João Gabriel’s focus prior to the final. IBJJF
Among the champions from this year’s IBJJF Pan, held between March 8 and 11 in Irvine, an ultra-heavyweight drew attention. João Gabriel Rocha, one of Soul Fighters’ best athletes, took on a tough field and came out on top with a great move.
After beating Max Gimenes and Gustavo Elias, João was faced with an equally huge Ricardo Evangelista (GFTeam). After they got tangled on the ground, João managed to produce an armbar, but bringing it to its conclusion proved challenging given Ricardo’s strong grip, which João still had to overcome through force, technique or both. And he did.
After João passed the leg and won the arm, Ricardo made firm grips to avoid getting stretched. Unable to free his trapped hands, João found a detail: he crossed one leg over, used his shin to put pressure on the arm, glued his elbows to his torso, and strained his whole body to explode the grip. His grip exploded, Ricardo was forced to tap out.
Check out the armbar here:
