Under the organization of Claudio Franca, Renato Tavares, Marcos Vinicios and Event Director Alvaro Mansor, the West Coast World Pro BJJ Trials were a success. More than two hundred athletes fought for the opportunity to participate in the Abu Dhabi Pro BJJ event to be held in April in the United Arab Emirates.
Several high-energy match ups drew a crowd that filled the gymnasium. One of the most anticipated was between Clark Gracie and Reylan Gracie to decide the winner of the 83kg division. Clark didn't waste any time and pulled guard early, and within two minutes had swept to mount and gained a 6-0 lead. From there Clark continued his work to ensure the gold and his ticket to Abu Dhabi in April.
Participating in the debut of the women's divisions in Abu Dhabi Pro BJJ, purple belt Kiri Liao from Saulo Ribeiro suprised her competition and took home the gold for the white-black belt women's lightweight division.
But it's not over yet! Next weekend the United States will host a second trials to take place in Boca Raton, Florida. Renato Tavares and Helio Moreira are hosting the trials in Florida for the second time and are expecting a full house.
Athletes including Roberto Traven, Hillary Williams, Marcelo Salazar, and many others will compete for more spots in the Abu Dhabi Pro tournament. More information at www.nafafighters.com
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