Roosevelt Sousa and Nathalie Ribeiro crowned King and Queen of Mats in Brazil
AJP Tour hosts last big gi event ahead of the World Championships
In the last gi jiu-jitsu competition before the 2021 IBJJF Worlds next week, the AJP Tour hosted its King and Queen of Mats event on Thursday, December 2nd in Florianopolis, Brazil. The 9th edition of the Abu Dhabi King of Mats was a heavyweight tournament, featuring a mix of highly accomplished and promising new black belts, including Patrick Gaudio, Wallace Costa, Fernando Tsushima, Roosevelt Sousa, Gerard Labinski, and Gabriel Oliveira. The 3rd Queen of Mats event featured the lightweights with Beatriz Mesquita, Alexa Yanes, Brenda Larissa, Bianca Basilio, Nathalie Ribeiro, and Maria Ono vying for the coveted title. These matches were six minutes in length and in the event of a tie, the last athlete to score would win. A 0-0 match went to a one minute golden score period before being decided by a referee’s decision. The shorter matches provided an action packed event with plenty of submission finishes.
Roosevelt Sousa takes heavyweight crown
Roosevelt Sousa received his black belt in August 2020 and has since competed against some of the elite in the division at the sport’s highest rank. At the King of Mats he first defeated Gerard Labinski, a Polish black belt representing NS Brotherhood, with a belly down straight foot lock. In the second quarterfinal match, he outpointed Gabriel Oliveira via a 1-0 score. In the semi-final, Roosevelt met up with arguably the most accomplished competitor in the bracket in Patrick Gaudio. With Roosevelt leading the match 4-2 with about one minute left, Gaudio attempted to sweep, coming up on a single leg. Roosevelt countered the position beautifully, switching his hips and putting Gaudio on his back while securing a guard pass and a 7-2 points victory. On the other side of Roosevelt in the final was GF Team’s Wallace Costa. Roosevelt pulled to the closed guard to start the match, a strategy used throughout the tournament by many competitors to setup submissions and control the pace of the match. The match remained in that position throughout and eventually went to a one minute golden score period. There, Costa pulled guard and Roosevelt forced him to a flattened half guard position, earning him the advantage point and the King of Mats crown.
Checkmat’s Nathalie Ribeiro outpoints Beatriz Mesquita in Queen of Mats final
2021 IBJJF Pan champion Nathalie Ribeiro came into the Queen on Mats looking to add another title to her collection just ahead of the World Championships. In the quarterfinal matches, Nathalie beat Bianca Basilio 5-1 and Maria Ono via wristlock from the omoplata position. In the semifinal, Nathalie scored the fastest submission of the tournament, pulling guard and locking up a quick triangle on rooster weight standout Brenda Larissa. In the final, Nathalie met Beatriz Mesquita, a Gracie Humaita representative who is widely considered one of the best female jiu-jitsu competitors of all time. Mesquita pulled to her closed guard to start the match, a position from which she’s won countless world titles. Mesquita was in the closed guard for nearly four minutes before launching her first solid attack, an armbar from an arm drag that Ribeiro was able to defend. After the armbar was defended, the two disengaged and Ribeiro then pulled to the closed guard. Ribeiro opened the guard and nearly swept Mesquita, earning her a point and tying up the match. The match ended 1-1, and Nathalie Ribeiro became the Queen of Mats as she was the last person to score in the match.
Full results can be found below:
Quarterfinals
Beatriz Mesquita def. Alexa Yanes via submission (armbar)
Wallace Costa def. Patrick Gaudio via points (2-2; last score)
Nathalie Ribeiro def. Bianca Basilio via points (5-1)
Roosevelt Sousa def. Gerard Labinski via submission (belly down ankle lock)
Beatriz Mesquita def. Brenda Larissa via submission (collar choke from the back)
Patrick Gaudio def. Fernando Tsushima via points (3-2)
Bianca Basilio def. Maria Ono via submission (armbar)
Roosevelt Sousa def. Gabriel Oliveira via points (1-0)
Brenda Larissa def. Alexa Yanes via points (4-1)
Wallace Costa def. Fernando Tsushima via points (2-0)
Nathalie Ribeiro def. Maria Ono via submission (wristlock)
Semifinals
Wallace Costa def. Gabriel Oliveira via points (3-1)
Beatriz Mesquita def. Bianca Basilio via decision
Roosevelt Sousa def. Patrick Gaudio via points (7-2)
Nathalie Ribeiro def. Brenda Larissa via submission (triangle choke)
Bronze Matches
Bianca Basilio def. Brenda Larissa via points (10-0)
Gabriel Oliveira def. Patrick Gaudio via points (3-0)
Finals
Nathlie Ribeiro def. Beatriz Mesquita via points (1-1; last score)
Roosevelt Sousa def. Wallace Costa via points (1-0)
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