The Six Best Black Belt Matches From Saturday of 2020 IBJJF Pans
The Six Best Black Belt Matches From Saturday of 2020 IBJJF Pans
The black belt absolute's and early round went down on Saturday at Pans, here are the six best matches!
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The black belts finally hit the mat on Saturday at the 2020 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, with action going up to the final in both absolutes and the women's weights, with men's weight classes going to the quarters. There was a bunch of good matches from Saturday, I've narrowed it down to just a select few of the best for you to check out:
Murilo Santana vs Jonnatas Gracie
Epic come from behind victory here by Murilo, who was still losing 4-0 when getting the tap from a collar choke late in the match. Jonnatas was up from two sweeps, and playing guard, when Murilo turned up the heat late in the match. Chaining together some passes and a near mount and back take, Jonnatas defended to only give up advantages. Murilo would however just go ahead and finish the choke without hooks, securing the victory in a match that looked like a done deal with just a couple minutes left.
Samuel Nagai vs Isaac Doederlein
Big statement from the rookie black belt Nagai here, taking out the number two seed and current Euros champion in Doederlein. Many fans have been high on Nagai since his epic win over Johnatha Alves at purple belt, and we've been watching a lot of Nagai lately on Saturday Match Rewind as well. Isaac seemed to have things under control early on, being up on both points and advantages. Nagai hit a tomo nage to open things up, and once he gets rolling he just never relents, eventually racking up a crazy 17-4 score.
Kendall Reusing vs Tubby Alequin
Absolute action here, a short match but action packed from start to finish. To kick it off, Tubby gets taken down by Kendall and instantly starts chaining together submission attacks. Kendall fought her way out of danger though, eventually getting a guard pass and finishing with a paper cutter choke from side control.
Mikey Musumeci vs Horlando Monteiro
We all thought Mikey was going to be a no show, as he had previously announced his intention not to compete on his social media. He made a surprise appearance though, competing up 60 lbs in the heavyweight division. His first opponent was no ordinary heavyweight, Horlando Monteiro is world class and clearly fired up going into the match. While Mikey nearly finished on the back of a berimbolo early on, Horlando ended up getting the pass and a sub over the three-time world champion.
Mayssa Bastos vs Anne Marie Kneib
Mayssa is one of the most dominant female black belts in the game today, especially when competing in her natural category at rooster. She bumped a weight class for this one though, and looked flawless in a 9-0 victory to make it to the final tomorrow. Go to about three minutes in to see a beautiful transition to the back.
Marcio Andre vs Johnny Tama
Marquee match up here early in the tournament, as established vets Marcio and Johnny met early in a stacked lightweight division. Marcio looked better than ever at lightweight, and his movement against Johnny was as fluid as ever, which says a lot when talking about one of the guys with the best movement in the sport. The side smash/folding pass to long step for 3 was an incredible chain, and Marcio would go on to take the back in this match as well.
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