearly not what it used to be.
Arona would get an early advantage, on a 2 point takedown that occured too early to score points. Under the ADCC structure, the match would go to Arona on advantage after 1 OT, if the score remained 0-0. The match would be up on it's feet at the 10 minute mark, when the point sytem kicked in, Kerr was tired already, sucking wind. It would be 0-0 at the end of 20 minutes of regulation, where Arona really established the pace throughout, but Kerr held him off. Several times throughout the match, Kerr would complain about incidental headbutts - Kerr would shoot sloppy and Arona would sprawl - when Kerr was slow getting up, Arona would charge and they butted heads many times. Kerr used the occassions to suck for air, and the Brazilian fans let him know about it. Arona stayed focused, as it was obvious it would only be a matter of time.
Heading into the OT, Kerr would approach the judges, stating 'OT is 5 minutes'. This was another sad attempt to gain time, since Kerr himself fought a 10 minute extra period at ADCC 2001 with Mario Sperry. The judge responded, '10 minutes' and Kerr asked 'since when?' The final answer was 'since Roberto Traven and Sperry fought two of them'. Kerr would not survive the next 10 minutes and he knew it. Arona finally scored a takedown, 4 points, obtaining side control position. Kerr was controlled for 3 seconds, giving Arona the 4-0 edge. The few people in the place went nuts! Kerr would be forced to work to catch up, and his tank bottomed out. Time ran out, and Kerr was done. Hopefully, this is not a sign that his demons are back to haunt him, but he must get in shape if he is to fight again.
THE ABSOLUTE
The draw is done by an international panel of insiders and the local promoters, with all applicant names going in a hat. Votes are cast 1-10, the criteria is: 'What are the chances that this fighter can win an 16 man open class tourney in the ADCC style?' Votes are added up, and the top 16 go. Sevgeral fighters drop out, and as the original draw is looked back upon, DEAN LISTER was the 20th seed going in. History was starting to write itself again.
PIC: HISTORY IS MADE. Eddie Bravo moves to celebrate with his corner as Royler sits in shock on the mats. All pics by Darryl Neher.
UPDATE #: (9) - Will continue to be updated with details from the best SUBMISSION WRESTLING competition in history!
AWARDS:
BEST THROW: CHRIS BROWN (Australia)
BEST MATCH: RONALD JACARE (Brazil) v. RICARDO ALMEIDA (Brazil)
MOST TECHNICAL FIGHTER: MARCELLO GARCIA (Brazil)
FASTEST SUBMISSION: MARCIO CRUZ (Brazil) :14 (on Alex Araujo)
It has been the power of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships from the very beginning - to capture and captivate the grappling world by bringing together the best grapplers for an elite competition. This years event eclipsed anything ever seen before, as 87 of the world's top grapplers left themselves on the mats in heroic displays. It was unbelieveable, especially up close... : ) There would be more submissions than ever by the weekend, and a new guard in submission grappling was to emerge.
Leading up to the event, this year was different. Brazil has always been dominant, and now with the homefield advantage, 'TEAM BRAZIL' was ready to shine again. But immediately in the opening rounds, several Brazil versus Brazil matchups would force the competition's pace and energy. It is a compliment to the athletes regarding conduct - the Brazilians have really gotten over their historic unprofessionalism, and they have done it without losing that fire - it is a compliment to the athletes that it can now be said that Brazil can host world level events in mixed martial arts. These volatile matchups were expected to develop, but two early stood out.
FINAL RESULTS:
THE COMPLETE BRACKETS AND RESULTS CAN BE FOUND HERE:
THANKS TO THE BOYS AT SHOW NO PITY
Under 65.99 kg
1º Leonardo Vieira (Brasil)
2º Barret Yoshida (EUA)
3º Royler Gracie (Brasil)
66 Up to 77.99 kg
1º Marcelo Garcia (Brasil)
2º Otton Oslon (EUA)
3º Vítor Shaolin (Brasil)
77 Up to 87.99 8k g
1º Saulo Ribeiro (Brasil)
2º Ronaldo Jacaré (Brasil)
3º David Terrel (EUA)
88 Up to 98.99 kg
1º John Olav Einemo (Norway)
2º Alexandre Cacareco (Brasil)
3º Roger Gracie (Brasil)
OVER 99 KG (217.5 KG)
1º Márcio Pé de Pano (Brasil)
2º Fabrício Werdum (Brasil)
3º Alex Negão (Brasil)
ABSOLUTE
1º Dean Lister (EUA)
2º Alexandre Cacareco (Brasil)
3º Fabrício Werdum (Brasil)
Superfight: Ricardo Arona (Brasil) defeated Mark Kerr (EUA) 4-0.
The best pics out there so far are here - 218 pics, so far the most comprehensive look I have found out there!
Anyone who says the ADCC tournament is a sham is an idiot anyway, but here is further proof. If anyone would be protected, it would be MARIO SPERRY, right? The first SUPERFIGHT Champion, he is the man that really helped build the ADCC tournament with his total dominance since 1998, the ADCC's inception. Losing the superfight last year, returning to the 98.9 KG (217 lbs) divison Sperry would meet ROGER GRACIE, a young gun ADCC Champion RENZO GRACIE has been grooming for the event. TOP TEAM v. GRACIE FAMILY. Again, a hard battle developed, as Sperry attacked relentlessly with takedown attempts. Gracie proved to be worthy of the name, as he wore Sperry down and scored points in the final minutes.
It should be said that Sperry was heard to say 'i am old'. He returned like a true warrior to the competition he loved and he fell victim to the tournament's random draw immediately. For 10 minutes, he gave his all for the competition, but on this day the younger man would win. Renzo Gracie would pump his fists in the air in Roger's corner, as the tournament's first unbelievable moment had occured - Mario Sperry was gone in the first round.
It really is not age, as Sperry is still competing in MMA at a high level, and he continues to develop MMA and BJJ stars with Brazilian TOP TEAM. It would prove to be the first time a a consistent theme came up - the fighters training for PRIDE, UFC and the like are developing different instincts, and the 'submission only' style fighters are able to adapt quicker to this game now. After two years, it has been a while since the athletes have competed under the ADCC rules, and there is a real need for more competitions under these rules.
Another Brazil v. Brazil matchup came in rd 1. RYAN GRACIE versus RONALDO Jacaré was a stunning match, receiving votes for fight of the night. Gracie is a live wire, and when he goes, he is uncontrollable. Jacaré is from the north of the country, and he already has an established rep in JJ as a guy who does not back down, he will slit your throat. They went at each other, neither willing to give bottom position. At one point, Jacare went flying over the table on a single leg from Gracie, and the situation got heated, but the judges got up from the table and controlled the situation. In the end, Jacaré would win 5x0 as Gracie tired. Remember this name - Jacaré!
A notable international bout featured FERNANDO TERERE and JUSSI TAMMELIN. Terere is a submission wiz, but he came in hurt, with a banged up rib after a training session with MARK KERR. Tammelin, from Finland, is tall and his game is really unorthodox, and he gave as good as he got for while.
FERNANDO 'MARGARIDA' PONTES entered the tournament on the day of the event, replacing JORGE PATINO, who was cut in his MECA Vale Tudo fight the night before. This is unfortunate for ROBERT SULSKI, a rugged European Trial Champion who was forced to sit thru a 3 hour delay while things were sorted out. Sulski wouldn't know his opponent until he hit the mat, and Margarida is a natural. 'Margarida' would advance, and Sulski would not get a fair break. Reports from the trial give Sulski a lot of points for potential.
The tournament would be further defined by the showing of the qualifiers from all the regions. By the end of the night, history would be written by qualifiers from Brazil and the US. Two unbelievable performances where also turned in by Jon Olav Einmo of Europe and Australia's Chris Brown, putting on display the international depth of the tournament.
UNDER 65.9 KG
ROYLER GRACIE lost. It is resounding. One of the many lasting images is this - Royler never made an excuse. When it happened, he looked at the tatame, then stood up and walked off with his head held high, mouthing only 'filho de puta', not even a whisper. American Qualifier Champion EDDIE BRAVO had served notice.
The weight class was packed with talent. In the first round, LEO VEIERA, BARET YOSHIDA, ALEXANDRE SOCA and JOACHIM HANSEN would all advance. Royler would take out CHARLIE PEARSON of AMC, getting him with a choke. Pearson came out, tried his leg lock/takedown and worked. Royler played around, had some fun, and methodically cut the air off as he dominated Pearson at the end. Bravo would work his way thru GUSTAVO DANTAS, making the 2nd round matchup that would make history.
Royler would get top position in the match, and several scrambles would result in Bravo showing real guts. Royler seemed to have trouble with his breathing at one point, but when he got to it, he pressured Bravo. It was late and Royler was up 5-0, with a knee in the stomach and guard passing points. Bravo got to guard again, and worked hard for the triangle and sunk it. Royler and the crowd relaxed, he had been there thousands of times. It would come as a shocking moment at 8:42 in the round, when Bravo would release the hold at Royler's tap, stand up and walk toward his corner arms in victory. Royler sat there for a moment. The crowd attendance was terrible anyway, but Brazilian crowds are boisterous and it was dead silent in the room. Bravo was gone too however - he would be too stoked for the next round, and understandbly so.
As for Royler Gracie, he is a gracious, unbelieveable champion and his unbelievable streak at ADCC sees him as the only 3X tournament champ in his weight class. In defeat, all he asked for was one more chance, and he would be heard from again. But this moment woke everyone up - this tourney was on, and there were to be no questions asked - the fighters came to fight, to give there all and to leave it in the ring, and they should be commended.
Baret took out 'Soca' in the seminfinals to set up a final of Baret and Leo. Leo would eat up Bravo, 15-0 as Bravo would get an injury and bow out of the 3-4 fight. Royler would be back in the 3-4 spot, facing 'Soca' an excellent, gifted stylist who has faced the nemesis of Royler his entire career. On short notice, it is hard to say how hard this was on Soca, who must want to face anyone but Royler, but for Gracie it was just what the doctor ordered. He would beat Soca, and earn 3rd place.
In the finals, Veiera would prove strong and fit. Yoshida is all heart, and his guard has been described as 'infernal', but Leo was not going to play that game. He stayed real busy, circling and darting in, playing but never getting in too deep. His game was more complete, and Baret would finish 2nd again. It is interesting to speculate how a Royler-Baret or Royler-Leo match would have gone, but we now know anything is possible. Yahra - Baret would have been something to behold as well, as the 18 year old Amazonian can play with anyone as well! the fastest weight division is wide open and filled weith talent.
66-76.9 LG
Perhaps the single biggest revelation of the tournament would be mild mannered, unassuming MARCELLO GARCIA. Trained by Fabio Gurghel, Garcia had impressed in the Brazilian Trials, but had finished 2nd to DANIEL MORAES. Garcia took a -1 for playing guard in the finals of the TRIALS, and lost as Moraes used a stifling, defensive top position style to take Garcia out.
In the world championships, Moraes would lose to Matt Hume student OTTO OLSON, as Moraes would not get top position on the wrestler. Olson would ground out local star FERNANDO TERERE as he took out a few big BJJ names before running Garcia in the finals.
PABLO POPOVICH the American Qualifier took out defending World Champion MARCIO FEITOSA, in another example of how the field was highly competitive throughout.
Meanwhile Garcia was churning through his bracket, taking out PANCRASE star Kiuma Kunioku in round 1 and serving notice in Round 2 with an unbelievable matchup with Renzo Gracie. He won the position battle all night, getting to backs and finishing. To Renzo's credit, he would not go down without a fight, but he lost on points, and another ADCC tournament champion was gone. The field was wide open. Garcia would through the entire building into a frenzy in Round 3, when he left SHAOLIN RIBEIRO asleep in :20 seconds with a choke. Shaolin had defeated JASON RAMSTETTER in round 1 and taken Popovich out in round 2, and was one of the favorites going in.
Another favorite going into the night was Australian olympic wrestler CHRIS BROWN. Brown returns to the competition known as the man who took Renzo Gracie out of the competition in 2001 in the weight class above. He dropped in weight class, as did Renzo, but the rematch never materialized.
Brown took out MITSUHIRO ISHIDA, the Japanese stylist who came through the 16 man Japan Trials in March. In round 2, he would engage in a war of attrition with TONY DESOUSA who represented Peru well - he is the first south american fighter not to be Brazilian to make an impact - in fact, to even be invited. Desousa was the alternate, who got in when DENNIS HALLMAN was a no show.
The blood would pour. Desoua is a grinder, as he proved in his days as a UFC up and comer. Now living in Peru, he has been out of touch, but he showed himself to be a legit world class fighter again. Brown is a 5x Olympian, and he is impossible to compete against in the preparation for a long grinding battle. Perhaps it was frustration, or just bad luck, but Desousa elbowed him several times in the heat of battle, splitting Brown open and getting a lengthy medical timout while Brown was bandaged. In OT, Brown came out with his head competely wrapped like a mummy, and he pulled out the win over Desousa.
To get to the finals, it was wrestler against wrestler as Brown took on Olson. Normally this match up edge would go to Brown, but he was depleted, and Olson is definitely in the neigborhood - he is absolutely huge for this weight class!
Brown would not be able to continue, as Olson opened the cut up again and the blood poured freely. Brown would fight SHAOLIN in the 3-4 match on day 2, but he was done for the competition. Olson advances, looking like Fryklund at the UCC, covered in Brown's blood.
In the 3/4 match, Shaolin would get Brown's back and win on points. Both men fought an extremely classy match, as Brown played JJ in SHOALIN's guard and showed that the level down under is getting really high. Shaolin for his part, earned 3rd and did not attack Brown's head, keeping the heavily bandaged cuts clearance while still using an abundance of technique to dominate. Shaolin is a classy superstar in the making.
Matt Hume always does his homework. An insider saw him running around the back area looking for info, any info on Garcia. Another insider warned him 'watch him, play cautious to win, this kid is magic' - someone who had seen the Brazilian Trials. Hume is always game for a challenge, and to his credit Olson came out fighting, taking it right to Garcia. Garcia was a train not to be stopped, and he certainly proved he is the real deal. He caught Olson in the choke, for a submission in the finals. The level of the event has skyrocketed again, and the fact that there were submissions in the finals again, rather than people holding on, show that the athletes are giving the all to showcase there talents in a world level competition.
Again, the beauty of ADCC, is that as good as he looked, Marcello Garcia would be heard from again in the ABSOLUTES. It would be a shame if the commitment to the World Championships waned in the 2 years to 2005.
77-87.9 LG
This weight class was extremely high in expectations. All the qualifiers, especially ROBERT SULSKI of Europe, DAVID TERRELL of the USA and JACARE of Brazil received high ratings coming in. Add returning runner up and former world Champion SAULO RIBEIRO, 'COMPRIDO' MEDEIROS and MARGARIDA PONTES led the Jiu Jitsu contingent. Wrestlers appeared as well, led by Olympic silver medalist MATT LINDLAND, Purdue's DEVIAN PETERSON and AMC's REESE ANDY. Pancrase was well represented with KING of PANCRASE NATHAN MARQUARDT, veteran DENIS KANG of Canada and YUKI SASAKI in the weight class.
But the talk was the BIG DOG, RICARDO ALMEIDA. Dropping to his natural wieght class, and one of ADCC's biggest stars, Almeida was the favorite in many eyes. He looked focused and ready early, and this tournament means so much to him. Cacharao is another example of an athlete who left it all in the ring - he literally wanted to die fighting by the end of the weekend, so spent and emotional were his wars.
In round 1, Integrated Fighting's DAVION PETERSON held off the BIG DOG' s attempts to get him to the ground, making him work. The points kicked in, and Davion got a takedown of his own, getting up 2-0. Big Dog was working, and he sunk a nice guillotine to get thru the first round, nine minutes in. The attrition had already begun. Peterson had dropped in weight class, and made weight easily. He replaced ERIK PAULSON, who came in at 206 and fought a weight class up.
Matt Lindland got by Japanese qualifier YUSHIN OKAMI using solid wrestling and his strategy of staying strong, on top and in control. Afterwards, when he had lost to submissions, Lindland talked about different strategies, such as playing the stand up game like Veiera did. The strategies and the sport are evovling and the top athletes are showing they are evolving with it. Hopefully support for the budding sport will continue!
Lindland would succumb to JACARE, while RODRIGO COMPRIDO MEDEIROS took out the KING of PANCRASE Nathan Marquardt. Comprido would tangle with Saulo Ribeiro in a HUGE match of Jiu Jitsu stylists in round 2, Brazilian versus Brazilian. Australia's LARRY PAPADAPOULOUS submitted last minute replacement KEN KRONENBERG who moved up a weight class when MARC LAIMON got injured in the last training session before the event.
In Round 2 Almeida would take out AMC wrestler REESE ANDY - the AMC guys would always come prepared, and Reese would impact the ABSOLUTE tournament significantly.
Former ADCC Champion SAULO RIBEIRO would have emotional hard battles the entire tournament. Medeiros is always dangerous, as they have competed against each other before and both come away with wins. Ribeiro is a champion who imposes his will in his bouts, and he is strong and has gas to go through long fights. He has a defensive style that is hard to beat, but his style also forces him to grind out hard fights. This would catch up to him in the ABSOLUTES, though he was defintely emerging as the strongest competitor in the weight class, even after hard fights. He got points for takedown on Comprido, earning points for best throw.
The hard road would start for Saulo with a controversial match with young DAVID TERRELL, the American Qualifier who had never been scored on in any grappling tournament, and is the pride of teacher CESAR GRACIE's American academy.
88-98.9 KG
OVER 99 KG
SUPERFIGHT
MARK KERR (USA) versus RICARDO ARONA (Brazil)
The matchup was 20 minutes, and it occured on Saturday night as ther grand finale of the first day. Kerr was in the back, and there was some concern over his condition even before the fight. To his credit, he came out and gave it his all, but his all is clearly not what it used to be.
Arona would get an early advantage, on a 2 point takedown that occured too early to score points. Under the ADCC structure, the match would go to Arona on advantage after 1 OT, if the score remained 0-0. The match would be up on it's feet at the 10 minute mark, when the point sytem kicked in, Kerr was tired already, sucking wind. It would be 0-0 at the end of 20 minutes of regulation, where Arona really established the pace throughout, but Kerr held him off. Several times throughout the match, Kerr would complain about incidental headbutts - Kerr would shoot sloppy and Arona would sprawl - when Kerr was slow getting up, Arona would charge and they butted heads many times. Kerr used the occassions to suck for air, and the Brazilian fans let him know about it. Arona stayed focused, as it was obvious it would only be a matter of time.
Heading into the OT, Kerr would approach the judges, stating 'OT is 5 minutes'. This was another sad attempt to gain time, since Kerr himself fought a 10 minute extra period at ADCC 2001 with Mario Sperry. The judge responded, '10 minutes' and Kerr asked 'since when?' The final answer was 'since Roberto Traven and Sperry fought two of them'. Kerr would not survive the next 10 minutes and he knew it. Arona finally scored a takedown, 4 points, obtaining side control position. Kerr was controlled for 3 seconds, giving Arona the 4-0 edge. The few people in the place went nuts! Kerr would be forced to work to catch up, and his tank bottomed out. Time ran out, and Kerr was done. Hopefully, this is not a sign that his demons are back to haunt him, but he must get in shape if he is to fight again.
THE ABSOLUTE
The draw is done by an international panel of insiders and the local promoters, with all applicant names going in a hat. Votes are cast 1-10, the criteria is: 'What are the chances that this fighter can win an 16 man open class tourney in the ADCC style?' Votes are added up, and the top 16 go. Sevgeral fighters drop out, and as the original draw is looked back upon, DEAN LISTER was the 20th seed going in. History was starting to write itself again.
Ravenlord
Shreku
lifter
Vithal
