Flashback Friday: Andre Galvao vs Rafael Lovato (2008)

This match took place not long after I first got into the sport so at the time I had no idea how big a deal both of these guys were. It's interesting to see how Lovato's game has changed since 2008.  You will rarely see him pull guard.  These days he seems much more focused on getting on top and forcing his pressure style passing with a lot of success.  These two guys will face off again in just over a week at Metamoris 2.

http://metamoris.com/

2013 IBJJF World Championship Brackets

Here are the Adult Men's Black Belt brackets for the 2013 IBJJF World Championships.  Previous preview of the tournament can be found here:
http://ifightinpajamas.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-world-jiu-jitsu-championships.html

Now on to the brackets!  Adult Men's Black Belt Brackets:

Rooster 1 of 2

Rooster 2 of 2

Light Feather 1 of 4

Light Feather 2 of 4

Light Feather 3 of 4

Light Feather 4 of 4

Feather 1 of 2

Feather 2 of 2

Light 1 of 4

Light 2 of 4

Light 3 of 4

Light 4 of 4

Middle 1 of 4

Middle 2 of 4

Middle 3 of 4

Middle 4 of 4

Medium Heavy 1 of 4

Medium Heavy 2 of 4

Medium Heavy 3 of 4

Medium Heavy 4 of 4

Heavy 1 of 2

Heavy 2 of 2

Super Heavy 1 of 2

Super Heavy 2 of 2

Ultra Heavy 1 of 2

Ultra Heavy 2 of 2

For my own interests I've included the Adult Men's Purple Feather and Lightweight brackets below:

Feather 1 of 8

Feather 2 of 8

Feather 3 of 8

Feather 4 of 8

Feather 5 of 8

Feather 6 of 8

Feather 7 of 8

Feather 8 of 8

Light 1 of 8

Light 2 of 8

Light 3 of 8

Light 4 of 8

Light 5 of 8

Light 6 of 8

Light 7 of 8

Light 8 of 8

Men's Adult Brown

Light Feather 1 of 2

Light Feather 2 of 2

Again, if you want to watch the Worlds tournament via online stream, be sure to visit www.ibjjftv.com to get your event pass.  

Flashback Friday: Caio Terra vs Jeff Glover (Metamoris Pro)

This would be the second time they met in 2012. Jeff Glover took the win via points in their first meeting at the 2012 World Jiu-Jitsu Expo.  This match between Caio Terra and Jeff Glover took place at the first Metamoris Pro event last fall.  For me, this was the most exciting match of the night.  Both guys seemed to be having a good time throughout the chess match drawing cheers from the crowd.  Glover was up to his usual antics and played an unorthodox game giving up position (note there was no point system / submission only) to attack from odd angles and hope to wear Caio down physically in the 20 minute time limit match.

2013 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships Preview

The 2013 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships is just one week away!  Here is the schedule of divisions for the event.

World 2013 - Pre schedule

Thursday:

White Adult Male (Weight divisions)
White Adult Female (Weight divisions)
White Master (Weight divisions)
White Senior (Weight divisions)
Blue Adult Male (Weight divisions)

Friday:
Blue Adult Male (Open Class)
Blue Adult Female (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Purple Adult Male (Weight divisions)
Purple Adult Female (Weight divisions)
Brown Adult Male (Weight divisions)

Saturday:
White Juvenile Male (Weight divisions)
White Juvenile Female (Weight divisions)
Blue Juvenile Male (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Blue Juvenile Female (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Purple Adult Male (Open Class)
Purple Adult Female (Open Class)
Brown Adult Male (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Brown Adult Female (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Black Adult Male (Weight divisions and Open Class)
Black Adult Female (Weight divisions and Open Class)

Sunday:
Black Adult Male
Black Adult Female

*This pre-schedule just inform the days of each division will be run, not necessarily in this order. The complete schedule with the times and the order of each division will start will be released on May 25th.

Preview & Predictions:

Black Belt (Rooster) Reigning 2012 Champion - Bruno Malfacine (Alliance)
Caio Terra had originally registered for Light Feather but after realizing that his weight was too low for the division he has since moved back down to Rooster.  We are likely to see another Bruno Malfacine / Caio Terra final this year.  Malfacine won a very close ref decision last year at the Mundials and Caio most recently won their meeting at Pan in the Spring.  Should they meet again in the finals expect to see another close battle.  Watch for Fabio Passos (Alliance) to try and exact some revenge should he meet up with Caio again.  They battled to a very close ref decision at Pan 2013 earlier this year.

Black Belt (Light Feather)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Gui Mendes (Atos)
With Caio no longer in this division our desire to see a new challenge for Gui will have to wait a little bit longer as Caio's made it clear he wants to move up in weight.  It's good to see that Ary Farias is back in the division this year and there's a good chance we see Atos closing out in the final.  Laercio Fernandes (Alliance) lost a very competitive final against Gui Mendes at Pan 2013 so he will no doubt be a factor again at Light Feather.  Watch for Carlos Vieira Holanda (CheckMat) to be another guy to watch.

Black Belt (Feather)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Rafael Mendes (Atos)
History tells you not only that we should see Cobrinha and Rafa Mendes in the final but that Mendes will win.  Last year Mendes not only defeated Cobrinha but he did so in epic fashion finishing a nasty armbar at Pan.  Their other more recent matches have ended with Rafa winning very close matches via points or ref decisions.  I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that we see Tanquinho (Soul Fighters) and Rafa Mendes in the final this year.  Tanquinho recently defeated Cobrinha at Abu Dhabi so he will have confidence at this years Mundials.

Black Belt (Light)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Leandro Lo (PSLPB Cicero Costha)
Lightweight is stacked with a lot of talent this year.  Lucas Lepri (Alliance), Michael Langhi (Alliance), Jonathan Torres (Atos), Roberto Satoshi (Atos) just to name a handful of competitors that could easily land in the finals.  It's really difficult to bet against Leandro Lo to repeat this year. I'm excited to see how the brackets will be set up for this division.

Black Belt (Middle)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Otavio Souza (Gracie Barra)
Again, another division loaded with talent and it's hard to pick the final without seeing how the brackets lay out.  Clark Gracie (Gracie JJ) will be an early favorite having disposed of Marcelo Mafra (CheckMat) at Pan 2013.  You can't count out the likes of Lucas Rocha (Gracie Barra), Davi Ramos (Atos), Claudio Calasans (Atos), Victor Estima (Gracie Barra), and DJ Jackson (TLI).

Black Belt (Medium-Heavy)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Romulo Barral (Gracie Barra)
Often injured Romulo Barral claims he will be ready for the tournament but one has to wonder if his knee will hold up.  I hope he stays healthy to be a factor but anything is possible.  Watch for Braulio Estima (Gracie Barra), Abmar Barbosa (Drysdale BJJ), Tarsis Humphreys (Alliance), and of course Andre Galvao (Atos) to be the favorites to go deep in the brackets.

Black Belt (Heavy)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Rodolfo Vieira (GF Team)
There are some interesting potential match-ups this year at Heavy.  Rafael Lovato (Ribeiro BJJ), Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro BJJ), Rodolfo Vieira (GT Team) will be heavily favored.  Rico Bastos (Nova Uniao) is an underdog that is likely to show up at the end of the brackets having lost very close matches to both Xande at Masters/Seniors 2012, and against Lovato at the Houston Open 2013.

Black Belt (Super Heavy)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Leonardo Nogueira (Alliance)
It may sound like old hat but we may see another final close out between Bernardo Farias (Alliance) and Leo Nogueira (Alliance).  I hope that they will be pushed hard by the likes of Bruno Bastos (Nova Uniao), Joao Assis (CheckMat), and Leonardo Leite (Alliance).

Black Belt (Ultra Heavy)  Reigning 2012 Champion - Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida
I think that there will be some very good matches at Ultra heavy this year.  We will get to see who can attempt to knock the seemingly unbeatable Buchecha off his throne.  When was the last time this guy lost?!  Watch for Alexander Trans (CheckMat), Rodrigo Cavaca (CheckMat), Orlando Sanchez (Gracie Barra), Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu (Fight Sports), and Gabriel Garcia (Ralph Gracie) to try their best.  Should be an exciting division to watch.

Previously Budovideos has provided the online stream broadcast.  This year's Mundials will be broadcast on www.ibjjftv.com

Update!!!
The Brackets are now available here:
http://ifightinpajamas.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-ibjjf-world-championship-brackets.html

Bull Terrier Master Series #1 Gi Review

Bull Terrier is a Japanese brand of kimonos that I have had very little exposure to until recently.  They are well known for sponsoring athletes such as the Mendes Brothers, Cobrinha, and Roberto "Satoshi" De Souza just to name a few.  They are well known for their flashy gi's that make a bold statement.  Bull Terrier does offer a variety of gi's from flashy to toned down for those that aren't looking to make a fashion statement on the mats.  I do particularly like the look of some of their bling gi's such as the Mushin #2 and New Star but opted for something with less flash...the Master Series #1.  The gi featured in this review is an A1.

Design
I feel like Bull Terrier has done a great job with the design of the Master Series #1 gi.  It is pretty straight forward in terms of design.  It is a solid colored gi that features white contrast stitching throughout.  There are very few patches on this gi and instead Bull Terrier has implemented some accented embroidery.  There are a handful of small bats embroidered on the front right panel of the kimono along with the Master Series logos embroidered on each shoulder of the sleeves.  In addition to this there are a couple small Bull Terrier Master Series patches stitched onto the bottom of the jacket and behind the collar.  There is no fancy taping insides the cuffs of the sleeves or tattooed designs inside the jacket.  The inner portion of the jacket does feature some tasteful red taping along the bottom.  The skirt openings of the jacket feature white vents which look good and accent the jacket well.  The pants are equally as simplistic in design.  The top of the trousers feature a small patch and the similar bats embroidered on the opposite side.  Contrast stitching is used on the pants consistent with the jacket.

Construction
This is a pretty light gi weighing approximately 2.4 pounds!  It is made of 100% cotton and did I mention it's light?!  The stitching throughout this gi is very good.  It is very difficult to hide spotty craftsmanship when using contrast stitching.  I have inspected this gi from top to bottom and can't find any problems in that area.  The jacket features a one piece back and the armpits have reinforcement inside.  The collar seems to be rubberized and quite sturdy.  It's not too thick or thin.  I would say it's about average in terms of thickness.

The pants feel to be a lightweight canvas that is again 100% cotton. They are not overly stiff and have a nice feel to them.  The craftsmanship is excellent.  The cuffs of the pants are similar to the jacket; there is no taping here.  While some might prefer the look of taping I can honestly say I'm okay without it.  Sometimes the taping can be abrasive and simply not worth the accent that it provides.  The pants sport reinforced knee pads that are adequately long and provide a small amount of cushion.  They could be a little thicker in my opinion.  The pants are held up with a flat drawstring and a peculiar single loop in the middle of the pants which I found strange.  This requires the drawstring to be tied near your left hip.  I don't feel that it's particularly difficult to tie the pants but feel that the pants would be better served with a more traditional loop system in place.

Fit
Being 5'7", 150lbs I opted for an A1.  I knew this was going to be a little risky as my measurements put me more comfortably into an A2 but I really didn't want an overly large gi.  After trying the gi on right out of the bag it was clear I wouldn't be running this gi through the dryer anytime soon.  My first impressions were that the jacket is a bit stiff.  The skirt and sleeves are noticeably short and would definitely fail an IBJJF inspection.  That said the jacket is super light and comfortable for being so stiff.  The pants are super comfortable and a little short.  They are far from baggy which I really like.  I dislike baggy pants and these trousers feel like they were tailored for me specifically.

Destined to fail an inspection

Rolling Impressions
I can't say enough good things about how this gi fits and perform while training.  The gi is super light. As light as this gi is it doesn't seem to suffer from some of the issues other lightweight gi's experience such as stretching in the sleeves.  Due to the lightweight cotton it never feels overly weighed down with sweat during long training sessions.  I suppose my only complaints about the gi is that it's just a tad too small.  The short length of the skirt does require adjustment somewhat frequently but it isn't too bothersome.  The excellent fit of the pants prevents opponents from being able to find easy grips which I really like.  I feel like I can move around stealthily in this gi without my opponents getting an easy handle on either the jacket or pants.


Measurements
As previously noted, this is an A1 sized gi and I found it to be very snug to small fit on myself.  That said I have only washed it on cold and allowed it to hang dry in my house.  I have thrown it in the dryer a couple times on air dry only with a dryer sheet to try and soften up the jacket.

Closing Thoughts
I love this gi for training due to it's lightweight feel and fit.  I do wish the gi was a tad larger making it IBJJF legal but that is ultimately my fault.  From what I have read others feel that these gi's tend to run a bit small.  I do have to wonder how an A2 would have fared and will likely go with the larger size in the future.  I enjoy the basic look of the blue and white contrast stitching.  I feel like this is a great looking gi without going over the top with lots of patches and excessive embroidery.  I look forward to trying some other Bull Terrier gi's in 2013 and hope to find one that fits me a bit better so I can use them in competitions.