So, another set of the European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship is over. The 2020 edition, as expected brought about some really exciting matches, a few upsets and revealed even more up and coming talent. If this is the event to judge by, 2020 is going to be an extremely interesting year for the grappling competition scene. And that’s coming from me, a person that’s not really keen on IBJJF tournaments. Well, the Euros proved different, and I couldn’t stop watching, particularly when it came to the black belt semi-finals and finals. As for the absolute, it was a story of its own, one that’s not going to be forgotten soon.
It wasn’t until l first went to compete at the Euros myself a few years ago that I really understood how huge of an event it is. Nothing could have prepared me for the number of people and amount of matches that take place in a week in the now-familiar spot in Odivelas, right next to Lisbon in Portugal. Strolling around the venue, bumping into BJJ greats like Caio Terra or the Mendes brothers is a given on any day. Every year, this particular Jiu-Jitsu Championship grows in popularity, with a staggering number of just below 5.000 competitors signed for this year. Of course, plenty of the world’s best black belts also featured, providing us with a great start to a competitive 2020.
The Biggest Ever Jiu-Jitsu Championship
As I said, already, this year’s European Open Jiu-Jitsu championship toppled almost any other tournament in the world with the number of competitors. That makes it yet again, the biggest event that the IBJJF organizes. However, given the IBJJF’s ranking system, the weight of the tournament is still not undisputed, coming in second to the Worlds. That makes sense, as both the Europeans and Pans are marked with a lesser grade than the World, even though they often times have more competitors. Still, when it comes to competing or watching the ultra-exciting matches, this only means there are more chances of grat matchups taking place. This is exactly what happened last weekend in Portugal.
In terms of rules and organization, the IBJJF has got the European Open Jiu-Jitsu championship down to perfection. Everything was much of the same as in previous years, with one slight change regarding the absolute division. This time around, they borrowed a concept from the ADCC, eliminating the possibility of closeouts. In other words, two athletes from the same team can’t sing up in different parts of the brackets in order to meet in the final. This makes for much more exciting final matches and is a great change that the IBJJF introduced.
Even though there were more matches than we can count over the course of 6 days, the one to re-watch over and over again throughout the year came in the match of the tournament, and potentially the year goes to Tommy Langaker and Oliver Lovell. In the very first match of the tournament. The match ended 17-10 for Langaker and was a really fast-paced exchange of sweeps and passes along with some very memorable scrambles that could’ve gone either way.
Black Belt Highlights
Of course, there were too many fights to be able to go through in detail, give that all belt levels and large categories were more than well represented at the 2020 European Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Plus, the black belt adult matches are where all eyes are on anyway. In that sense, we focused precisely on those matches, and even then, we’ll discuss nothing but the best hat took place in the male, female and absolute divisions.
Male Black Belt Divisions
Every year there’s a competitor out there that shines in the European Jiu-Jitsu championship on a different level than all others. Usually, that extends toa stellar year for most. Well, the Euros certainly go to Mikey Musumeci this time around, and hopefully, the entire year. Musumeci got the gold in his division, submitting his way to the final where he then won via split decision. A great way to kick off the year with yet another European title.
Felipe Andrew of Zenith Jiu-Jitsu was another one with a spectacular performance. In the super heavy division, he managed to reach the final where he was unlucky against Patric Gaudio. However, he did beat all opponents leading up to the final in an impressive, and somewhat scary fashion. He is one big man to watch this year.
Another name that really stood out was Seif Houminne in the ultra-heavyweight division. He also reached the final, choking out Gabriel Lucas in the quarter-finals and disposing of Mahame Aly via points in the semis. The man that stopped him, and Ultra heavyweight European champ[ion of 202 was Igor Schneider. However, Houminne’s European grappling adventure did not end there.
Female Black belt Divisions
With the ladies, the title of best grappler of the 2020 European Jiu-Jitsu Championship goes without a doubt to Ffion Davies. After a stellar and impressive 2019, she started 202 with a real bang, getting double gold while brushing away all competition with apparent ease. The Welsh-born BJJ phenom did take it easy on anyone, submitting most of her highly skilled seasoned opponents on her way to double gold.
Larissa Campos of Gracie Humaita was also highly notable in her performances in the featherweight division. Among her victims was ADCC champion Bianca Basilio, who was one of the favorites to steal the show. Larissa didn’t manage to beat the final hurdle, though, losing out to Amal Amjahid via advantages with points tied at 2×2. It did, however, brought attention to the young black belt that already has plenty of Europan medals at previous belt levels.
The super heavyweight division missed Gabi Garcia this year, and in fact, missed quite a lot of competitors. In a round-robin 3 person division, Jessica Flowers was the most successful, choking out Venla Luukkonen before closing out in the final with teammate Kendall Reusing.
The Absolute Division
The absolute division of any Jiu-Jitsu championship is where the fun is at, and it was no different at the 202 Euros. Some crazy matchups took place, with the man of the moment, Mikey Musumeci taking all the headlines once again. Fighting at rooster weight, he is not one we often see in the absolute, but he did make sure to make an impression this time. He started his absolute division journey aginst Sif Houmine, producing some of the best images of BJJ matchups ever in the process. Mikey though played an extremely smart game, snatching an eventual advantage victory.
He then went on to battle Mahham Aly, who barely managed to outpoint the little wizard and proceed to the semi-final. At the same time, Keenan Cornelius beat Mathis Luan to earn the chance to battle Mahamed Aly, and eventually beat him to reach the final. Yet another surprise waited there, with Keenan losing via submission in a Gi as a black belt for the first time to Felipe Andrews via a triangle armbar. Amazing performance by Andrew who definitely showed improved performance on his division final.
As previously stated, Ffion Davies won double gold, meaning she brushed through everyone in the Absolute as well. Both Larissa Campos and later on, Super Heavyweight Jessica Flowers stood no chance against the Welsh grappling machine in a couple of the most exciting matches of the entire European Open Jiu-Jitsu championship.
Full European Open Jiu-JItsu Championship 2020 Black Belt Results
Apart from the highlights, we provide you with the full results of all black belt male and female divisions from the 2020 European Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championship as well, including the means of victory for each match. Check them out below:
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Adult Male Black Belt Division
Rooster
1/4 Finals
– Thalison Soares def. Bruno Malfacine 2×1 adv, 4×4 pts
– Koji Shibamoto def. Juan Silva (No Show)
– Cleber Sousa def. Lucas Gonçalves (No Show)
– Tomoyuki Hashimoto def. Nobuhiro Sawada by 3×0 adv, 0x0 pts
Semi-Finals
– Thalison Soares def. Koji Shibamoto by 8×6 pts
– Tomoyuki Hashimoto def. Cleber Sousa by 8×6 pts
Final
– Tomoyuki Hashimoto def. Thalison Soares by DQ (exiting mat with locked submission)
Light-Feather
1/4 Finals
– Hiago George allowed teammate Jonas Andrade to advance [gentlemen’s agreement]
– Bebeto Oliveira def. Rene Lopez by 16×2 pts
– Diego “Pato” def. Pedro Dias by triangle
– Mikey Musumeci def. Suraj Budhram by arm-in Ezekiel choke
Semi-Finals
– Jonas Andrade def. Bebeto Oliveira by points
– Mikey Musumeci def. Diego “Pato” by straight ankle-lock
Final
– Mikey Musumeci def. Jonas Andrade by split decision
Feather
1/4 Finals
– Isaac Doederlein def. Guilherme Rocha by straight ankle-lock
– Alex Sodré def. Israel Sousa by decision, 8×8 pts
– Leo Saggioro def. Gabriel Marangoni by 2×0 pts
– Gabriel Sousa def. Deandre Corbe by 1×0 adv, 4×4 pts
Semi-Finals
– Isaac Doederlein def. Alex Sodré by decision
– Leo Saggioro def. Gabriel Sousa by decision, 2×2 pts
Final
– Isaac Doederlein def. Leo Saggioro by 2×0 adv, 2×2 pts
Lightweight
1/4 Finals
– Vitor Oliveira def. Guthierry Barbosa by choke
– Pedro Veras def. Jeremy Jackson by decision
– Jonnatas Gracie def. Leon Larman by bread-cutter choke
– Luan Carvalho def. Italo Moura by decision, 0x0 pts
Semi-Finals
– Vitor Oliveira def. Pedro Veras by 3×0 adv, 2×2 pts
– Jonnatas Gracie def. Luan Carvalho by RNC
Final
– Jonnatas Gracie def. Vitor Oliveira by decision, 2×2 pts
Middleweight
1/4 Finals
– Tommy Langaker def. Mathias Luna by 1 penalty, 6×6 pts
– Ronaldo Junior def. Lucas Valle by 4×2 pts
– Pedro Ramalho def. Igor Veríssimo by choke from back
– Alexandre Jesus def. Max Lindblad by decision, 0x0 pts
Semi-Finals
– Tommy Langaker def. Ronaldo Junior by triangle choke
– Pedro Ramalho def. Alexandre Jesus by 2×1 adv, 2×2 pts
Final
– Tommy Langaker def. Pedro Ramalho by choke from back
Medium-Heavy
1/4 Finals
– Bruno Lima def. Gabriel Almeida by 10×4 pts
– Santeri Lilius def. Angel Cicero by choke from mount
– Jakub Zajkowski def. Felipe Pimentel by choke from back
– Manuel Ribamar def. Rafael Paganini by 12×0
Semi-Finals
– Manuel Ribamar def. Jakub Zajkowski by 2×0
– Bruno Lima def. Santeri Lilius by 1×0 adv, 0x0 pts
Final
– Manuel Ribamar def. Bruno Lima by injury
Heavy
1/4 Finals
– Jackson Sousa def. Fabio Alano by RNC
– Keenan Cornelius def. Felipe Mauricio by 8×2 pts
– Adam Wardzinski def. Gabriel Volante by choke from back
– Dimitrius Souza def. Hygor Brito by 1×0 adv, 2×2 pts
Semi-Finals
– Adam Wardzinski def. Dimitrius Souza by choke from back
– Keenan Cornelius def. Jackson Sousa by 4×2 pts
Final
– Keenan Cornelius def. Adam Wardzinski by 2×0 adv, 4×4 pts
Super-Heavy
1/4 Finals
– Helton Jose vs Lukasz Michalec (Both Athletes No Show)
– Patrick Gaudio def. Fellipe Trovo by points
– Gerard Labinski def. Stan Varshavskiy (Varshavskiy overweight)
– Fellipe Andrew Bye
Semi-Finals
– Fellipe Andrew def. Gerard Labinski by 13×0 pts
– Patrick Gaudio Advanced as both opposite bracket’s 1/4 finalists labeled “No Show”
Final
– Patrick Gaudio def. Fellipe Andrew by kneebar
Ultra-Heavy
1/4 Finals
– Tanner Rice def. Matheus “Tá Danado” by 1×0 adv, 0x0 pts
– Igor Schneider def. Rodrigo Ribeiro by 3×0 pts
– Mahamed Aly def. Igor Marques by 10×0 pts
– Seif Houmine def. Gabriel Lucas by cachecol choke
Semi-Finals
– Seif Houmine def. Mahamed Aly by 3×0 pts
– Igor Schneider def. Tanner Rice by 4×0 pts
Final
– Igor Schneider def. Seif Houmine by 5×0
Open Weight
1/4 Finals:
– Mahamed Aly def. Mikey Musumeci by 2×2 pts, 2×1 adv
– Keenan Cornelius def. Mathias Luna by RNC
– Fellipe Trovo def. Igor Schneider by crucifix choke
– Fellipe Andrew def. Patrick Gaudio by DQ
Semi-Finals:
– Keenan Cornelius def. Mahamed Aly by 10×2 pts
– Fellipe Andrew def. Fellipe Trovo by straight ankle lock
Final
– Fellipe Andrew def. Keenan Cornelius by triangle-armbar
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Adult Female Black Belt Division
Rooster
– Mayssa Bastos def. Serena Gabrielli by 2×0 pts
Light-Feather
Semi-Finals
– Ana Rodrigues def. Rose El Sharouni by lapel choke
– Talita Alencar def. Naomi Martin by armbar
Final
– Anna Rodrigues def. Talita Alencar by 1×0 adv, 0x0 pts
Feather
Semi-Finals
– Amal Amjahid def. Gabriella Fechter by 5×0 pts
– Larissa Campos def. Bianca Basílio by triangle/armlock
Final
– Amal Amjahid def. Larissa Campos by 3×0 adv, 2×2 pts
Light
Semi-Finals
– Charlotte Von Baumgarten def. Nat Ribeiro by 2×0 pts
– Ffion Davies def. Nikky Sullivan 11×0 pts
Final
– Ffion Davies def. Charlotte Von Baumgarten by choke from back
Middle
Semi-Finals
– Danielle Alvarez def. Julia Maele by 16×5 pts
– Thamara Ferreira def. Hannah Rauch by toe-hold
Final
– Thamara Ferreira def. Danielle Alvarez by kneebar
Medium-Heavy
Round-Robin – 3 person division
– Sabatha Laís def. Maria Eduarda by RNC
– Maggie Grindatti def. Maria Eduarda by 7×0 pts
Final
– Sabatha Laís def. Maggie Grindatti by triangle-armbar
Heavy
– Jessica Flowers def. Venla Luukkonen by 8×2 pts
– Kendall Reusing def. Venla Luukkonen by bread cutter choke
– Jessica Flowers closed the bracket with teammate Kendall Reusing
Open Weight
Semi-Finals
– Jessica Flowers def. Vedha Toscano 3×2 pts
– Ffion Davies def. Larissa Campos by 1 advantage
Final
– Ffion Davies def. Jessica Flowers by 4×0
The Take-Aways
This year’s European Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship certainly raised the entertainment bar when it comes to Gi Jiu-Jitsu. That, and it produced extremely impressive heavyweight matches, even spurring Gordon Ryan to postpone his retirement plans for yet another year. With that in mind, we’re certainly in for some fireworks matches this upcoming year. Just imagine the possibilities!
