Copa Pacifca VI ReportMarch 8-9, 2003Costa Mesa, California Has there really been six Copa Pacifica Tournaments already? OntheMat has been there in some capacity (well before there was an Onthemat, actually) making the Copa Pacifica something of a tradition. Something else that`s a tradition: The OTM road trip (and subsequent breakdown or other disaster). Much to the credit of the driver, Cameron Earle, we made it down in one piece in no time at all for a change (By the way, check out the latest issue of Grappling Magazine for a killer article on Cam). True to form however, on the way to the tournament from the place we were staying at (about a distance of three miles) took us a little over an hour and a half thanks to what I`m blaming on the curse of the OTM road trip.
We arrived a little later than anticipated, said hello to Lilly Luciano (who is definitely a force behind the scenes making sure these tournaments go well), and settled in to watch the kids going at it. Folks who actually read these reports as opposed to just downloading the videos should know that my favorite action comes in the kids divisions, as they go at it without fear of losing. Coupled with the fact that many of the children are displaying an astonishing level of skill at an early age and you have some exciting matches! The future looks very bright for the sport indeed. Copa Pacifica boasted one of the larger children`s divisions in awhile. In a nice touch for the kids, the medal ceremony highlighted all of the winners, and in the end no one who participated went home empty handed. While this did push things back a bit from the schedule, to see the look on everyone`s faces it was well worth it.
After the white belts had been running for a few hours it was time for the days black belt super fights. Rener Gracie vs. Jorge “Macaco” Patino was the first black belt match of the day. Obviously this was a very closely watched match-up as Macaco is an established competitor, and this was to be Rener`s debut as black belt. Macaco quickly scored the takedown for two points and went to Rener`s guard. Rener began to work for a choke or a sweep, but after a few minutes of minimal activity referee Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller restarted the match from standing. From there Macaco jumped into a half guard position, but Rener was able to keep base. With Rener established on top, he began to attack Macaco`s legs. Macaco then got the sweep, but fell right into Rener`s knee bar attempt. Macaco began to defend so Rener shifted immediately into a straight ankle lock, and after resisting for a few moments Macaco was forced to tap out.
The second black belt match of the day pitted new black belt Ryron Gracie vs. one of the top competitors in the world right now, Alexander “Xande” Riberio. The match saw a brief exchange of grips from standing before Xande pulled guard. From there Xande looked for a pass and began to sit forward and Ryron seemed content to fall back into his guard. This put Xande up 2-0 however. From out of bounds the match was restarted from their feet at the center again and after another brief stand up exchange, Ryron pulled guard this time. Ryron was never able to establish his positioning well, and Xande quickly passed to side control. From there Ryron worked to reconstitute his guard, however Xande controlled well, and nearly took Ryron`s back at one point. Ryron remained composed and diligently attempted to reestablish his guard. After a brief scramble, both men made it back tot their feet and this time Xande jumped to guard. Ryron moved well and nearly took Xande`s back, however Xande simply bridged and Ryron fell over. Ryron worked back to his guard and then look to take Xande`s back again, and tried a choke. However, without a strong position, Xande was able to spin out quickly. Ryron tried for the back a third time, but once more without establishing hooks Xande flipped him over again. This put Ryron back to his guard, which Xande passed to side control. Ryron worked for the guard one last time, but Xande played very tightly as time ran out. Xande wins 8-0.
The purple belt began later in the evening and despite the delay, many of the competitors brought their best games forward. Standout Jeff Glover from Paragon won his debut as a purple belt in impressive fashion. OTM`s own Aaron Briley looked very impressive winning his division, pulling off a sitting jumping flying triangle towards the end of his first match that definitely wowed the crowd. Jason Miller looked strong in his outing as well. Best throw of the day went to Sean Spangler, who executed a suplex that looked like it could have been choreographed from the world of professional wrestling.
The second day began with blue belt competition and also featured the brown belts as well as two more black belt super fights. Brown belt highlights included Roy “Big County” Nelson defeating Mike Rose on points in which he almost got to use his patented “Hog Tie” maneuver for the submission (it gave him a sweep and the victory however). Arthur Ruff defeated Brian Espinoza in a match that largely remained on the feet. And the ageless Daniel Thomas won his brown belt debut match.
The first black belt match of the second day pitted Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller against Jeff Higgs. Jeff pulled guard early in the match, however Franjinha was able to keep the pressure on and stay out of any serious danger. For a few minutes Franjinha controlled the legs and made Jeff work had from the bottom. Franjinha finally worked his way to a north south position, but Jeff reversed it and came out on top. From here Jeff worked for an armbar, but Franjinha defended well and both competitors rolled under the scorers table. Back to their feet they went, and when Jeff jumped to guard he accidentally caught Franjinha with a knee to the chin. After a few minutes Franjinha recovered and the match restarted. Franjinha scored a quick takedown and it went out of bounds again. Then with time running out Jeff was forced to chase Franjinha around the mat, when Franjinha scored another takedown. Time expired with Franjinha ahead 7-2.
The last black belt match had Wander Braga going against Kiko Cacaella. Kiko began the match by taking Wander down with a nice single leg. Kiko controlled well from top as Wander looked to get his half guard game going. When Kiko overextended a bit on top Wander took the opportunity to sweep him and we then got to see Kiko`s guard. From here it turned to a classic battle of posture and grips. The match went this way for several minutes until the competitors rolled out of bounds, thus restarting the match on the feet. Kiko pulled guard this time and Wander looked for the pass, but not much else happened until time expired. Wander wins 2-2 with two advantages. Copa Pacifica, thanks to Cleber and Lilly Luciano has established itself as one of the premier Jiu-Jitsu tournaments in North America and is establishing a tradition. From the kids on up, there is a definite warm feeling to go along with the skills displayed and the Copa looks like it will be around for a long time.
VI COPA PACIFICA DE JIU-JITSU TEAM RESULTS KIDS & JUNIORS DIVISION 1 Cleber Luciano JJ 2 BJJ Revolution 3 Aloisio Silva
MEN & WOMEN DIVISION 1 Cleber Luciano JJ 2 Rickson Gracie JJ 3 BJJ Revolution 4 Pedro Carvalho 5 Aloisio Silva 6 Paragon BJJ
VI COPA PACIFICA DE JIU-JITSU INDIVIDUAL RESULTS KIDS & JUNIORS DIVISION White Belt – Kids (4 yrs old) 1 A.J. Fuller (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Raphel Deigo (Rey Deigo BJJ)
Kids/Boys (6 yrs old & Under) 1 Anthony Valencia (BJJ Revolution) 1 Zahid Valencia (BJJ Revolution) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Kids/Girls – (5-9 yrs old) 1 Frankie Franco (BJJ Revolution) 2 Emily Nava (Megaton BJJ)
Kids (7-9 yrs old) – Light 1 Jose Chavez (Aloisio Silva) 2 Matt Plouff (Sacramento BJJ)
Kids/Boys (7-9 yrs old) – Light 1 Mandela Van Peebles (Rey Deigo BJJ) 2 Lukas Nava (Megaton BJJ)
Kids/Girls (7-9 yrs old) – Light 1 Alexis Robles (Pedro Carvalho) 2 Sidonie Acosta-Galvan (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Kids (7-9 yrs old) – Middle 1 Donovan Nafarrete (Fabio Santos BJJ) 2 Taran Balderrama (Pacific Martial Arts)
Kids/Girls (7-9 yrs old) – Middle 1 Katie Dell (Rey Deigo BJJ) 2 Diana Mot (Megaton BJJ)
Kids/Boys (7-9 yrs old) – Super Heavy 1 Tony Taylor (Pedro Carvalho) 2 Donald Rice (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Middle 1 Jordan Balderrama (Pacific Martial Arts) 2 Andrew Hlavaj (Submission Co.)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Light Heavy 1 Misty Dyse (Rey Deigo BJJ) 2 Chris Harter (Pedro Carvalho)
Juniors/Girls (10-12 yrs old) – Unlimited 1 Cintia Chavez (Aloisio Silva) 2 Katie Clary (Pacific Martial Arts)
Juniors/Girls (12-14 yrs old) 1 Cintia Chavez (Aloisio Silva) 2 Jackeline Melgar (Pedro Carvalho)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Heavy 1 Johnathen Smith (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Tony Yanez (Pedro Carvalho)
Juniors (12-14 yrs old) – Middle 1 Danny Mendez (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Brent Regueira (Pedro Carvalho)
Juniors/Boys (15-16 yrs old) – Unlimited 1 Cory Howard (Caique JJ) 2 Anthony Abad-Santos (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Juniors (15-16 yrs old) – Heavy 1 Bret Russell II (Tingueria JJ) 2 Morgan Neidlinger (Rickson Gracie JJ)
Juniors (15-16 yrs old) – Unlimited 1 Fletcher Funk (Aloisio Silva) 2 Anthony Abad-Santos (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Yellow Belt – Kids (7-9 yrs old) – Light 1 Gabriel Kirk (Megaton BJJ) 2 Noble Alabidi (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Kids (7-9 yrs old) – Middle 1 Joseph Vego (Pedro Carvalho) 2 Dylan Smith (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Kids (9-10 yrs old) – Heavy 1 Kody Finney (Machado JJ) 2 Carlos Nava (Megaton BJJ)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Feather 1 Jacob Richey (Pacific Martial Arts) 2 Carlos Nava (Megaton BJJ)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Light Heavy 1 Alex King (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Xavier Stokes-Arrey (Pedro Carvalho)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Middle 1 Bronson Steiner (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Zaven Keshishyan (Pacific Martial Arts)
Juniors (12-14 yrs old) – Light Heavy 1 Takeshi Clifford (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Travis Yonkers (United Submission)
Juniors (12-14 yrs old) – Heavy 1 Jordan Collins (Gracie Academy) 2 Matt Abad-Santos (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Juniors (12-14 yrs old) – Unlimited 1 Allison Clifford (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Doncel Bolt (Aloisio Silva)
Orange Belt – Juniors (9 yrs old) – Light 1 Mackenzie Diaz (Megaton BJJ) 2 Justin Wada (Fabio Santos BJJ)
Juniors (10-14 yrs old) – Light 1 Mario Franco (BJJ Revolution) 2 Justin Wada (Fabio Santos BJJ)
Juniors (10-12 yrs old) – Middle 1 Noah Tills (BJJ Revolution) 2 Jazzy Green (Rey Deigo BJJ)
Juniors (12-14 yrs old) – Light 1 Richard Alarcon (BJJ Revolution) 2 Yvette Franco (BJJ Revolution)
Juniors (13-15 yrs old) – Super Heavy 1 Joseph Gutierrez (BJJ Revolution) 2 Daniel Travieso (RCJ Machado)
Juniors (15-16 yrs old) – Heavy 1 Ryan King (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Donald Bolt, Jr. (Aloisio Silva)
WOMENS DIVISION White Belt – Adult – Rooster (110-121 lbs) 1 Alexandra Lemus (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Samantha Gutierrez (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Adult – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Stacy Erwin (Cleber Luciano JJ) 1 Geri Campeau (Cleber Luciano JJ) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Adult – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Karen Tard (BJJ Revolution) 2 Yo Swinson (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Adult – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Allison Clifford (Cleber Luciano JJ) 1 Delci Huntley (Ralph Gracie JJ)
Master – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Geri Campeau (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Melanie Baer (Fernandinho BJJ)
Master – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Yo Swinson (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Suzanne Lasich (Fabio Santos BJJ)
Blue Belt – Adult – Super Feather (124 lbs & Under) 1 Felicia Oh (JJ Machado) 2 Cathy Fusilier (RCJ Machado)
Adult – Feather (125-138 lbs) 1 Coryell Holmes (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Jeanette Portocarrero (JJ Machado)
Adult – Light (139-155 lbs) 1 Vanessa Mariscal (Aloisio Silva) 2 Keren Glenren (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Purple Belt – Adult – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Gazzy Pearmen (J-SECT) 2 Chan Keo (RCJ Machado)
MENS DIVISION White Belt – Adult – Rooster (110-121 lbs) 1 John Fidelson (Fernandinho BJJ) 2 Michael Strangis (Ralph Gracie JJ)
Adult – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Michael Meade (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Michael Lee (Paragon BJJ)
Adult – Feather (135-147 lbs) 1 Jorge Evangelista (Pacific Martial Arts) 2 Christian Magat (Rickson Gracie JJ)
Adult – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Marcos Hernandez (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Wil Horneff (Rey Deigo BJJ)
Adult – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Jonah Baronian (Paragon BJJ) 1 Jason Carl (Paragon BJJ) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Adult – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Ben Black III (Machado JJ) 2 Rick Gumm (Franco De Camargo BJJ)
Adult – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Kirk Grant (Caique JJ) 2 Brad Peterson (Megaton BJJ)
Adult – Super Heavy (203-213 lbs) 1 Travis Vassallo (Paragon BJJ) 2 Frank Federico (Boran JJ)
Adult – Unlimited (214 lbs & Over) 1 Vincent Malpasso (BJJ Revolution) 2 Jose Esparza (Andre BJJ)
Adult – Super Fight 1 Michael Meade (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Steve Judkins (Pedro Carvalho)
Master – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Lance Roman (Aloisio Silva) 2 Eddie Ball (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Master – Feather (135-147 lbs) 1 Shawn Swing (Marcello Pereira JJ) 2 Flavio Flores (Aloisio Silva)
Master – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Brendan Card (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 John Groundland (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Master – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Tim Isely (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Steven Gutierrez, Jr. (Pedro Carvalho)
Master – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Rodger Stree (Franco De Camargo BJJ) 2 Mark Moyer (Pedro Carvalho)
Master – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Rick Gutierrez (Cesar Gracie JJ) 2 Chris Young (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Master – Super Heavy (203-213 lbs) 1 Peter Schneider (Pedro Carvalho) 2 Eric Stetzel (Machado/Team Mica)
Master – Unlimited (214 lbs & Over) 1 Teg Diffey (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Philip Allen (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Grand Master – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Al Lawrimore (Roy Harris Academy) 2 Craig Deleo (Pedro Carvalho)
Grand Master – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Chris Young (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Bill Warnke (BJJ Revolution)
Blue Belt – Adult – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Miguel Arambul (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Sim Go (J-SECT)
Adult – Feather (135-147 lbs) 1 Bill Cooper (Paragon BJJ) 2 Julio Lang (BJJ Revolution)
Adult – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Aaron Milam (Rey Deigo BJJ) 2 Eric Williams (Gracie Barra)
Adult – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Ryan Murphy (Ralph Gracie JJ) 2 Matt Hwang (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Adult – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Erik Soderbergh (Rickson Gracie JJ) 1 Augustus Vogel (Rickson Gracie JJ) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Adult – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Scott Carr (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Rocky Brown (Machado Tarzana)
Adult – Super Heavy (203-213 lbs) 1 Larry King (BJJ Boulder) 2 Christopher Lovett (Fabio Santos BJJ)
Adult – Unlimited (214 lbs & Over) 1 Sergio Fernes (Machado/Team Mica) 2 Lalo Salazar (Paragon BJJ)
Master – Feather (135-147 lbs) 1 Kenneth Yang (Fabio Santos BJJ) 2 Meynard Ancheta (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Master – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Takeshi Namba (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Matt Smith (Pacific Martial Arts)
Master – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Jon Crowley (Cleber Luciano JJ) 1 Bruce Puckett (Cleber Luciano JJ) 1 Bruce Tafoya (Cleber Luciano JJ) Note: Three-way Tie for First
Master – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Raul Rodriguez (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Dhyra Yesufu (Franco De Camargo BJJ)
Master – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Cleon Joseph (Aloisio Silva) 2 Billy Bouck (Megaton BJJ)
Master – Super Heavy (203-213 lbs) 1 Paolo Pacana (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Christopher Lovett (Fabio Santos BJJ)
Master – Unlimited (214 lbs & Over) 1 Raymond Perez III (Rickson Gracie JJ) 2 Mark Barrett (Gracie Academy)
Grand Master – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Jesus Gonzales (Mica Las Vegas) 2 Chris Seals (Cleber Luciano JJ)
Grand Master – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Bruce Tafoya (Cleber Luciano JJ) 2 Thomas Rumsey (Claudio Franca)
Grand Master – Super Heavy (203-213 lbs) 1 Warren Kennedy (Gracie Academy) 2 John Tomlinson (Ralph Gracie JJ)
Grand Master – Unlimited (214 lbs & Over) 1 Jose Revelo (Pedro Carvalho) 2 Dwaylon Calhoun (Caique JJ)
Purple Belt – Adult – Super Feather (122-134 lbs) 1 Jeff Glover (Paragon BJJ) 2 Daniel Tcruz (Gracie Barra Culver City)
Adult – Feather (135-147 lbs) 1 Aaron Briley (JJ Machado) 2 Eben Keroshino (BJJ Revolution)
Adult – Light (148-160 lbs) 1 Ali Saleh (Cleber Luciano JJ) 1 Bill Tetsch (Cleber Luciano JJ) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Adult – Middle (161-173 lbs) 1 Matt Taira (Fabio Santos BJJ) 2 Ryan Ellison (Paragon BJJ)
Adult – Light Heavy (174-187 lbs) 1 Patrick Anastasio (Anderson Goncalves) 1 Jason Miller (Anderson Goncalves) Note: Two-way Tie for First
Adult – Heavy (188-202 lbs) 1 Thiago Goncalves (Fabio Santos BJJ) 1 Eric Da Silva (Fabio Santos BJJ) Note: Two-way Tie for First