Check out 18 videos and matches from the event in the OTM Video section:
http://onthemat.com/video/channels/BOW2008First off I want to say thanks to the guys at OTM and Best of the West for letting me back on the scene without as much as a who the hell do you think you are? I stepped back on the mat about a year and a half ago after I found out my friend and fellow Pedro Carvalho-ian (not a word but sounds really cool) Al Garza had a school in the high desert, Victorville, at the Universal Grappling academy. Well I trained in the back room there with the rest of my cohorts at the Bad Boy Jiu Jitsu Academy (BBJJA) for about 6 months not really taking to serious until we moved over to the Bullet Hole. Well the Bullet Hole, Craig Buchanan, opened the doors for us to come join them and that was when my whole outlook on this had changed. They really brought out the competitiveness in me. The atmosphere there is amazing. So we trained and we trained and I started to ask the guys if they wanted to compete or if they wanted to just train. I got some feed back but money is always an issue. So when I had seen that an old friend from Best of the West was putting on another tournament I jumped on it. 2 weeks prior to the event I talked some of my buddies into competing and this is the way it went.
I got to the event around 830 am got set up. They did the ref meeting and the rules announcements and I started to really look around. Superstar Jiu Jitsu players were on there and I was a bit nervous. (I signed up for the advanced masters 159.9 and below.) More on that later though. As I took note of who was there, the likes of Chris Hauter, Cleber Luciano, Gazzy Paremon, Paulo Gazze, Kevin Kacey the list goes on and on, I knew that today was going to be one of those while I’m covering mat 1 another great match is going on mat 6. I wasn’t disappointed.
I got warmed up a bit and found that my weight class was announced and ready on the “Throwdown” mat. I checked the list and I’ll be damned if there wasn’t some names I recognized and part of the reason I was nervous names like Luciano, Hauter, Camacho, Ruiz the list went on. Great competitors and my first time back in a while. As the competition began Art Ruiz stepped on the mat first and put on a great fight but ended up losing by points to his first opponent. I got on the mat won my first match with a rear naked choke and then Joe Camacho and Cleber Luciano got on the mat. Those two put on a great match but in the end Cleber secured a heel hook that forced Joe to tap. Chris Hauter had two really hard matches but won both to meet Cleber in the finals, after he beat me with a guillotine. This match was back and forth and if I wasn’t so loud from all the people screaming I could hear my tape recorder! That was a war though and in the last minute Cleber was able to secure a heel hook and get the win and the division. Chris didn’t give up though and he went on to win the next bracket in the adult division.
Ruben Vieira put on a great match with more than enough action against Matt Magana. These two put on a fast paced, battle that went the distance and ended with Ruben winning 7-4. Ricky Lopez was armbared in his first match by Rodrigo Manari.
Kevin Casey started off his winning ways of the advanced open by taking his first match Drew Halub by rear naked choke. Tyler Brickel and Arthur Null went at it Tyler was working for submissions but Arthur settled in and was able to take this match by points 10-0.
Musa got caught in guard when there was a scramble between him and his opponent.(Sorry I didn’t get the name.) He almost got caught in a heel hook but defended and was able to in the scramble get a takedown to win 2-0. In the match between Eddie Gonzales and Tiamee Mhunoui(I think that’s right.) Tiamee was able to advance to the next round. Now Joe Camacho and Art Ruiz being old training partners I thought may be a light battle but these two held nothing back Joe was up 5-0 when in a scramble they stood and Art was able to get a takedown for 2. Joe tried for a triangle at one point which art defended but wasn’t able to get more points and Joe won 5-2. Jimmy Tang pulled half guard and got a sweep and a pass then mount and took his match 14-0. Tiamee was able to beat Mousa on points 4-0. Rodrigo Ramirez worked hard for his win against Sean Apperson right after that match Joe Camacho and Don Stoner stepped on the mat and right off the bat Joe shot in and got caught in a guillotine which he defended and was able to get to half guard. In the end Joe succumbed to the D’arce choke. Timmae and Kevin Casey had a kina slow paced match which Kevin ended up winning 3-0. Jimmy Tang and Rodrigo Ramirez stepped up and Jimmy got caught in a sweep that put him down on points but came back with one of his own. Rodrigo worked for a pass and that was all it took to win 5-2. Don Stoner put it all on the line against Rodrigo but couldn’t mount an offence as Rodrigo tried to control from the top and eventually win 4-0 which meant that the finals were Kevin Casey and Rodrigo Ramirez. Rodrigo pulled guard on the slightly larger Casey and that ended up the wrong thing as in the slow paced finals Kevin was able to from half guard swing around and secure a leglock for the win.
Once again you guys thanks for letting me back On The Mat. See you guys at the next BOTW in August.
Check out 18 videos and matches from the event in the OTM Video section:
http://onthemat.com/video/channels/BOW2008