Tournament Results
-
| Age | Skill | Weight | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikhail Onishchenko | Masters | White Belt | Middleweight (<180 lbs.) | 2nd |
| Josh Plaschkes | Adult | Novice | Flyweight (<140 lbs) | 2nd |
| White Belt | Flyweight <136 lbs) | 2nd | ||
| Malcolm Vaughan | Adult | White Belt | Cruiserweight (<202 lbs) | 3rd |
| White Belt | Open | 1st |
Mikhail brought home a hard-earned silver medal in his first-ever competition. In his first match, he submitted his first opponent with a quick armbar from the guard. After the match, he told me that the victory was "all Wednesday class." Those of you who attend on Wednesday know what he means! In his second match, Mikhail was down two points from an early takedown but racked up numerous advantages for triangles/armbars. Mikhail ended up on top during one of the scrambles caused by a triangle but ended up out of bounds. The referee mistakenly started Mikhail on top without awarding him two points. This two-point error cost Mikhail the match but Mikhail took it as a learning experience. Look for Mikhail to follow in Mike's footsteps and establish a dominating presence in the Masters division!
Josh fought in both gi and no-gi division winning dual silvers. In his first no-gi match, he was taken down in the early seconds as he attempted a tight guillotine. You could see Josh fighting hard out of it but his opponent was tough and would NOT tap. Josh transitioned smoothly to a triangle and had it locked out. He had our resident triangle master Ryan Hall in his corner, screaming instructions and the choke looked tight but once again his opponent just would NOT tap. At this rate, Josh would lose the match on points despite having multiple near-submissions so we changed gears and went for a sweep, tying the score at 2-2. Josh pinned his opponent from the top of 1/2-guard and was working an arm triangle choke but time expired before he could sink it deeper. A good first bout that highlights the importance of strategy in these competitions. In the finals of the no-gi, Josh got an early lead with a power double but fell into a triangle. He showed incredible heart (and flexibility) as he defended the choke and the armlocks but would lose a points decision.
In the gi division, Josh earned a berth in the finals with an advantage victory. In the finals, Josh's opponent caught him off-guard with a picture-perfect flying triangle. Despite his insane toughness, Josh had to tap this time.
Malcom Vaughan once again showed his submission skills on his way to two medals including a GOLD in the Open division! The slimmed-down Malcolm was fighting at a lower weight and he dominated his first opponent, taking him down with a nice tomoe-nage, passing his guard easily, and submitting him via the Jacare choke. Special thanks to Roberto for focusing on that aspect of the game before the tournament - It Paid Off!
In the finals, Malcolm faced a wrestler. Most of the match was fought on the feet with Malcolm controlling the grips and moving his opponent around. His adversary was smart however and waited until a referee break to hit a quick takedown before grips could be reestablished. Up by two, his opponent played defensively, backing out of the guard and not even attempting to pass. There was also a problem with his gi: because he was hunched over trying to pull out of the guard, the gi would constantly get pulled over his head (ala a hockey fight) and time would pass as the referee would step in and readjust the uniform. It was a frustrating match but Malcolm is already working on a new gameplan to deal with this type of non-aggression.
Entering the Open with renewed vigor, Malcolm systematically destroyed his first opponent, winning 17-0. Due to a few dropouts, this one match put him into the finals where he caught the other grappler with a triangle in about 30 seconds to win the division!
Josh fought in both gi and no-gi division winning dual silvers. In his first no-gi match, he was taken down in the early seconds as he attempted a tight guillotine. You could see Josh fighting hard out of it but his opponent was tough and would NOT tap. Josh transitioned smoothly to a triangle and had it locked out. He had our resident triangle master Ryan Hall in his corner, screaming instructions and the choke looked tight but once again his opponent just would NOT tap. At this rate, Josh would lose the match on points despite having multiple near-submissions so we changed gears and went for a sweep, tying the score at 2-2. Josh pinned his opponent from the top of 1/2-guard and was working an arm triangle choke but time expired before he could sink it deeper. A good first bout that highlights the importance of strategy in these competitions. In the finals of the no-gi, Josh got an early lead with a power double but fell into a triangle. He showed incredible heart (and flexibility) as he defended the choke and the armlocks but would lose a points decision.
In the gi division, Josh earned a berth in the finals with an advantage victory. In the finals, Josh's opponent caught him off-guard with a picture-perfect flying triangle. Despite his insane toughness, Josh had to tap this time.
Malcom Vaughan once again showed his submission skills on his way to two medals including a GOLD in the Open division! The slimmed-down Malcolm was fighting at a lower weight and he dominated his first opponent, taking him down with a nice tomoe-nage, passing his guard easily, and submitting him via the Jacare choke. Special thanks to Roberto for focusing on that aspect of the game before the tournament - It Paid Off!
In the finals, Malcolm faced a wrestler. Most of the match was fought on the feet with Malcolm controlling the grips and moving his opponent around. His adversary was smart however and waited until a referee break to hit a quick takedown before grips could be reestablished. Up by two, his opponent played defensively, backing out of the guard and not even attempting to pass. There was also a problem with his gi: because he was hunched over trying to pull out of the guard, the gi would constantly get pulled over his head (ala a hockey fight) and time would pass as the referee would step in and readjust the uniform. It was a frustrating match but Malcolm is already working on a new gameplan to deal with this type of non-aggression.
Entering the Open with renewed vigor, Malcolm systematically destroyed his first opponent, winning 17-0. Due to a few dropouts, this one match put him into the finals where he caught the other grappler with a triangle in about 30 seconds to win the division!