The absolute division at the IBJJF Europeans was one of the craziest we’ve seen in a long time, and the result was a set of mouth-watering finals matches set to go down on Sunday, January 22. 

Leandro Lo will face Claudio Calasans in the men’s final, while Tayane Porfirio will go up against Beatriz Mesquita in the women’s final. 

Lo cruised through to his place in the final, beating out a number of tough opponents but rarely getting out of first gear. He submitted his first match but outpointed the rest. 


Leandro Lo after his match with Mahamed Aly. Photo: Chase Smith / FloGrappling 

On the other hand, Calasans looked great. He submitted three of his four opponents, putting one to sleep and later tapping out the very game Manuel Ribamar with a wince-inducing reverse triangle / wristlock combination. 

Tayane Porfirio had three matches, including a 10-minute war with Mackenzie Dern the semifinal, while on the other side Beatriz Mesquita had a bye in the first round and beat the very tough Claudia do Val in her semifinal. 

The black belt absolute finals are scheduled for after 5pm and will go down on Mat 3. Watch it LIVE or on demand on FloGrappling. 

The Craziest Absolute Matches Of The Euros

Claudia do Val vs Ana Carolina Vieira 
Ana Carolina Vieira made her black belt debut last October, beating Luiza Monteiro in a superfight. Val was making her black belt debut today, and disrupted Vieira’s plans for Euro gold by taking her out in the first round. The final score was 2-0, but the scoreboard doesn’t reflect the crazy back-and-forth action in this match. Take a look for yourself.

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Nathan Mendelsohn vs Isaque Bahiense
Mendelsohn showed absolutely no fear in the face of rising prospect Isaque Bahiense and went straight for him. Their match was full of scrambles, near backtakes and submission attempts. Don’t miss it. 

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Mackenzie Dern vs Tayane Porifirio 
Fearless in the face of a daunting challenge such as Porfirio, Dern gave it all her had in this 1-minute war. The Alliance ultra heavyweight emerged the winner and the crowd went crazy from start to finish. 

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Claudio Calasans vs Manuel Ribamar 
When he’s on form, Calasans is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable fighters in the game. His reverse-triangle / wristlock combination against Leandro’s teammate and student was a highlight of his run. 

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Mahamed Aly vs Ricardo Evangelista
The most entertaining match of the day by far, and it was from two big, BIG guys. They absolute threw down and the result was a defeaning roar throughout the arena. Best match of the tournament.