This was the second time that I’ve competed at the IBJJF American Nationals.It was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is a huge complex with many exhibit halls. The IBJJF World Master tournament has also been held here for a number of years now.
I like the location with the usually nice hot, but dry weather. The venue is always well laid out with plenty of room. But when it gets down to it, the real reason for the trip all happens within the confines of a single mat space.
The Master 7 Black Belt Heavyweight division only consisted of my good friend Brian and myself. He is a tough opponent that I have faced numerous times. We are almost dead even with win and loses against each other. He won Master Worlds last year at Master 6 Heavyweight! I have won that title a few times in the past as well. So, needless to say, I never know how this match is going to turn out.
With less than one minute remaining, I was able to secure a sweep and maintain control to the end of the period for the victory.
With the heavyweight division behind us, we both signed up for the absolute division.
Four other competitors signed up. I drew a first round bye as the number 2 seed. The semi final was a match against the current #1 ranked Master 7 Black Belt.
I almost submitted my opponent with a wrist lock. I did not get the tap, but did earn an advantage point as he worked hard to defend against the threat, which ended up being the only scoring in this match for the win.
On to the absolute final, which was another match against my friend Brian. He was able to almost pass my guard this time and gained an advantage for it, the only score of the match.
Even with the close loss in the absolute final, I was still excited about the day and thankful to remain healthy enough to compete.