Hey guys, my friend Jeremy Brand at MMASucka asked me to do a little write up about my upcoming trip to the Asian Open 2013. I’m just under one week out from my flight, and a little over 3 days left till the tournament. For me that leave’s until next Tuesday to train hard; with only a few runs (for my weight) and drill sessions (to stay sharp) left until I compete next Saturday.
This trip began a little over a month ago after I competed at the IBJJF American Nationals; I’d been having a lot of success so far this year, but ended up missing the big tournaments (Worlds, Pans, and Europeans) due to my time being devoted to opening up my new gym (www.genesismartialarts.ca). That left American Nationals as one of the last big tournaments in the IBJJF year. I fought a great tournament, and ended up knocking off Vitor Paschoals (of Caio Terra BJJ) who placed third last year at worlds in the finals. This left me with my first big IBJJF title, and moved me up the rankings (www.ibjjfrankings.com) to being ranked third in my division in the World. I decided shortly after that I wanted to carry the momentum over, and the Asian Open is the last big Gi tournament in the IBJJF season. I started a fund raising campaign on (www.makeachamp.com) and my sponsors came through big time, so here we are!
My camp for this tournament has been great. I was in great shape for Nationals, so basically took about 1 day off, and then jumped right back in. I’ve been getting in about 6 hours a day training (usually split into 2-3 sessions) on top of teaching my normal classes. What made it better was getting to spend all the past week at my Instructor Cobrinha’s (www.cobrinhabjj.com) gym in L.A. There are so many talented grapplers at his club; it’s nice to have the holes exposed a few weeks before I compete, and then have the time here back home to fix them, and be ready to go. My good friend Brock Nevill of Infight BJJ (who is a very talented, and seasoned purple belt) will be coming with me on the trip, but will be here Friday, giving me another talented grappler to work with for my last few days of training. Another huge bonus is because there was no lapse in my camp for Nationals, and jumping right back into hard training for the Asian’s is that my weight has been pretty low…Usually at this point I’m a lot grumpier than I am now, but I’m only a couple pounds off, which relieves a lot of the normal stress.
I’m really excited; traveling to Japan is something I’ve dreamed of, but never thought I would actually do. When I began training (just before my 21st birthday) I can tell you without a doubt that I never imagined for a split second that BJJ would be taking me on the journey that it has. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some success which has allowed me the opportunities to travel all over the world, and I look forward to continuing this Journey.
I will keep everyone updated on my last bit of camp, the travel, and tournament. Check me out on Twitter @Grilobjj. Big Thanks to my sponsors Popeye’s Supplements Coq/Burn, Sheepdog Crossfit Port Coquitlam, Traffic King – Traffic Control Services, Sandpiper Contracting, and Dr Stephanie Tsang Dentistry.
By Jason Gagnon
A little about me for those who are Interested:
Owner and Head Instructor at Genesis Martial Arts and Fitness
BJJ Brown Belt under Ruben’s “Cobrinha” Charles Maciel
Currently Ranked 3rd in the World (feather weight, adult brown belt)
Some of my Competitive Achievements Include:
-IBJJF American Nationals Champion
-IBJJF Pan American Medalist (3rd)
-IBJJF European Medalist (3rd)
-Multiple IBJJF Title’s/ Medals
-Naga World Champion (Expert Division)
-NWBJJ Champion
-Oregon Open Champion
-Multiple Time Grapplers Quest/Naga Champion (Expert Division)
-Multiple Time Super Fight Champion
