IBJJF New York 2017 Spring International Open

A Talent Spotting Guide To The IBJJF New York Spring Open

The IBJJF New York Open is a perfect opportunity for us to do some talent spotting. Researching and identifying the up-and-comers is an important job that requires keeping a close eye on the sport.

Apr 7, 2017 by Hywel Teague

A Talent Spotting Guide To The IBJJF New York Spring Open

The IBJJF New York Open is a perfect opportunity for us to do some talent spotting. Researching and identifying the up-and-comers is an important job that requires keeping a close eye on the sport.

We have thousands of matches in the FloGrappling video library, and this is a valuable tool in charting athletes' developments. We are always watching jiu-jitsu to try and see who will be making waves. Even with the growth of video technology, it's still very important for us to be on the ground and get a good look at what's going down.

The IBJJF New York Spring International Open is a tournament that always offers a diverse range of talented athletes from both locally and further afield.

Here's a rundown of just a selection of some of the competitors to watch from blue to black belt at the NY Spring Open this weekend.

BLUE / JUVENILE / Male / Ultra Heavy
15 years old and 206lb of purebred pedigree Gracie Family fighting stock, Rayron Gracie only started competing in earnest this year, but with double silver at Pans has already shown he's got potential.

BLUE / Adult / Female / Light
Mackenzie Fingerhut of Alliance was champion at Worlds and Pans last year as a juvenile. Now competing at adult, see if this rising talent can continue her success.

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Light
Italo Moura of PSLPB Cicero Costha / Unity BJJ is a familiar face on the competition scene and consistent in his success. He was spotted training wrestling with Paulo Miyao at Edge in Hoboken recently, which could mean an increased dedication to develop his overall skills.

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Middle
Matheus Lutes is a talented purple out of Brazil who recently switched from Unity to Marcelo Garcia / Alliance. No word on what caused the defection only, only that he was being nurtured as one of the young hopefuls at Unity before moving across town to Marcelo's.

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Heavy
Brazilian by birth but living in the U.S. since he was nine years old, Felipe Rocha of Essential Jiu-Jitsu is one of JT Torres's students.

PURPLE / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy
Following his successful jump up in weight at Pans, Devhonte Johnson is back at super heavyweight and a hot pick to take double gold at purple at what amounts to home turf for the New Jersey-born, New York-trained athlete.

PURPLE / Adult / Female / Medium-Heavy
Vedha Toscano's father Fabio Clemente runs Jiu-Jitsu For The People in midtown Manhattan and she took double gold last November at the IBJJF New York BJJ Pro. We expect the six-foot tall athlete to frustrate her opponents with her spider guard.

BROWN / Adult / Male / Light-Feather
Malachi Edmond will add some spice to the light featherweight division. The dynamic youngster had solid performances at most major tournaments last year and is a typical hard-working, well-discipline product of Team Lloyd Irvin.

BROWN / Adult / Male / Feather
Adam Benayoun recently moved from New York and is training at Ryan Hall's gym in Virginia, but he still reps Alliance. A regular drilling partner of Gianni Grippo, he has a similar game honed by countless reps.

BROWN / Adult / Male / Light
Last time we saw Dante Leon here in New York he tore through his weight class. He stumbled earlier his year at Euros and Pans but took quadruple gold in Chicago just last weekend signaling a return to form.

BROWN / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy
Unity Jiu-Jitsu's Rafael Babilonia Cristovão doesn't have anybody else in his division so his focus will be on the absolute, where he is a solid pick for gold.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light-Feather
Joao Miyao rarely misses an opportunity to compete, so it is no surprise to see him here. He's only got one match in his division though, against Tadashi Takashima of Boston BJJ Academy.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather
Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor is still considered a fresh black belt in the featherweight division although we've seen him in action a few times now. Hill-Taylor suffered a disappointing DQ at Pans vs Queixinho after beating Gianni Grippo. Look for him to erase that experience with a solid performance.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light
Sure, there are names such as Marcio Andre and Yan Lucas 'Pica Pau' in the lightweight divisions, but keep an eye on Alliance's Johnny Tama. He's got nothing to lose and always gives 100%, and will likely meet Andre in his second match.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
Jonathan 'JT' Torres is back for the first time since 2016 Worlds! With all his time dedicated to opening his new gym, Torres dropped off the scene but with a tournament on his doorstep couldn't pass up the chance to compete.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
Always fun to watch, Horlando Monteiro will bring his aggressive submission-orientated style to New York this weekend. His toughest challenges will be Marcos Tinoco and Diego Ramalho.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy
Returning to the heavyweight division once again, hyper-aggressive Matheus Diniz is considered the favorite for gold -- New York is his adopted hometown and he lives blocks away from the venue.

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy
Returning from Europe with medals in the gi (Rome Open) and no-gi (European Championships) Mahamed Aly has one fight in his division against a natural lightweight. The absolute is where we'll see him do his thing.

BLACK / Adult / Female / Light
Aarae Alexander of Team Lloyd Irvin took bronze at Pans, her first major tournament as a black belt. We've been told she is a 4.0 GPA student, which explains her intelligent fighting style.