Miami International Open Jiu Jitsu Championship

The Miami Open BJJ Championship is the first one of its kind in Florida. The IBJJF is known for throwing great tournaments all around the country, such as the Pan Ams and World Championship help in Carson, CA, but this was the first in the state of Florida.

The tournament start time was 10AM which meant an early start for most of the Nova Uniao team in Florida. From Dania Beach, the South Florida Nova Uniao headquarters, to Miami Dade College it took about 45 minutes. Arriving close to 9AM gave the first batch of competitors time to warm up physically and mentally. Starting almost on time the first bouts began at about 10:15AM.

Anyone who’s attended an IBJJF tournament knows they are known for their experience in tournament organization. The start of the day was the call for “The blue belt adult division” heading off into the warm-up area. Each competitor is checked for gi correctness, such as no tears and proper length. Then each competitor is sent to the scale to be sure they make the proper weight with the penalty of disqualification for being over.

The NU team had many new competitors, but that didn’t stop them from doing their best and securing several medals in various divisions. The two highlights of the day were Jennifer Stewart (Blue Light Female) and Thiago Gaia (Black Super Heavy Adult) who took 1st place in their divisions.

Thanks to the competitors and all that attended for doing a great job! See you next year!

Anyone looking to train in South Florida can contact Marcelo Meleiro at marcelomeleiro@yahoo.com or ATP Kettlebells.