Day 2 of the XIX US Open, in Santa Cruz, California, saw local talent Nathan Mendelsohn claim the adult black belt open class division.
Nathan had two matches to reach the gold medal.
First he outscored Joe Scovel 16-0 with sweeps and guard passes.
The final was against the ultraheavy Wauriman Borges and after a 2-2 tie in points the referee decided that Mendelsohn would take first place.
Nathan talked about the strategy to win: “I played on top to make him tired and pulled guard only in the end. I noticed in his previous fights that he would most likely pass guard if the opponent pulled too soon. ”
In the other black belt divisions, results were:
Rahlan Gracie def. Nathan Mendelsohn 2-0 for the mediumheavy gold.
Diego Bispo was the lightweight champion after a 6-2 win over Israel Ceron.
Carlos Melo was the ultraheavy champion after a 3-0 win over Wauriman Borges.
Victor Paschoal won the featherweight division after a referee decision win over Davin Maxwell.
For the full results, go to bjjtour.com
