You know that point that you reach,
when you’ve been awake for so many hours, that you just don’t feel tired
anymore? Well, I’m way past that point. I’m now in a delusional state where I
feel like my head should be heavy on my pillow, and yet, I still feel wide
awake after pulling an all nighter to watch the Abu Dhabi World Pro Championships.
Today was the day that the brown and black belts had the chance to prove all of their
hard work has paid off as they stepped onto the mats to compete against some of
the best competitors in the world.
So many emotions took place on the
mats in Abu Dhabi today. I had the privilege to watch some huge names in the
jiu jitsu world, such as Rodolfo Viera, Marcus Almeida “Buchecha,” Andre Galvao, Lucas Lepri,
Leandro Lo, Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, Keenan Cornelius, Gianni Grippo, Mackenzie
Dern, Gabi Garcia, Luanna Alzuguir, Beatriz Mesquita, and many more. As the
whole jiu jitsu community watched each match through a live feed, people from
all over the world were able to experience the victories and losses of the best
in the business. You could see the heart and determination in the men and women
through the matches that were decided by only a small amount of points or
advantages. What stands out the most though is the good sportsmanship between
all of the competitors. With the conclusion of each match, there is an obvious
respect between both athletes as the winner was determined. That’s what is so
great about jiu jitsu. It teaches you more than just a way to compete and
succeed, but also how to overcome adversity and failure.
It is truly inspiring, as an up and
coming jiu jitsu athlete, to see such talent and respect in the jiu jitsu
world. It makes me want to just head to my jiu jitsu school and train so that I
can continue to progress and one day, be as successful as these athletes that I
have watched today. It is also great to see the increase in the involvement of women, since jiu jitsu was once seen mainly as a man's sport. I truly enjoyed watching the black belt women compete and prove to the world that jiu jitsu is something for everybody--no matter what size, ethnicity, or sex.
Don’t forget that tomorrow around 9am (Abu Dhabi time), the
competitors will come back to the mats to compete in the Open weight divisions.
Be sure to tune in to cheer on all of the competitors at the following link:
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