The IBJJF Master International – Europe took place on April 29th and 30th, 2023 and the tournament attracted a number of top competitors. It’s one of the biggest events that is designed specifically for grapplers over the age of 30 and while it’s a great opportunity for older coloured belts to compete against the best in their division, it also attracts several top black belts too. Jackson Sousa walked away with a pair of gold medals competing against the youngest black belts available, as he won both the heavyweight division and the absolute division at Master 1.
Michelle Nicolini also made an appearance at the tournament and she achieved the very same feat at Master 2. She conquered the women’s lightweight division and then came back later in the day to win gold in the absolute division too, sharing the final with the only woman in the bracket who was lighter than her. Bernardo Pitel was a step ahead of the competition at his age in the Master 4 divisions and managed to play the part of the giant-slayer at the IBJJF Master International – Europe 2023 too. He won gold at featherweight in his age bracket and then also beat several competitors larger than him to win the absolute division.
There was several great performances all across the weekend and grapplers all around the world likely care quite a lot about the results of the IBJJF Master International – Europe 2023. Not so much because it has a great bearing on the landscape of professional Jiu-Jitsu competition, but because a huge number of the grapplers competing will be coaches or prominent figures in local gyms. Rather than watching the best on the planet battle it out in every round, masters tournaments give people an opportunity to watch the best within their age-range battle it out and this can often lead to even more exciting moments than the highest level of competition.
