Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in Las Vegas

           

January 28th/29th, 2011

The Venue: Sports Complex in Las Vegas, NV

No-gi division: Absolute (all weights combined)

        This weekend I traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials. The tournament was held in The Sports Complex right off the Las Vegas Boulevard Strip and competitors from all over the country gathered to battle for the all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Multiple World Champions were there competing, and although the tournament could have been better organized, it was a great opportunity to compete against the best of the best in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 
     My competition started off with the Absolute brown/black gi division. The grand prize for winning the division was a $4,000 prize. I had a come from behind victory in my first round match against a black belt and lost a good match to the eventual finalist of the tournament Antonio Braga Neto. Even though I lost this match, it left a big impression on my thoughts about competition and overcoming adversity. Although it's hard to explain, I feel like I was able to knock down a big barrier and overcome exhaustion while fighting through to finish a tough match. 

No-gi division: Below 202lbs

         Exhausted after my match in the Absolute division, I lost a close one in my first match of the gi weight division. (I didn't realize why my leg was hurting so bad until after this match. Braga Neto had tried to foot-sweep me so many times to the point where it felt like my entire shin was bruised/dead-legged. I'm still feeling it in my leg after a week since the competition.)

          In the no-gi weight division, I was able to finish with some better results. I won a close semi-final match and after scouting my opponent I was able to go in with a good game plan and finish the match early. In the no-gi Absolute division, I won a high scoring qtr. finals match, but fell short in the semi-finals to Caio Terra(a rooster weight World Champion). Our match reminded me of the time when I first started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. One of the instructors at our sister school in Japan probably weighted 135 lbs on a good day, but his technique was so incredible he would climb around me on the mat and manage to get my back or lock up around my leg. Thanks to his great teaching, by the time I was leaving Japan our practice sessions went a lot better in my favor. Going agains Caio felt the exact same except he was way faster! My loss to him just reinforces in my mind that Jiu-Jitsu is great for those of all sizes, and anyone with an impressive technical game has the chance to win! 

Eliot Kelly 

www.edhbjj.com
 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Tradition

"No one is forced to compete, but the cool thing about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that you are grouped by age, weight,and belt rank."