At Jiu-Jitsu championships, it’s not uncommon for a lighter (or lower ranking) competitor to steal the show and overshadow the big stars. Oftentimes the big name of the event is a competitor who impressed the fans for his dexterity and technical superiority, not for having won the most weight-carrying division of all, the absolute black belt.
At last year’s Las Vegas Open everything converged, and the lightest competitor, most nimble athlete, and the winner of the absolute were all the same person: roosterweight Caio Terra. This year Caio’s in the mix again, but the obstacles in taking his second event title on the coming 13th abound – and are of lumbering stature.
The names looking to throw a wrench in Caio’s plans and shine are Otavio Sousa, Ben Baxter, Carlos Melo, Paulo de Sá, Marcello Salazar, Diego Gamonal, Rodrigo Teixeira, Fabiano Lima, Steven Rosenberg and Samir Chantre, to name a few. What about you, dear reader, who’s your money on to be the big name at the Las Vegas Open?
