Tanquinho at Brazilian Team Nationals / Photo: Gustavo Aragão, 2010
Rio Sports Show, a sports fair in Rio de Janeiro, opened for business this week paying reverence to Jiu-Jitsu. To inaugurate the martial arts pavilion the exposition put together a GP with 800 reais in prize money for three weight groups: featherweight, lightweight and heavyweight.
Soul Fighters took top honors in all three categories. At featherweight, brown belt Eric Raposo tangled with the black belts and came out on top, as did gentle giant João Gabriel Rocha, 19, at heavyweight. After beating Victor Bonfim (Gordo, João went through to the final and won the GP.
At lightweight, world runner-up Augusto Tanquinho’s crowing glory came after sweeping and beating Jake Mackenzie in the grand finale, ending the six-minute match with a score of 2-0 and 4 advantage points to 1.
Soul Fighters is now getting ready to keep the good times rolling at the IBJJF’s Rio Open, starting on July 22.
