2009 IBJJF Pan American Tournament

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation 2009 Pan Ams

Mar 31, 2009 Jeff Chan

Boasting over 2,500 competitors, the 2009 IBJJF Pan Ams in Carson, California proved that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is steadily gaining popularity in North America.

Hosted by the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation, the IBJJF 2009 Pan Am Tournament was North America’s first major BJJ competition of the year. This wildly successful tournament took place on March 27th, 28th, and 29th at California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The event drew competitors from all over North and South America, including heavy-hitters like Kron Gracie, Renato Tavares, Romulo Barral, Fabio Leopoldo, and Rodrigo Medeiros.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Continues to Grow in North America

Judging by attendance at the 2009 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Pan Am tournament, one would never guess that the United States is in a recession. Close to 2,500 competitors entered the tournament this year - that’s 500 more than have been at the BJJ Worlds or Pan Ams any other year.

Continued BJJ Dominance by the Gracie Family

One word sticks out when reading the results for the IBJJF Pan Ams, and not surprisingly, that word is “Gracie”. Out of the 15 team medals, 10 of them were claimed by either the Carlson Gracie Team, Gracie Humaita, or Gracie Barra.

Once Again, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Proves that Size isn’t Everything

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is most famous as the system that enables smaller fighters to defeat larger opponents. The 2009 Pan Ams had several impressive performances from small fighters who also placed highly in the open class. A few examples:

• In the black belt adult division, Alliance fighter Rubens Charles Maciel won the featherweight category and then tied for third in the open-weight division.
• Renato Tavares of American Top Team won the black belt senior 1 featherweight division and took third in the open class.
• Jack McVicker of Gracie Humaita took first in black belt senior 1 lightweight and went on to win the open class.

Professional Skateboarder Tom Knox Places Second in Brown Belt Senior 1

One of the amazing things about Brazilian jiu-jitsu is how it manages to cement itself into the lives of an incredibly diverse collection of practitioners. Because of this, competitors never know when they’ll find themselves squaring off against an opponent who is a major personality in another scene. One such BJJ crossover is world-famous longboard surfer Joel Tudor, a BJJ brown belt and triangle choke specialist who has been making a name for himself in BJJ.

The 2009 IBJJF Pan Ams saw another crossover fighter in Tom Knox, a professional skateboarder who was influential in the streetskating revolution of the early 1990’s and still skates professionally for Santa Cruz Skateboards. A competitor at purple belt level at the 2008 Pan Ams, Tom Knox has since been promoted to brown belt and represented Gracie Humaita with a second place finish in the brown belt Senior 1 category (36-40 years).

Team Results

Adult:

1. Gracie Barra
2. Gracie Humaita
3. Alliance

Master and Senior:

1. Gracie Humaita
2. Carlson Gracie Team
3. Gracie Barra

Female:

1. Gracie Barra
2. Gracie Humaita
3. Westside BJJ

Juvenile:

1. Gracie Humaita
2. Team Mica
3. Peninsula BJJ

Novice:

1. Carlson Gracie Team
2. Gracie Barra
3. Gigante BJJ

Full results of the 2009 IBJJF Pan Ams

The copyright of the article 2009 IBJJF Pan American Tournament in Martial Arts is owned by Jeff Chan. Permission to republish 2009 IBJJF Pan American Tournament in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

2009 BJJ Pan Am Tournament

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