It was a very successful weekend for three grapplers at the IBJJF Chicago International Spring Open. Josh Hinger of Atos, Dante Leon of GF Team, and Andrew Wiltse of Pedigo Submission Fighting all won quadruple gold. 

"Quadruple gold?" I hear you say… Yep, quadruple gold. 

That's gold medals in their weight classes and the absolute divisions both gi and no-gi -- all in the space of two days! 


Atos black belt Josh Hinger at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. Photo: Michael Sears

Master of the Hingertine unleashes the Hingerplata

Black belt Josh Hinger repeated the same feat he pulled off last year, although with one caveat -- he took default gold in his weight class as he was the only competitor (the others pulled out with injury or no-showed). 

Still, Hinger proved lightning DOES strike in the same place twice as he landed two mounted gogoplatas, one against Douglas Kallin Jr. in the opening round of the gi middleweight division and another versus John Gutta in the no-gi absolute final. 

Hinger also submitted the very tough Yan "Pica Pau" Lucas twice, once with a rear-naked choke in the gi and with a guillotine choke in no-gi.



Watch Josh Hinger vs. Douglas Elliot Kallin Jr. at IBJJF Chicago 2017 Spring Open

Watch Josh Hinger vs. John Gutta at IBJJF Chicago 2017 Spring Open

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Dante Leon locks in a choke at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. Photo: Michael Sears


Dante Leon (right) in no-gi action at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. Photo: Michael Sears

Brown belt Dante Leon gets five submissions

Canadian brown belt Dante Leon submitted five opponents over the weekend, catching two knee bars, a calf slicer, an armbar, and a choke from the back. In the final of both absolute divisions, he beat European super heavyweight champion Matt Leighton. 

Leon, who is normally a firm fixture on podiums at all of the major tournaments, bounced back from a rough spot -- he went out in the opening round of Europeans and was submitted in the earlier phase of his division at Pans.

The quad gold in Chicago will serve him well in the run-up to bigger tournaments like World Pro and Worlds. 

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Andre Wiltse mounts Italo Moura at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. Photo: Michael Sears


Andre Wiltse (left) gets his hands raised at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. Photo: Michael Sears

Andrew Wiltse wrecks shop at purple

Purple belt medium heavyweight Andrew Wiltse came onto our radars last year at Royal. The hardworking kid from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and now based in Mount Vernon, Illinois, took silver at Pans last month but went home with four golds to his name from Chicago. 

A product of the little-known Pedigo Submission Fighting, a tiny independent gym with no big names, Wiltse is an outlier -- albeit, a very successful one. 

Wiltse tapped out Cicero Costha rep Italo Moura in the absolute gi final and submitted Max Pascale of Brasa in the no-gi absolute final. 

Additional reporting by Michael Sears

Results from the IBJJF Chicago Spring International Open (gi)

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 - Andrew Wiltse - Pedigo Submission Fighting
2 - Joshua Kendrick Taylor - Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Pedro Sauer Team
3 - Adam Vega - Carlson Gracie Team
3 - Lucian Santos Lima - GF Team

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Andrew Wiltse - Pedigo Submission Fighting
2 - Italo Moura de Azevedo - PSLPB Cicero Costha
3 - Adam Vega - Carlson Gracie Team
3 - Pedro Zapata Jr - Brasa CTA

BROWN / Adult / Male / Light
1 - Dante Leon - GF Team
2 - Alexandre Faria Molinaro - Carlson Gracie Team
3 - Deven Parker King - Detroit Jiu-Jitsu Academy
3 - Khalil Fadi Fadlallah - Detroit Jiu-Jitsu Academy

BROWN / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Dante Leon - GF Team
2 - Matthew W Leighton - Bonsai JJ - USA
3 - Adam Maslach - Uflacker Academy
3 - Joseph Nelson Hooker - Valko BJJ Academy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
1 - Joshua Roy Hinger - Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 - Abmar Marcelo Barbosa - Zenith BJJ - Las Vegas
3 - Gabriel Rodrigues A. Goulart - Alliance
3 - Ross Daniel Keeping - Gracie Humaita Las Vegas

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Joshua Roy Hinger - Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 - Yan Lucas Cordeiro Paiva - Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu
3 - Carlos Eduardo de Araujo Farias - Brasa CTA
3 - Gabriel Marangoni de Oliveira - Brasa CTA

Results from the IBJJF Chicago Spring International Open (no gi)

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 - Andrew Wiltse - Pedigo Submission Fighting
2 - Nicholas Shammami - Caique Jiu-Jitsu
3 - Jacob Shroyer - Renato Tavares Association
3 - Joshua Kendrick Taylor - Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Pedro Sauer Team

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Andrew Wiltse - Pedigo Submission Fighting
2 - Max Pascale - Brasa CTA
3 - Chris Feldmeier - Bonsai JJ - USA
3 - Nate Fenton - Bonsai JJ - USA

BROWN / Adult / Male / Middle
1 - Dante Leon - GF Team
2 - Joshua S. McKinney - Watson Martial Arts

BROWN / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Dante Leon - GF Team
2 - Matthew W Leighton - Bonsai JJ - USA
3 - Johnson Clay Telford - Team Royce Gracie
3 - Joseph Nelson Hooker - Valko BJJ Academy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 - Joshua Roy Hinger - Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 - Steven J. Patterson - Brasa CTA

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 - Joshua Roy Hinger - Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 - John B Gutta - Bonsai JJ - USA
3 - Gabriel Marangoni de Oliveira - Brasa CTA
3 - Yan Lucas Cordeiro Paiva - Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu