The 2010 AZ BJJ State Championship was featured in Issue #161 of GracieMag. Make sure you grab your own copy!Subscribe to GracieMag @ GracieMag Summer Subscription Special

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Many Weapons has produced an action packed Highlight video featuring the ever-growing pool of Jiu-Jitsu talent in Arizona at the 2010 AZ BJJ State Championship!

The registration for the 2nd Southwest BJJ Classic is now available.

GD JIU-JITSU Events in association with the Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) is proud to announce its 5^thinstallment of the Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open. Typically drawing mainly competitors from Arizona and its neighboring states, the AZSBJJF sent an open invitation to teams from other countries to compete and represent their homeland, transforming the AZ Open into an international event for the first time.

The tournament will feature an international black belt match between a seven-time World Champion from Brazil, GMA Robson Moura (Nova Uniao), and 2009’s national champion of Japan, Nobuhiko Kitahara (Axis JJ), who will be travelling from Tokyo to represent the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Japan.

“The AZSBJJF’s partnership with the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Japan (JJFJ) started in 2009, when I met its President, Taka Watanabe, at the 2^nd Rickson Gracie International. I was very impressed with their organization and their dedication to making Jiu-Jitsu a popular and organized sport in Japan”, says Gustavo Dantas, Vice-President of the AZSBJJF and promoter of all its events, who is expecting between 400 and 500 competitors on March 13^th and 14^th.

Wellington “Megaton” (referee), AZSBJJF founder and president, is a fixture at AZSBJJF events. Photo: AZSBJJF

GRACIEMAG Vice-President Luca Atalla on location at AZSBJJF event. Photo: Eric Miller

Here are the winners:

Kids Division

1st place – Team Megaton (217 points)
2nd place - Lion’s Den (194 points)
3rd place – MMA Lab (193 points)

MVP of the Year – Joseph Davis (Team Megaton); Undefeated in 2009, won all 4 tournaments

Adult Division

1st place - Team GD Jiu-Jitsu (444 points)
2nd place - BJJ Revolution (241 points)
3rd place – Team Megaton (197 points)

MVP of the Year – Derling Gonzalez (Team GD Jiu-Jitsu); Undefeated in 2009, won total of 4 gold medals from all 3 tournaments

The 5th AZ International Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will take place on March 13-14, 2010 at Westwood High School located at 945 W. 8th St. in Mesa, AZ 85201.

GRACIEMAG will be covering the event. Competitors have a chance to win prizes such as a 32” LCD HDTV, Sony PSP, and Flip Video Recorder.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition will offer Kids, Juvenile, Adult (Male and Female), Masters and Senior Divisions.

Register for the 5th AZ International Open

AZ Combat Sports Fighter, Aaron Simpson (6-0), was featured in this month’s issue of MMA Sports Magazine. Aaron Simpson will fighting at the UFC Fight Night 20 on January 11th, in Fairfax, Virginia. Check it out.

This months’ Gracie Mag Issue features an article about the 2009 AZ BJJ State Championsh and, the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in Arizona. Also, Gracie Mag mentioned GD’s win in Japan. To get your issue, please visit Gracie Mag Website

Two AZ Combat Sports fighters were featured in this month’s edition of Extreme Fighter Magazine. Jacob McClintock (Gustavo’s Brown Belt), and Elena Reid are both undefeated in MMA Competitions. Jacob’s record is 5-0, and Elena is 3-0.

MANY WEAPONS sits down with Founder of GD Jiu-jitsu and head Jiu-jitsu instructor at Arizona Combat Sports. Gustavo Dantas is a 3rd degree black belt from Andre Pederneiras (founder of Team Nova União). Gustavo has been producing world-class competitors since October 2000 in Tempe, Arizona.

It was a banner year for the sport of mixed martial arts in Arizona.

The state passed a law to allow unified and less restrictive fighting rules at MMA events in hopes of attracting organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship to hold economy-boosting shows here. In October and November, local organizations EVO MMA and Rage in the Cage each put on events that allowed the new fight rules. And Arizona-based fighters C.B. Dollaway, Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader made national names for themselves in UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.
For Arizona, MMA has arrived.

The most powerful man in all of MMA, UFC President Dana White, gave The Republic an exclusive phone interview a few days before UFC 92 – the organization’s year-end show that features three of the biggest matchups of the year, including a light heavyweight title bout – Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Question: Let’s talk about MMA and Arizona. C.B. Dollaway (former Arizona State wrestling standout who trains out of Arizona Combat Sports in Tempe) is fighting in the UFC 92 card. And with (Yuma native) Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader (ASU, Arizona Combat Sports) winning The Ultimate Fighter, what do you think about Arizona’s MMA talent?

Answer: “I really believe in C.B. Dollaway. . . . He’s got a lot of potential to be a great fighter. The Lally brothers (trainers Todd and Trevor Lally of Arizona Combat Sports) have a camp down there and are pumping out a lot of good talent. The Southwest has always been a hotbed for MMA, and that includes Arizona. There’s been a lot of talent that has come out of there, and there will continue to be. It’s not bad that they’ve got ASU wrestling down there.”

Q: A program the school almost got rid of.

A: “Yeah, that would’ve sucked.”

Q: So where does Arizona stand in the MMA world? And will UFC hold an event here?

A: “Arizona is one of the top states. As this sport grows, there are camps opening all over the country. We’re all over now. We (the UFC) went to (expletive) Dublin, Ireland, this year. And we sold out in four days. The sport is growing all over the world. Arizona is no different. We’ll probably end up doing a Fight Night in Arizona soon. I’m hoping 2009.”

Q: What do you look for when you go into a market? This year, you’ve gone to Minneapolis and Atlanta for the first time and drew big gates.

A: “When we go into a market, we pull ratings we get on Spike TV and pay-per-view buys in the area. We see what the demo (demographic) is down there. That’s what we gauge and then decide where we want to go.”

Q: Where does Arizona rank there?

A: “It looks good. We’ll have a Fight Night there.”

Q: How was 2008 for the UFC?

A: “2008 was a kick-(expletive) year for us. We couldn’t be happier. We exceeded all of our goals. It was the year my partner Lorenzo Fertitta (a Las Vegas casino magnate who purchased the UFC in 2001 and spent millions to help push the organization into the mainstream) came back to be with us full time. And what we will accomplish in the last (eight) years is nothing compared to what we will accomplish the next nine years. We have big plans and big goals. It’s not like we’re guys saying, ‘Look at what we’ve done’ and pat ourselves on the back. We’re going to put our heads down and drive forward. Remember this conversation and remember that I told you this: In 10 years, we’re going to be the biggest sport in the world. Bigger than soccer. Bigger than football. Dancing. I don’t care what it is . . . badminton. We’re going to be the biggest sport in the world.”

Mixed Martial Arts Videos on Purefight

Mixed Martial Arts Videos on Purefight