Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

160% Medal Rate per Competitor (5.2 matches average)

Jason Hanfman made an impressive competition debut winning the Intermediate No-Gi division. He utilized strong takedowns and a varied sweep game (weird combination) to defeat his opponents. Jason's rapid improvement since joining 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been remarkable and it showed as he defeated a blue belt and triumphed 6-0 in the finals over a competitor who had actually defeated him in March.




He then jumped into the Gi division where he promptly armlocked his first opponent using the Ryan Hall setup from the Upside-down guard. Jason then faced Victor Blanchard, a talented competitor representing BJJ Revolution. This was a back-and-forth match that had Jason losing by only two points. Afterwards, the organizers discovered that they had mixed up competitors from two different divisions and that Jason had fought someone from the weight class above!! His real opponent had been waiting for him the whole time so Jason ran over to the other mat immediately and began grappling. Fatigued from the earlier match, he would lose. However, there was some consolation in the fact that Jason's heavier opponent would go on to dominate everyone in his weight class and Jason had given him the hardest match despite being outweighed.


Bottom Game aka "Mike Florey" continued his submission streak, submitting six out of eight opponents (footlock, choke, armbar, americana, florey-choke, triangle). He maintains a 100% tapout rate in his victories and adds a White Belt Open division Gold to his trophy case. In the No-Gi division, Bottom Game suffered some controversy when the referee stopped the match prematurely. However, he used that to motivate himself for the Gi division. He dedicated the Open division victory to his MIA comrade, Wayne Johnson.




Joe Killo wins his first Intermediate division defeating three opponents, including two very game wrestlers. Killo hit two powerful doubles to take out his first opponent 4-0. It was a competitive bout for the first few minutes but the conditioning difference became obvious as time passed. In the 2nd match, Killo faced Mike Reilly, a very tough wrestler (later we would discover he was a 4X Maryland Freestyle champion). Killo was down on points when he locked on an airtight triangle, getting the tap, and a berth in the finals. In the championship, Joe trounced the other grappler, winning 7-0 with two takedowns and a guard pass.




In the White Belt division, Joe took his first opponent down twice to win 4-0 and then won via armbar in the semi-finals. The finals was a rematch with the Reilly. This time, the other guy would come out on top with a points win. A good series between the two and the possibility of a rubber match will definately have Killo working hard.


Ben Lipov had two grueling bouts in his second-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event. He hit a nice trip right to the mount in the first match. Despite being up on points, Ben worked hard to get the submission, catching his opponent in two triangles and a deep gi-choke. His opponent was determined not to tap and the match would go the distance. In his 2nd contest, Ben once again won the standup battle, this time with a thunderous hip throw. He controlled the match, earning two more points, this time for knee-on-belly. Unfortunately, his opponent was able to rally for a comeback victory.


Julius Park had three matches, winning 21-0, 24-0, and 17-0.


2006 Competition Season is OVER with this tournament. Not surprisingly, Team Lloyd Irvin won the Team Trophy. I was pleased that despite missing a lot of our regulars and with two relative newbies, we were able to match our previous strong accomplishments. 2007 should be ridiculous with the opening of the new facility and the return of many of our recuperating and AWOL members.

Look for a 2006 Recap in the coming weeks. Also, a big Thanks to Medora for the photographs!