Carlos Diego on top of Diego Herzog (in black) / Photos: Dan Rod
The 16th US Open event ended this Sunday in San Jose, California, and a new black belt absolute champion took front and center. Diego “Nosferatu” Herzog eked past Carlos Diego Ferreira (Arsenal JJ) by an advantage point in the decider, taking the throne of last year’s winner, Marcel Mãozinha, a teammate of Herzog’s.
“It was an awesome match!” reported our correspondent Dan Rod. “Herzog won by a small margin. But my hat’s off to Carlos too – halfway through, his knee popped so loud it echoed around the convention center! At that point he was losing. The doctor came, put an ice pack on it, and he hid the look of pain on his face so as not to have to forfeit the match. He started competing again and, little by little, he tied the score. And he almost won by getting back mount, but they fell out of the match area. In the end, Herzog took it by an advantage point.”
A native of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, Nosferatu won the heavyweight division as well, while Amazonas state native Carlos Diego put in a splendid display in winning at middleweight. Also a standout of the event, Marcos Torregrosa (Lloyd Irvin/Yemaso) took first at lightweight, with Theodoro Canal (Coalition 95) in second. Fabio Passos (Alliance) reigned at featherweight.
