This past weekends Curitiba Summer Open marked the return of two black belt champions that had not competed in an IBJJF event since the 2022 World Championships. Diogo Reis and Erich Munis had their sights set not only on gold in Curitiba, but also on sharpening their submission skills prior to the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

Diogo Reis, Melqui Galvao Jiu-Jitsu - 5 fights, 3 submissions, 60% submission rate

Diogo Reis made his IBJJF black belt debut in 2022 and collected gold medals at the Brazilian Nationals, the Curitiba Open, and the Rio Fall Open. He placed third at the World Championships back in June 2022 and returned to IBJJF competition at the Curitiba Summer Open this past weekend. Diogo’s weekend started in the gi, where he had three matches. In the quarterfinal, Diogo score eight points via sweeps and then caught an ezekiel choke from the back. He won his semifinal 10-0 to advance to the featherweight final. In the final, Diogo swept, passed the guard, and used his opponent’s attempt to escape side control to transition to an armbar. The finish came with just over twenty seconds left in the match.

On Sunday March 12th, Diogo competed in the no-gi featherweight division. In his semifinal match, Diogo attacked relentlessly, scoring a sweep and two takedowns to win the match on points. His no-gi final was a beautiful display of positional control leading to submission. After pulling guard and sweeping, Diogo scored two guard passes to go up eight points. Following a reset to the feet, Diogo used a slick maneuver to get to his opponents back, securing his hooks and locking in a match ending rear naked choke. The finish brought his submission rate to 60% for the event and solidified a great performance where Diogo displayed complete jiu-jitsu.

Erich Munis, Dream Art - 2 fights, 2 submissions, 100% submission rate

The last time Erich Munis competed under the IBJJF banner, he won gold and silver medals at the 2022 World Championships. His highly anticipated return to competition came at the Curitiba Summer Open in the super heavy division. Erich had two matches in Curitiba. In his first match, he faced German black belt Julian Stonjek of Alliance. Erich pulled guard and swept directly into mount, scoring a quick six points early in the match. Julian would escape and come on top in Erich’s closed guard, but it wasn’t long before Erich answered back with a perfectly timed Roleta sweep into mount, putting the score at 12-0. The finishing sequence came around six and a half minutes into the match, when Erich swept for a third time and finished a toe hold from top position. 

In the final, Erich faced Vinicius Lessa of Esporte Dez. The 2X World Champion started the match with a guard pull and a sweep, coming on top and utilizing a cross pant grip to initiate a passing sequence. As Erich moved around his opponents legs, he exposed the back, using the transition to the back to lock in a triangle. The tap came three minutes and forty nine seconds into the match. Erich expressed a desire to improve his passing and submissions at the event, both of which he was able to do successfully. He’ll compete at super heavy at the Pans, where he’ll look to  win gold for the second straight year.