2020 American National IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship

The Top 6 Matches From The 2020 IBJJF American Nationals, Day Two

The final day of American Nationals was loaded with breakout performances. Here were our favorite black belt no-gi matches.

Dec 7, 2020 by Corey Stockton

The Top 6 Matches From The 2020 IBJJF American Nationals, Day Two

The final day of the 2020 IBJJF American Nationals was loaded with breakout performances. The middleweight and absolute divisions were full of submission-hunting competitors who put it all on the line in every match. Here were our favorite black belt matches to watch on day two of American Nationals.

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(Check out the top six matches from day one here)

Rida Haisam vs Gabriel Almeida (Open Weight Semifinal)

Gabriel Almeida finished most of his opponents on his way to double gold at No-Gi American Nationals. His semifinal opponent, Rida Haisam, had five submissions on five tries leading up to this match against Almeida. This match began as an unrelenting battle for grips and takedowns, a tense fight as both competitors seemed to realize how much weight hung on the first points. The tension erupted with two minutes remaining in the match, as Haisam scored the first points, unleashing a scrap which lasted until the closing bell.

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Pedro Henrique Rocha vs Enrique March (Medium Heavyweight Final)

Enrique March tried to push the pace on the ever-explosive Pedro Rocha. March paid the price, as Rocha upped the ante, swarming him with aggressive shots and leaping guillotine attempts. March scrambled out of the first few, but eventually fell to what could be the submission of the year.

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Carlos Souza vs David Garmo (Open Weight Quarterfinal)

David Garmo lost an early round matchup to Carlos Souza in the middleweight bracket. But Garmo hit his stride in the absolute division, climbing through to the final before falling to Gabriel Almeida. In his quarterfinal match against Souza, he found redemption for his middleweight loss. It was a short, action packed match where Garmo demonstrated his wrestling, grit, and finishing power all in one.

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Carlos Souza vs Michael Salazar (Middleweight Semifinal)

As far as scraps go, this was one of the best matches of the day. Michael Salazar and Carlos Souza traded attacks back and forth, wrestling, remaining active in 50-50, and constantly seeking submissions. Salazar, who received his black belt just a month earlier, was up on points in the final moments of the match. But Souza has proven time after time that he can finish a kneebar quickly.

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Carlos Souza vs John Combs (Middleweight Final)

John Combs was in peak form at No-Gi American Nationals, collecting two submission wins. Souza has an aggressive style, and a dangerous kneebar. But Combs managed to counterfight successfully against Souza, hijacking his attacks an applying his own high-pace to get ahead, where he found his second submission victory of the day, and middleweight gold.

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Carlos Oliveira vs Suraj Budhram (Light Featherweight Semifinal)

Carlos Oliveira went on an attacking spree for most of this semifinal match against Suraj Budhram. Budhram made Oliveira fight for every inch, escaping several deep submission threats and keeping composed through Oliveira’s barrage of attacks. Budhram had some scoring chances, himself, and kept the margin of this match narrow until the closing seconds.