This past weekend I won a Bronze medal in the Brown Belt Ultra Heavy Weight Division at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships!!! It was an awesome experience! I had a ton of fun being there with my wife and little girl. We had some spare time to check out a few fun things in Long Beach too while we were there.
I had a couple good matches on the way to the bronze medal. I also was able to see more of what the "next level" for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about. I have a long way to go but I think its reachable. I hope to keep on winning medals and improving my technique as I work my way to my black belt.
In my division I had a nice submission win over a tough opponent (Lalo Salazar) and then lost a decision to Gustavo Dias.
In the Absolute Division I won with a submission over an athlete from Finland (I used a Kimura Arm Lock), then won by advantage point over a Brazilian, and then lost to Kayron Gracie by submission just two matches shy of the medal rounds. It was a much better experience than I had last year losing one and done.
Now that I have medalled at Pan Ams and Worlds in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I am looking forward to winning those tournaments in the years to come. I am grateful the Lord has blessed me to be able to compete and do the things that I enjoy and feel that I need to do in life. It has been awesome to be winning again!
