Sergio Moraes celebrates the 2011 European open class title
The European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship is the youngest of the four events making up Jiu-Jitsu’s Grand Slam. In 2013 it makes it to its tenth event, while the Pan, Worlds, and Brazilian Nationals make it to their eighteenth.
The Euro was born in 2004, when it was held over only two days and with just over 300 participants. Only three black belt divisions had complete podiums (four occupants), besides the absolute. The roosterweight, heavyweight, and superheavyweight went matchless, light-featherweight Wellington “Megaton” Dias took gold without having to compete.
In 2005 it was the only occasion when the championship was not held at the Casal Vistoso Sports Complex in Lisbon, taking place in Almada instead. In 2008, with more than a thousand signed up, the it went on to be held over three days. In 2010, for the first time eight match areas accommodated more than 1,500 athletes over four days.
The 2013 edition is already scheduled for January 24th-27th, again at the Casal Vistoso complex, in Lisbon, Portugal. Registrations are already open at IBJJF.org and the deadline is the January 16th.
The Jiu-Jitsu season opener has already set a tradition of being the stage for some great match ups. Roger Gracie vs. Ronaldo Jacare, in 2005, only six months after their highly controversial fight at the Worlds 2004, tops the rankings. There were also Braulio Estima vs. Xande Ribeiro, in 2007, Sérgio Moraes vs. Claudio Calasans, in 2011, and Rodolfo Vieira vs. Bernardo Faria, in 2012, just to mention the absolute black belt finals.
To make you even more stoked to compete in Lisbon, the GRACIEMAG.com put together the videos of the last four black belt open class finals, from 2009 to 2012.
Watch it now, register later!
2009 – Braulio Estima vs. Alexandre Souza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrXeETOr6DQ
2010 – Gustavo Campos vs. Rodrigo Cavaca
2011 – Sérgio Moraes vs. Cláudio Calasans Jr
2012 – Rodolfo Vieira vs. Bernardo Faria
Now go to ibjjf.org.
