On August 22, 2010, Chicago hosted its first-ever IBJJF Open Championship. This inaugural event, held in a muggy gymnasium at Evanston Township High School, marked Chicago as a growing spot on the map in the BJJ community. The competition attracted over 300 competitors and several teams, both from the area and out of state.
The tournament attracted over 20 teams, and the final top three overall winners were Gracie Barra in 3rd place, Carlson Gracie team in 2nd, and the infamous Team Lloyd Irvin claiming first.
With only a small, six-ring surface on the floor, the tournament was run with great efficiency. Ring coordinators alerted competitors when they were up and on deck, scorekeepers recorded points and kept time, and the referees were able to watch the competitors and keep track of points scored effectively. Injuries were also kept to a minimum, with both a chiropractor and a team of athletic trainers on site, doling out ice packs to fighters with aches and pains.
As a whole, officiating was successful, with only a few disputes and contests from coaches and competitors.
One complaint of several competitors was the organization of brackets, as many competitors were the only ones in their weight class and were unable to compete come fight day. They were handed gold medals and told to e-mail the organization, should it happen in the future.
[blockquote class=”quotes”]There was an impressive amount of female white and blue belt competitors as well in the tournament, nearly matching the numbers of their male counterparts in the lighter divisions.[/blockquote]
[h3]Women match the Men in Participation[/h3]
There was an impressive amount of female white and blue belt competitors as well in the tournament, nearly matching the numbers of their male counterparts in the lighter divisions. In the black belt divisions, BJJ giants Ryan Hall and Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros showed up and competed against other local black belts.
[h3]IBJJF Chicago Results[/h3]
Hall claimed gold in the middleweight division with his victory over Carlos Rodriguez of Carlson Gracie Team.
“Comprido” also took first over another Carlson Gracie black belt, Fabiano Lima Monteiro da Silva.
In the open division, Hall wowed onlookers as he put his opponent in an inverted spider guard and dominated his opponent from the back. Hall then moved on to the finals, where he was slated to fight “Comprido”, but instead conceded victory to his fellow Brasa teammate.
The tournament attracted over 20 teams, and the final top three overall winners were Gracie Barra in 3rd place, Carlson Gracie team in 2nd, and the infamous Team Lloyd Irvin claiming first.
With the tournament a success, Chicago has nowhere to go but up as it continues to establish itself as a major center in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
For complete results of the 2010 IBJJ Chicago World JiuJitsu Open – click here
