Hey everybody!
This Saturday is the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in San Diego and It looks like my division is shaping up to be the toughest and most exciting of the entire event!!
I’m competing in the 163 and below Brown and Black Belt division among some of the best competitors in the world including Kron Gracie, Zak Maxwell, Mike Fowler, Marcos Torregrosa and Ryan Beauregard. Also in the division are some of my rivals in Tim Peterson, Ryan Sosa, Beneil Dariush and Tanner Rice, any of which I would love to have a rematch against.
The sixteen man bracket is the biggest of all the Brown and Black Belt divisions by far and being filled with so much talent and so many exciting styles there are sure to be a ton of aggressive, action-packed matches!! I’m really looking forward to have=ing the chance to compete with some of the world’s top competitors and I’m getting so excited writing this I’m about bursting out of my skin.
At the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in Las Vegas last year I won two matches, the first by points against a fellow brown belt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv4i_F_ry2k) and the second by armbar against Black Belt Steven Rosenberg. I ended up losing in the semi-final by points to the eventual champion Zak Maxwell in a really tough and aggressive match and I went home with the bronze. Then a few months later I tried out again in San Diego and lost by one advantage in a really tough match against Rodrigo Caporal of Atos who went on to close out the division with teammate Gilberto Durinho Burns. Here’s the video of that match:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDU-LYBuGnU
The fights will be playing on Budovideos.com on Saturday up through the semifinals with the finals playing on Sunday so don’t miss the action!!!
Stay Tuned!!