SUBMISSION MISSION - Luke Beston

Presented by Triple Bull, the Abu Dhabi BJJ Pro Qualifiers was a chance for Australian BJJ practitioners to show off their skills and potentially win a spot at the Abu Dhabi championships in April. This new professional level of competition available to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes is set to take the sport to new heights thanks to the personal support of His Highness the Supreme Prince and Commander In Chief of the United Arab Emirates National Army, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan — the man who started the famous ADCC submission-grappling event. While it may not receive support from such high places Down Under, BJJ is ever growing in its profile and popularity here, and this was evident in the many sponsors’ banners displayed around the arena, ranging from the expected martial-arts related businesses (Fuji Gis, grapplingstore.com, TP Gym, Rhino Mouthguards) to the very mainstream (Nippy’s, Boost Mobile, CJ Signs, Quicksilver, O’Neill and Ariel 7). With 160 competitors and several hundred spectators, the day started with the non-qualifier portion of the tournament for White- and Blue-belts. These divisions offered beginners a chance to participate in a professional level event and gain valuable competition experience. Prize packages provided by the event sponsors were on offer not only for the competitors, but also spectators who were able to answer the Jiu-Jitsu trivia questions as promoter John Shimooka quizzed the crowd between matches. The qualifier divisions were divided into nine categories, the winner of each being guaranteed a spot in the World Championships to be held in the United Arab Emirates, with all expenses paid. Following the lead of the World Cup, organizer Alex Prates stated his goal was not only to send the best possible squad to represent Australia, but to run a world-class event here in Australia where all the competitors were treated as professionals. 

The first of the qualifiers to be decided were the two women’s divisions, the first ever professional BJJ qualifier for women in Australia. The Adult Female Under-63kg division was won by Jennifer Torrance, who trains at Dominance Jiu-Jitsu in Melbourne. In the Over-63kg division, Renee Vellios, also from Melbourne but trained by Ben Hall, defeated one of the tournament favourites, Maryanne Mullahy, in the final. Both the Adult Male White/ Blue-belt Under-73kg and Over73kg were the largest divisions in the qualifier. In the Under73kg division, Ben Hall student Shane Suzuki won with a very relaxed and technical style. Kit Dale, trained by Peter de Been, won the Over-73kg division with a dynamic grappling game and strong guard-passing. The remaining five qualifier divisions promised to be some of the most exciting of the day. The format of this tournament has Purple-, Brown- and Blackbelts competing together, unlike other comps. Another difference to traditional BJJ competitions is that under the Abu Dhabi Pro rules, matches are only six minutes per match compared to the normal 10 minutes, forcing all competitors to push the pace the entire time. Following best-practice standard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the world level, three referees were used in all final matches. The Adult Male Purple/ Brown/Black-belt Under-65Kg was won by Hadi Jomaa, trained by Paulo Guimaraes. In his final against Owen Gee, Jomaa locked up a triangle-choke early in the match but Owen kept composed and was able to execute some amazing defence before he finally submitted to the choke. David Hart, trained by John Will, won the Under74kg division by submitting his opponent Nathan Frost with a lapel-choke from the back. His performance in this tournament, and years of national and international level competition, make Hart one of Australia’s strongest prospects at the World Championships. Local crowd-favourite Rodney Ellis, trained by André Pederneiras, won the Under83kg division spot, defeating Lachlan Giles. Ellis will have some great momentum at the ADCC Pro World Championships, having recently won the AFBJJ.

The Under-92kg division featured one of the most exciting matches of the day in the quarter final round. Multiple Australian grappling champion and UFC veteran Anthony Perosh faced Steffen Krieg, who won the Blue-belt world title at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Pro. Krieg started strongly, earning points for passing the guard early in the match, but Perosh remained calm and focused, working his trademark butterfly guard and coming back to win in the final moments of the match. In the final of the Under-92kg division, Alex Chew, trained by Bruno Panno, defeated Anthony Perosh on points. Although he has kept a relatively low profi le in recent years, Chew has been one of the toughest competitors since the earliest grappling tournaments in NSW, where he is well known for his judo takedowns and crushing groundwork. Bruno Panno recognized Chew’s great achievement by presenting him with his BJJ Brown-belt on the winners’ podium. The heavyweight (Over-92kg) qualifier final was another Black-belt-versus-Purple belt match. The last remaining spot for the World Championships went to 2008 qualifier Mick Wilson, trained by Peter de Been in Melbourne. This year Wilson faced tough opponent Graham Wearea in the final. Not to be underestimated, Graham had defeated a number of Black-belts previously, but he was facing Australia’s first ever BJJ world champion (in the Blue-belt Open-weight division at the Mundials some years ago) in Wilson.

In a strategic battle with some very passionate support in the crowd for both athletes, Mick Wilson won a close match on advantages. After his finals victory, Wilson explained how happy he was to be heading back to Abu Dhabi, not only because of the opportunity to compete against the best in the world, but the great hospitality he and the Aussie team received at last year’s event. The team trophy, which took into account all medalists from both the qualifi er and non-qualifi er portions of the tournament, was won by Bruno Panno’s Gracie Sydney Association and TP Gym. Event organiser Alex Prates was extremely happy with how the tournament ran, noting that the tournament ran exactly on schedule, and credited and thanked the great work of the many tournament staff for their dedicated efforts on the day. Having attended the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, I agree with Alex’s summary of the day. Although Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition has been around for decades internationally, tournaments have been relatively limited by the resources available, in comparison to the combat sports contested at the Olympics. Now with the generous support of HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the future of BJJ competition both here and worldwide is very exciting. The selected Aussies must now prepare to take on the world’s best at the second Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup on 15–17 April. □

Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, JANUARY 2010 VOL. 24 ISSUE 01