This past weekend, the IBJJF got back to work in the United States for the first time in 2014. The organization visited San Francisco for the third annual San Francisco Open event.
The big name was once again black belt sensation Keenan Cornelius. The Atos black belt showed the crowd why he should be considered a serious threat to not only the medium-heavyweight World title, but also possibly the absolute title picture. Cornelius cruised through both his weight and absolute categories, getting the submission in all four of his matches.
In the absolute final, he squared off with the always super-tough featherweight Osvaldo Augusto of Team Caio Terra. Cornelius had just submitted Augusto’s teammate and new black belt Vitor Pascoal with an arm lock. In the final, Cornelius made quick work of Augusto by securing a picture-perfect triangle and finishing the match in just about two minutes.
With the victory, Cornelius obtained his first double gold at an IBJJF Open event as a black belt. Given how impressive he looked, it shouldn’t be his last.
Although the biggest individual categories went to a member of Team Atos, Caio Terra’s constantly growing team stole the show by taking home the team trophy. The team win could be credited to a consistent showing at all belt ranks, blue through black, and also was aided by the fact that Terra brought the biggest squad to the event.
All CT members, competing or not, wore orange Team Caio t-shirts. The crowd was a sea of orange throughout the entire day. So, it’s safe to say that this was an important day for the World champion, Terra, and his team. They won their first-ever team trophy, putting themselves on the map as a team to watch in the future.
Behind Terra’s team in the standings, second place went to Team Yemaso, led by Marcos Torregrosa, who took the black belt masters absolute category. In third place, it was Team Atos, led by Cornelius and the Mendes brothers, who also had a solid showing in closing out the featherweight category together with one submission apiece.
All in all, the event served as an excellent build-up to what is guaranteed to be a thrilling Pans, starting March 12.
So, what did you think was the most intriguing headliner of the event? Keenan’s impressive performance or the breakout performance of Team Caio Terra? Comment below! Osss!
