The champion of this division is going to need to use all of their skills, strength and heart to carry the day, as well as a healthy dose of luck.ADCC 99 and under Preview
The fourth weight class we`ll be taking a look at, the under 99K weight class might very well be the toughest in the entire tournament. There are some serious powerhouses in the division, and interesting mix of jiujitsu stylists, top notch wrestlers and MMA fighters. The champion of this division is going to need to use all of their skills, strength and heart to carry the day, as well as a healthy dose of luck.
88 – 98.99 KG
#1 Jon Olav Einmo 2003 2003 World Champion (NORWAY)#2 Roger Gracie 2005 Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)#3 Jamal Patterson 2005 North American Qualifier (USA)#4 Mikael Grothe Runner up 2005 European Qualifier (Sweden)#5 Yukiya Naito 2005 Japanese Qualifier (Japan)#6 Anthony Perosh 2005 Australian Qualifier (Australia)#7 Alexandre ‘Cacareco’ Ferreira (Brazil)#8 Alexandre ‘Xande’ Ribeiro (Brazil)#9 Antoine Joaude (Brazil)#10 Mike Van Arsdale (USA)#11 Travis Wiuff (USA)#12 Bruno Bastos (Brazil)#13 Victor Viana (Brazil)#14 Robert Drysdale (USA)#15 Vladimir Matyushenko (Ukraine)
Name: Jon Olav EinmoStyle: Purple Belt BJJADCC Record 6-2 (2003 Champion)www.finnfightersgym.com
Hailing from Norway, Jon Olav Einmo may stand out as the most powerful competitor in the field, but this doesn`t overshadow his technique and heart. Although he has good takedowns, he`s not afraid to pull guard either, and his bear hugs are lethal. He`s already faced and defeated quite a few of the figurative giants in this division, and assuming he is injury free (he was dogged by injuries in his championship run, should return even more dangerous.
Name: Roger GracieStyle: Black Belt BJJ, Gracie BarraADCC Record 3-1 (2003 Third Place, 2005 Brazilian Trials Winner)www.gracie-barra.co.uk
In some people`s estimation Roger Gracie is the most dangerous grappler on the planet as of right now, taking second in the Mundial black belt absolutes (but scoring a moral victory in snapping Jacare`s arm) and impressing even more later in the year with submitting everyone at the trials en route to the big dance in Long Beach. Roger is very well known for his offense, particularly his knee on chest pressure (inherited from his father Mauricao Gomes), but Roger also demonstrates excellent defense and has fought his way out of bad situations before.
Name: Jamal PattersonStyle Brown Belt BJJ, Renzo GracieADCC Record First Appearance (2005 North American Trial Winner)www.RenzoGracie.com
Jamal is one of the hottest grapplers competing in the US right now, and for well over a year has looked unstoppable on the submission grappling circuit, winning tournament after tournament. A powerful wrestler (and former football player), Jamal`s standup battles often go spilling off of the mat, but once he locks his opponent down has a series of submissions to go after including a series of dangerous guillotine chokes.
Name: Mikael GrotheStyle Purple Belt BJJ, Hilti BJJADCC Record First Appearancewww.hiltibjj.com
Mikael Grothe was actually the runner up at the European Trials, the champion Alistair Overeem, who opted to withdraw to concentrate on a Pride GP appearance. Mikael took fourth at the 2003 trials as well. A purple belt under Murilo Bustamante, Mikael has been very active on the competition scene in Europe.
Name: Yukiya NaitoStyle: Judo / A3 gymADCC Record First Appearance
A judoka turned MMA stylist, Yukiya Naito possesses a 6-3-1 record with four victories coming by way of submission. Yukiya did not expect to compete in the Japanese trials, having fought the week previous to a draw against former ADCC Absolute Champion Roberto Traven, but someone navigated his way through a tough field. Naito is noticeably smaller than the rest of the field here, competing usually under 200 pounds.
Name: Anthony “Hippo” PeroshStyle: BJJ Black BeltADCC Record 0-2 (2003, 2005 Australian Champion Under 99)www.sinosicperosh.com.au
Perosh had two matches in the trials, finishing both by submission and will be looking for the momentum carried here to gain redemption in this years championships. “Hippo” as he is called, gained his nickname through the pressure he exerts as opposed to his physique, and list as his favorite moves the corss through knee pass, sleeper choke, and the “Perosh flip”.
Name: Alexandre ‘Cacareco’ FerreiraStyle: Luta LivreADCC Record- 9-4www.braziliantopteam.com
In a field full of physical specimens Cacareco definitely stands out; thickly muscles, hugely powerful and one of the most crushing games in this field, favoring guillotines and kimuras. Cacareco began under Ruas Vale Tudo, briefly joing Gracie Barra and has currently settled on a home with the Brazilian Top Team.
Name: Alexandre ‘Xande’ RibeiroStyle Black Belt BJJ, Saulo RiberioADCC Record 2-2www.xanderibeiro.com
Xande is the younger brother of Saulo Riberio and many insiders feel he might even be stronger without the gi than his accomplished brother. He has been particularly active on both the BJJ and Submission Grappling Circuits both in the US and in Brazil. Xande is well rounded and dangerous from all positions, but can be particularly effective from his half guard, which is a difficult position to perform well at the level.
Name: Antoine JoaudeStyle Wrestling / Ruas Vale TudoADCC Record First Appearance (2x Arab Champion)
Antoine Joaude`s main focus is wrestling, and he is arguably the best wrestler to come out of Brazil, having competed in the Olympics and taking silver at the Pan American games. Joaude competes in other events largely to supplement his wrestling training (which is sadly the case in many places, under funded in Brazil). Look for spectacular takedowns and excellent ground control, but a submission might be a surprise here.
Name: Mike Van ArsdaleStyle: WrestlingADCC Record 5-6
Mike Van Arsdale boasts a record of 8-1 in MMA, with five of those victories coming via submission, however in ADCC he has been submitted twice. This Mike Van Arsdale 40th birthday, making him the oldest competitor in the field. An NCAA champion and accomplished freestyle wrestler, Van Arsdale has been working with the US Army team and recently has been preparing at American Kickboxing Academy.
Name: Travis “Diesel” Wiuff Style WrestlingADCC Record First Appearance
Travis “Diesel” Wiuff sports an incredible record of 34-5 within MMA, however it should be noted that only three of those victories come via submission. Travis is a big strong wrestler who will look to takedown and control his opponents and he trains with Dave Menne in Minnesota.
Name: Bruno BastosStyle: Black Belt BJJ, Nova UniaoADCC Record First Appearancewww.novauniao.com.br
Bruno Bastos trains under Leo Santos and in addition to being a decorated jiu jitsu artists, is also an accomplished Muay Thai kickboxer. Depsite what you may think (or maybe what you suspected from his Noca Uniao background) Bastos has a “little mans” game in which he is not afraid to pull guard and work for sweeps and submissions from there, but can also wrestle.
Name: Vitor VianaStyle: Never ShakeADCC Record: First Appearance (2005 Brazilian Trial Runner Up)
Vitor eventually lost in the finals of the Brazilian Trials to champion Roger Gracie, however was impressive on his way to the finals. Viana`s takedowns are soli and his footlocks are very dangerous.
Name: Robert DrysdaleStyle: Black Belt BJJ, Brasa ADCC Record: First Appearance
The young American Robert Drysdale has spent the last four years training in Brazil and competing with much success, and he recently earned his black belt. As adept without the gi as with it, Drysdale has a variety of weapons at his disposal and is very calculating competitor.
Name: Vladimir “The Janitor” MatyushenkoStyle WrestlingADCC Record: First Appearancewww.r1gym.com
They don`t build them any tougher than Vladimir Matyushenko, and many fans are aware of his 14-3 record in MMA. Matyushenko is tough wrestler who is simply very hard to score upon or move against. (As a matter of fact, more than a few of his training partners have commented that they are always sore the next day after rolling with him).
Some Historical Match Ups
Anthony Perosh vs Cacareco- Cacareco wins via kimura in the first round of ADCC 2003
Jon Olav Einmo vs Roger Gracie- Einmo wins via takedown in overtime in ADCC 2003
Jon Olav Einmo vs Cacareco- They have fought twice in ADCC. The first time Cacareo submitted Einmo via choke to take third place in 2001. The second time Einmo wins via rear naked choke with seconds to spare to take first place at ADCC 2003
Xande Riberio vs Roger Gracie- Roger Gracie wins via guard pass to take third place to take third place at 2003
Xande Riberio vs Cacareco- Xande and Cacareco have fought twice to my knowledge. The first time Xande swept Cacareco from the half guard to win the First Arndol Gracie championships (and was awarded his black belt immediately afterward by brother Saulo), the second time Cacareco submits Xande via leglock.
Travis Wiuff vs Antoine Joaude- At Euphoria USA vs the World (MMA) Wiuff defeated Joaude by unanimous decision.
Vitor Viana vs Roger Gracie- Roger wins fairly quickly with a head and arm choke after a takedown and guard pass.
Gumby`s Odds:
Ugh, this is the hardest division of all to make predicitions on, because so much is going to depend on the match ups here. Everyone in this division has good and bad match up and luck is going to play a huge factor for the champion.
The Safe Bet- Roger Gracie
Roger is coming into this event with all the momentum and buzz on the world on his side right now. Each year the young Gracie only gets better and stronger and will prove a force in this category for years to come.
The Money Bet- Xande Riberio
Much like Roger, Xande only improves his skill and strength which each event he enters and (usually) dominates. Tough call between the two actually, Xande has an experience edge, however Roger won the hard to head match up and is probably more physically imposing.
The Long Shot- Jon Olav Einmo
Scary to think, Einmo won last year dealing with a host of nagging injuries and could very easily repeat as champion again! He certainly has all the skill and tool to do so, what moves him downward on the list of favorites is his lesser activity since 2003 compared to many of the other competitors.
Stay tuned for the 99 and over category.
By the way, good tickets are still available for ADCC!
I still have some good seats available for ADCC. E-mail @ gumby@onthemat.com or call 650-279-5179
$50 Row M, Section 109$75 Row H Section 113$100 Row E Section 101$150 Row P Section 111