On Saturday October 1st, the IBJJF returned to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Charlotte International Open. The event took place at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center and featured gi and no-gi divisions for juvenile, adult, and masters athletes. Competitors from GF Team, Gracie Barra, Alliance, SAS Team, CheckMat, and ZR Team all came out to test their skills and compete for the gi and no-gi team titles.

The black belt adult male double gold winner in the gi was Team Lloyd Irvin’s Angelo Claiborne. At medium-heavy Angelo won a tight match against Andre Gois of Alliance by a score of one advantage to none. The road to gold for Angelo in the open class would require three victories, however. In the quarterfinal match, Angelo scored first with a sweep. He then forced the half guard position and passed the guard for another three points. Another guard pass straight into the mount gave Angelo a 12-0 points victory.

The semi-final saw Angelo score a sweep, a guard pass, and a submission to advance to the final. His opponent in the final was ultra heavyweight Pedro Pessoa of ZR Team. Pedro scored first with a sweep. The two then disengaged and Pedro pulled guard. This time Angelo was able to initiate a pass which ultimately led to a choke from the back. The finish gave Angelo a perfect 4-0 record for the day with two submission finishes.

Jennifer Case won her first gold medal of the day in the adult black belt super heavy division. Coming off an incredible performance at the 2022 World Master, Jennifer jumped into the adult division in Charlotte as the current #1 ranked female master 2 black belt in the world. She faced Maia Matalon in all three of her matches as there was a three person bracket at super heavy with one disqualification for a no show. In the first match at super heavy, Jennifer built a 7-0 lead before losing by way of a clock choke submission. In the super heavy final, she passed the guard straight into the mount and finished with a kata gatame. In the open class final, Jennifer scored a takedown, spun to the back, and then flattened her opponent out. She secured a key lock and submitted to earn her second gold medal of the day.

Justin Primrose of Renzo Gracie Ottawa took gold in the black belt super heavy division. Justin faced Diego Ramalho of ZR Team in the final where he swept from de la riva with about 30 seconds left in the match to secure a 2-0 win. Justin went on to win another match in the open class to end the day with gold and bronze medals. Diego Ramalho of ZR Team was the double gold champion without the gi. He first won a match in the ultra heavy division. Then, in the open, he won two more to win another no-gi gold medal.

2022 Charlotte International Open team results:

1. Alliance
2. CheckMat
3. ZR Team

2022 Charlotte International No-Gi Open team results:

1. SAS Team
2. ZR Team
3. Alliance